Is it REALLY a service dog?

[FiaSpice]

I would tell the paper your story too

I would. I don't know any service dog, for any "disease" or "handicap" that would act like that, never. From my understanding, the dog is more like those utility dog that can snif cancer or drugs.

 

[Rickman]

I, too, would advise the school board of the occurance at McD'S. Kinda funny the story doesn't mention where the dog was supposedly trained.
If it felt threatened enough at McD's, can you imagine it's panic between classes at a grade school? Or when classes are dismissed? How about the lunchroom??
Are the risks worth the minute gains? Let her take her normal dose of medication during school hours!

 

[mness1]

Where I work we have to do these learning modules and in one of them it is telling us that if a person tells us their animal is a service dog, cat, money or whatever we cannot question it nor ask for any sort of id. I work in retail so I guess if someone wanted to bring a horse into the store they could as long as they told us it was their service animal! We have had a monkey and several dogs and I seriously doubt that that some of them were of real "service"! The man with the monkey said that he couldn't go out without him, I can't remember what his excuse was but the monkey had a bad attitude luckily he was on a leash though! That's another thing, they don't have to be on a leash nor have any sort of proof that its for service like a tag or anything we have to take them at their word!!

 

[Spoof]

It sounded a lot like the school board had already made a decision not to allow the dog, but were backing down for the upcoming year due to press.

I read this the other day and was thinking about this thread; http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/latest/452745

 

[Nancy]

I would not only contact the school but the school board, the newspaper and post your experience with that dog in the comments about that article.

 

[starleomach]

It still seems fishy to me. I would think working with BD/ED kids a dog would be more of a distraction I think it is all BS

 

[eroomlorac]

Haha. I read that article you linked, Spoof. Maybe the man was a 'service human' for a deaf dog!!

 

[Melissa]

I would definitely share your experience Carol.

Kind of off topic..But What bothers me about the artical is this.

Her spurts of combative behavior and moments of excessive arguing are results of oppositional defiance disorder

That is every undisciplined child of school age. It has a different name.. BRAT. And from the sounds of it they GAVE the brat a dog so she would stop arguing. The article mentioned "detect" one or both disorders. You dont need a dog to tell you a child is being a brat or hyperactive. You can SEE it for yourself. And yes I know dogs can sense attitude changes and I think its wrong they are subjecting that dog to a bratty child. If I were the dog having to deal with a child I would be snapping at people too. Now put that dog in a school with other bratty children and its a ercipe for disaster!

ETA: Actually FINISHED the article.

When Bella senses Krystal's imbalances, or a pending eruption of emotion, she indicates so by placing her paw in Krystal's lap. If Krystal does not change her behavior, Bella places her head on her lap. If it continues, she crawls into Krystal's lap.

If she doesnt change? I would say this is not a disabiliy. If she can realize it by a paw or head on her lap and change it on her own she is not disabled.. Someone can just TELL her "Krystal change your attitude, you are out of line." Thats perfectly abled..like the rest of us.

BTW Lola does the paw, head, and lap thing as an "Im sorry" when she is bad and Im disciplining her. Sounds like a cop out on moms part and now the school.

 

[addictedtochins]

My mom was an apartment manager and I remember her discussing that even in apartments that didn't allow pets a person could get a letter from their doctor that they needed a animal for therapy and the apartment would have to allow the animal. I was thinking about this dog, I don't see where it is a service animal, it doesn't do any services. This is obviously a therapy dog and I don't think they are allowed the same privileges as service dogs.

 

[mishellyshel]

if you want to take it that far & contact the school board, i would want to at least know that the dog had some type of training.

as for the ODD........my stepson has it, along with ADHD, Bi-polar & anxiety and he is only 7. I personally think his home life has A LOT to do with why he is the way he is, however; it is a recognized "disease" and while he & his brother & my son can be total BRATS, he legitamately needs help. Both medically and emotionally. He does go to a special school that is in a hospital environment because he got kicked out of his school for threatening to shoot a little girls puppy with an AKA47 assault rifle!
So the boy has issues, so i would not discount the diagnosis of the little girl. Does she need a dog?? probably not.............but maybe, just maybe the dog does help her. It would be in both hers & the dogs best interest to have the proper training before the dog is around that many children. Just my 2 cents.

