Is it REALLY a service dog?

[FiaSpice]

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

I missed this quote, it really is!

 

[AmandaDi]

I just read the article and the replies... Were you Factoid? LOL

I am a little on the fence with the issue. I think the dogs behavior in your case was insane and not the actions of a service or therapy dog... I do know how wonderful a therapy dog can be though so I am sure she does help this girl out. I would assume it was totally at the disgression of the school to decide whether or not to let it in since it is NOT a service dog, so it is not granted the same rights. I think it is a good idea to only allow access for a limited time to start out.

I am unsure how I feel about her being able to bring it to school because of ADHD and ODD. My niece is ADHD and she argues like one with ODD would... but I don't think she needs a dog to be in school with her. But, I do not know this girl or her history, so maybe it is really a last resort!

I was upset with all the comments concerning the kids allergies and stuff. Sometimes people just have to deal and make the necessary changes. I am highly allergic to many type of perfume...... so when someone comes in wearing it, I MOVE! If you are allergic to the dog, MOVE! My hairstylist is allergic to my SD but she still lets me bring her to the shop! She just asks that someone with me keeps her in the waiting area while she cuts my hair so she doesnt have to be right next to her.

My overall thought - You cant please everyone!

 

[ChilliPepper]

And where exactly are the kids with allergies to dogs supposed to move to? Another classroom? I am also allergic to perfumes/ scents and I think they should be banned from the office.

 

[smhufflepuff]

I was upset with all the comments concerning the kids allergies and stuff. Sometimes people just have to deal and make the necessary changes. I am highly allergic to many type of perfume...... so when someone comes in wearing it, I MOVE! If you are allergic to the dog, MOVE! My hairstylist is allergic to my SD but she still lets me bring her to the shop! She just asks that someone with me keeps her in the waiting area while she cuts my hair so she doesnt have to be right next to her.

There are different levels of allergic reactions to contend with. While some people would be fine with having a dog on the opposite side of the room, others would not. For some, it's a little sneeze and watery eyes; for others, the reaction rolls into asthma. Being unable to breathe doesn't work out too well... not compatible with life. That incompatibility isn't something you can just "cope with" - you die. This could be particularly problematic for kids who don't want to appear weird to others or teachers who don't understand the nature of the problem a child is having with the dog... you know, the "rub some dirt in it and take a lap" type.

Consider also that the reaction increases in severity the longer the exposure. So a dog during a haircut (like an hour?) is very different than a dog for several hours. Further, once started, allergic reactions do not necessarily stop once the allergen is removed.

Also, the dog is not likely to stay put. There's not only a single classroom to consider, but any other rooms the dog would need to go to in order to stay with its human: art, music, gym, cafeteria, school nurse's office, principal's office, all the hallways between the outside and each of these rooms...

 

[Tiatrack]

Sometimes people just have to deal and make the necessary changes.

Sorry Amanda, but this is just an ignorant statement. Sometimes people just have to "deal"??? I know that you have a service dog, and none of us would argue that you have a legitimate reason for needing a service dog (unlike the girl in question). My husband is a severe asthmatic with an allergy to dogs. He can't just "deal." Moving to the other side of the room isn't going to cut it. Dander isn't static and only within a 1 foot radius of the dog. Spending 6-7 hours in a classroom with a dog would send him to the hospital.

 

[FiaSpice]

Further, once started, allergic reactions do not necessarily stop once the allergen is removed.

So true. My ex grand-mother in law had a cat. Before any family reunion she woudl vaccum and lock the cat upstairs and I stil would be sick as hell (even with Benadryl). Mots people think that when you vacum, lock the pet away it clears everything but it doesn't. Each peson react diferently and even differently to different animals of the same speacy they are alergic to (cat for me)

 

[Melissa]

What about a child like this one. http://cbs5.com/health/allergies.anaphylacti.shock.2.613432.html

 

[AmandaDi]

Perhaps saying they should just deal is not the right way to word it. Im just stating that sometimes you can't accomodate everyone. There is always someone who will complain or be allergic or whatever, whether it is a dog, perfume, peanuts, etc... but ADA rules that SDs are allowed anywhere the general public goes, so they have to make the best accomodations possible.

 

[TillyChinchilla]

But this isn't even a service animal.. it is a therapy animal. So if another kid get jealous and is diagnosed with say, bi-polar disorder, they can bring their dog in to? How about the kid with just ADHD, or a speech delay?

People use monkeys as therapy animals too... should a monkey, or a cat, or a what about a miniature horse be let in the school as a therapy animal?? Mini horses are used as service animals as well.

