Centralized training and registration for Service Dogs
Dessie Marek
UMUC
Abstract
In today’s evolving society, there is more mobility that ever for people with disabilities. One of the things that allows this to happen is the use of service animals. Problems however arise when people try to cheat the system. Attempts to pass off pets as service animals, improperly trained animals, and businesses with lack of knowledge on laws all contribute to ongoing frustrations. The need for a centralized training standard as well as government registration and regulation of service animals is clear and immediate. If standards can be established within breeding clubs for “Good Citizen” training, then it can be done for service dogs. Then, once
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Assistance dogs such as emotional support dogs are not trained for tasks or needs of the owner but rather to provide companionship for the owner. The main reason people are offered an emotional support dogs is to help cope with mental or behavioral health issues that do not require assistance outside of the house. Emotional support dogs are often given to victims of domestic violence and children with emotional disorders. The biggest difference between the emotional support dogs and service dogs is that while emotional support dogs are trained to comfort and be there emotionally for their owners at home, they are not needed for daily living support like service dogs are. One of the primary reason that emotional support dogs would need to be identified as such is to take advantage of the loophole provided in the law. (Huss, 2012) So service dogs need training. One of the problems with people who need a service dog is that it is hard to know where to start. Their doctor tells them that they need one and gives them a letter stating so, but then they are on their own. Most people look to service dog organizations. These organizations train the dogs to their own set standard and will try to match them up with the right dog for their needs. This all of course comes at a cost to the disabled person. (who already has many extra costs in life.) The costs can range from five hindered to twenty thousand. One the disabled person has decided that
Many professionals recognize the benefits of assistive animals for people with physical disabilities. This includes seeing-eye dogs that are trained to alert owners to environmental hazards. Some policies may be hard to change, but are required if needed. One well known policy
According to Florida Statute 413.08-2d, a service dog is, “an animal that is trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”
Weinmeyer said that, “In countering the claim of discrimination, the VA argued that not providing service dog benefits for those with mental illness did not violate the Rehabilitation Act quite the opposite, in fact” (2). “The VA stated that it provides benefits not for particular conditions but for particular purposes,” which is, “to help a veteran manage a visual impairment, a hearing impairment, or a chronic impairment that substantially limits mobility,” and that all veterans receive equal consideration for service dog benefits” (Weinmeyer 2).
Before you travel with your service animal, it is pertinent to know and understand the different legislation in place to accommodate disability needs. U.S. federal law and the ADA grant service dogs near unrestricted access when you and your partner are on the ground. Separate legislation, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA),
A service animal is any dog that is trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The difference between a service animal and a regular pet is that a service animal does work/tasks that must be directly related to the handler’s disability. Service animals have been helping disabled humans since 1927. There are three types of service animals: guide animals, hearing animals, and service animals. A guide dog helps to guide the blind; a hearing dog helps to signal the hearing impaired to noises; a service dog helps do work for patients with disabilities other than blindness and deafness.
For most service dog programs, there are certain requirements to meet before you are eligible to receive the assistance you need. One of the main requirements is that you must be legally disabled. By providing a doctor’s note, it will list or show the many things you are not capable of doing on one’s own. Another sort of legal documentation stating your disability is also preferred. A type of requirement some programs look for is the daily use of independently using a walking cane or stick. You must also be willing to be responsible of the full time caring of your guide dog. Once you meet the criteria’s, you are ready to apply for the service that you need. If you are uncertain of your eligibility or have any questions or concerns,
To achieve the highest success rate should be an 8-week-old purebred puppy from a show breeder and the lowest probability of success happens when a rescue dog is used. If a rescue dog is used, professional guidance will be needed when selecting the dog, otherwise the dog will not be able to keep up with the very demanding service dog training. However that logic is flawed because it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. PETA also believes that service dogs do not receive the love that a normal pet received because they are working and because older dogs that are not cut out to do guide dog work anymore are given up for adoption. Figure one shows that 20% of service dogs are seven years and older. At age seven most dogs are halfway through
To segregate assisting animal to a particular area or the owner to a section of a room is prohibited and could cost several dollars in a court case. ADA prohibits service animals separate or removed from a facility based on their kind of breed. Except when animal’s behavior poses a direct threat to the health and safety of another guest. Authors, Wenthold, and Savage stated that dogs’ temperament and response to situation belied the dog’s choice( 2007). Example, barking in public places also they sometimes sniff around. People argue if that justify a threat to other guests, and should they and their owners be removed or put in a different
Seeing-eye dogs are necessary for the livelihood of some individuals who experience blindness. There are many requirements for both the dogs themselves as well as the handlers. There are many programs and associations available to those who need to utilize these services. Types of dogs and the training they require vary from organization to organization, all with the common goal of bettering the lives of those who are blind. Financing for seeing-eye dogs mainly comes primarily through private donors and business sponsors. Laws regarding seeing-eye dogs are enforced by the government under the American’s with Disabilities Act. Public education is important so it is made aware of the potential issues that may arise regarding these service
The Classification of Therapy Dogs, Search and Rescue Dogs, and Dogs for the Deaf and Blind
In order for a dog to become a service dog they must go through “school” training. Most of the puppies received for this job are bred on the training site so the obedient behaviors of past breeds will continue. The puppies are then sent to live with experienced volunteers or families until they learn basic commands and social interactions. After the fundamentals are mastered, they are returned back to the site where each pup will be spayed or neutered. Only then does the rigorous educating begin. Teaching each dog how to walk, see, hear, and even speak for mentally or physically disabled individuals is so demanding that only around half of the dogs graduate. The other half may have been overly hyper, or too eager to play. Those dogs are
Assistance Dogs are protected by the federal law the Americans with Disabilities Act. Guarantees all people with disabilities have legal rights to use their assistant animals in all area, that are open to the general public. The "no pet policy" does not apply to service dogs. Business cannot change extra fees towards the disable individual with the accompany service pet. Always ask before coming in contact with the service dog. Any form of distraction can cause problems. Trained to assist people with physical and mental impairments. 1000 fee for a fake service dog vest, up to jail time and confiscation of dog. Trained to be alert and on guard. Two to three years apprentice training program. Approximately 120 hours over 6 months of training
Guide dogs are trained for several years and then given to someone that is in need of
“Something we would like to see further clarified in the bill is the definition between emotional support animal and a service dog,” Deb Davis, Paws With a Cause community outreach manager, said. “A service animal is a dog [that is] specifically trained to mitigate a person’s disability. It’s custom trained specifically for that individual.”
Service Dogs or Assistive dogs are the specifically trained dogs to assist people suffering from disabilities which limit them to perform the day-to-day tasks without assistance. They are highly trained companions which work as part of a team with their disabled partners. The main purpose of keeping a