 

[eroomlorac]

Okay, I did call the school and I talked to the Assistant Principal. I told him my name and the incident at McDonald's in February when the dog snapped at my granddaughter unprovoked. I told him I was concerned this dog was NOT a real service dog and I asked him if he had looked into the training of this dog. He said it is a 'therapy' dog, not a service dog and he does have proof it was trained in Kansas. He said the problem was for several months the dog was not really used as a therapy dog and reverted back to 'just being a dog'. He said the girl and dog trained together but the mother was not included in that training. After the dog was not utilized in it's training for so long the mother tried to 'retrain' the dog into being a therapy dog. The mother and the daughter are going back to Kansas this summer to be retrained along with the dog. I told him I thought it was odd that even a dog that forgot it's therapy training would snap at a child. He agreed but he assured me the dog is legitimately a therapy dog, they have documentation of that and the family and dog is going for retraining. That is why the dog will only be allowed in the school half days at first. He thanked me for my call and concern. He said the school can't be the eyes and ears of the community and he appreciated the phone call with information about the incident at McDonald's. I thanked him for listening to me and I wish him luck with the child and dog in the coming year. So apparently the dog is truly a therapy dog, not a service dog and the school does have documentation that it is legitimately trained. I hope the follow up training this summer with the dog, the child and the child's mother proves successful. But believe me, if I ever see that dog in public again I will steer clear.

 

[addictedtochins]

Quote from story; When Bella senses Krystal's imbalances, or a pending eruption of emotion, she indicates so by placing her paw in Krystal's lap. If Krystal does not change her behavior, Bella places her head on her lap. If it continues, she crawls into Krystal's lap.
Look at the picture in the story, the dog has crawled onto her lap. And I really doubt it's there to calm her down from a full blown tantrum at the time. Grrr this whole story just bugs me, it reminds me of my son, he thinks if he argues long enough he'll get his way, and she did!

 

[Tiatrack]

Okay, I did call the school and I talked to the Assistant Principal. I told him my name and the incident at McDonald's in February when the dog snapped at my granddaughter unprovoked. I told him I was concerned this dog was NOT a real service dog and I asked him if he had looked into the training of this dog. He said it is a 'therapy' dog, not a service dog and he does have proof it was trained in Kansas. He said the problem was for several months the dog was not really used as a therapy dog and reverted back to 'just being a dog'. He said the girl and dog trained together but the mother was not included in that training. After the dog was not utilized in it's training for so long the mother tried to 'retrain' the dog into being a therapy dog. The mother and the daughter are going back to Kansas this summer to be retrained along with the dog. I told him I thought it was odd that even a dog that forgot it's therapy training would snap at a child. He agreed but he assured me the dog is legitimately a therapy dog, they have documentation of that and the family and dog is going for retraining. That is why the dog will only be allowed in the school half days at first. He thanked me for my call and concern. He said the school can't be the eyes and ears of the community and he appreciated the phone call with information about the incident at McDonald's. I thanked him for listening to me and I wish him luck with the child and dog in the coming year. So apparently the dog is truly a therapy dog, not a service dog and the school does have documentation that it is legitimately trained. I hope the follow up training this summer with the dog, the child and the child's mother proves successful. But believe me, if I ever see that dog in public again I will steer clear.

This all sounds so fishy! How would a girl train without her mother? I'm assuming she was 10 or younger at the time, so how did this happen without her mother?

Is there a legal difference between a therapy dog and a service dog, or are both legally allowed to be with a person everywhere? I can't imagine a school allowing a dog with an aggressive history into a building full of children. As the wife of someone severely allergic to dogs, I feel badly for any students in this school that are now going to have to change their lives because of this "therapy" dog.

 

[addictedtochins]

I have searched and found repeatedly the answer is no, therapy dogs are not given the same rights as service dogs. Therapy animals are simply animals that have gone though training so they should behave when they are taken to nursing homes, hospitals etc. It is up the the business if they will allow the animal. they don't have to. Anybody can buy one, you don't have to have a disability just be willing to spend money for what should be a well trained animal.
http://www.dogpro.org/index.php?pageID=12

 

[FiaSpice]

Tiatrack is right, how come the mother wasn't there for training? I know that kid with disability that have a real service dog training are with their parent too.

 

[Olallie]

In switzerland they take their dogs everywhere. So I've heard. Interesting thread!

 

[eroomlorac]

Yes, the assistant principal did explain to me this was a therapy dog, NOT a service dog. I do believe there is a difference and a therapy dog is not automatically granted entrance to public places as a service dog would be. I'm curious to see how this turns out for the school district. I'll keep you all posted if I see anything new in the paper, like a police report the dog bit someone running through the hall at school. :wacko:

And actually if the dog forgot it's training and reverted back to 'just being a dog' I still would expect it not to snap at children when out in public. My dogs have never had any therapy dog training and they do not bite at people. I still think this dog is a little unstable to be in the public schools. But what can I do. I talked to an official at the school and told him of my personal experience with this dog. I don't think I can do anymore at this point.

 

[FiaSpice]

I think you really did what you can. Let's just hope that dog won't be granted acces to that school and snap a children.

 

[mishellyshel]

Meet my therapy chin, when I am bored or stressed he poops

omg.........that is hilarious!

 

[Rickman]

I believe your district school board answers to the county and state school boards, in that order. I don't even know if they can make that decision on their own, without the consent of the county, and then the county must petition the state for permission.
Since this effects many children, and is probably a "milestone" decision, I don't think the final decision can be made at a local level! I think I'd mention that to the guy you talked to!