 

[arf2184]

I just read through the whole thread. Assuming everything said is true (the dog was trained, needed retraining, etc), I don't think this family should have a therapy/service dog. They went through all the trouble of getting a trained dog and then did not utilize the dog for months. While the dog may help the girl with her problems, she clearly dos not NEED the dog that much if the dog was available but not put work for such a long time. Based on the dogs reaction at McDs, I doubt they even socialized with the dog much during that time. What kind of dog goes through training to handle various situations, lives in a household with kids, and cannot handle a child running by in McDs?

The mother is clearly not the most responsible person. I have a dog who does not do well with kids. He's improved a lot as he has gotten older, but I would never put him in a situation with kids where I know he's likely to be uncomfortable unless I was going to watch him like a hawk and keep him on a very short leash. Generally, I just avoid kids with him, but when trying to socialize and get a dog comfortable in a situation, you do have to push their limits a little, but you don't put others at risk in doing so.

In this case, I don't think I would allow the girl to bring the dog to school. Nothing against the dog, but I just don't think the family or the girl are responsible enough to keep up with the dogs training. It is an ongoing thing with any dog (or child). If you allow them to misbehave, they will, even if they've been trained otherwise. A well trained dog won't have to be corrected often, but you still have to be consistent and correct misbehavior.

On service animals in general, I do think any animal that is to be allowed in public places should have to be certified and an owner should have to carry an ID card for the animal. This is in everyone's best interest as it makes it easier for businesses to identify legitimate service animals and helps keep those who are not legit from ruining it for everyone. I don't think the certification process should be anything more than ensuring the animal does not pose a risk to others, meaning the animal should be comfortable and well behaved in normal public situations. The CGC test, modified slightly for different species (wouldn't ask a bird to walk well on a leash), would be perfect. I do think people should be able to train their own service animals.

 

[Courtney]

I could probably claim that my hedgehogs are therapy animals. My job is very stressful and it has a tendency of causing stomach upset, headaches and mood swings. My hedgehogs have the ability to relax me quickly and completely - should I be allowed to bring them to work with me?

Not every animal is cut out to be a service dog, and from what I've read in this thread... this particular dog isn't. She may be beneficial to one child, but what happens when she bites a child or attacks it out of fear. She gets put down, and then she can't even be a part-time benefit. You have to accommodate special needs children, yes.. but you also have to protect the general public.

 

[AmandaDi]

You have to accommodate special needs children, yes.. but you also have to protect the general public.

I agree... I pray that this dog is re-evaluated and put through numerous tests before bringing it out again. I can't even imagine my dog being like this, and I don't think it even has to do with training as much as it has to do with the temperment of the dog. My GS is very smart and I think he'd be a great SD... AT HOME. He is not people friendly so I would never risk bringing him out even though I think he could be trained to complete any task a SD is asked to do.

As for therapy versus service... I think its a blurry line. You see a Seizure Alert Dog and it is very much a Service Dog as it alerts the person to an upcoming seizure. Then you have the dogs being issued to PTSD soldiers and they are classified as a Service Dog. I think what they do is a mix of both Service and Therapy. Then you have the dogs that go to the ADHD kids and they are classified as Therapy dogs because they are meant to calm and or refocus the child. They do the same thing for PTSD soldiers, so where is the line that differentiates the two?

Regardless, I personally think if this dog snapped at a child unprovoked (which we know it did) there is a serious problem!

 

[Melissa]

Then you have the dogs that go to the ADHD kids and they are classified as Therapy dogs because they are meant to calm and or refocus the child. They do the same thing for PTSD soldiers, so where is the line that differentiates the two?

The difference? Soldiers with PTSD have been know to kill themselves and others. Not all PTSD soldiers are with people who can recognize PTSD and help them calm down.. But a child will not intentionally harm themselves as a result of ADD/ADHD. And they will most likely have someone(parent, teacher, sitter, other family) around to tell them to refocus or to behave properly.

Comparing a soldier who had fought for the country and almost died and has suffered tramatizing situations and a labeled misbehaving child is ignorant.

 

[bell]

There are a few animals that can be considered service animals. I belive they are monkeys, dogs, snakes, and maybe birds? There may be one more but under guidelines I belive these are the only animals that can be registered as service animals. (Or atleast that is what the people at work say)

 

[Spoof]

Then you have the dogs that go to the ADHD kids and they are classified as Therapy dogs because they are meant to calm and or refocus the child. They do the same thing for PTSD soldiers, so where is the line that differentiates the two?

Responsibility level and location.

PTSD soldiers are not sitting in a small room with 30 other children sharing ventilation with perhaps 600 others in a closed HVAC system.

If you've ever met someone with extreme ADHD, child or adult it's an eye opener. Same with PTSD, unfortunately I have a friend going through both. Ironically he's so allergic to cats that walking into my friend's house (and immediately back out) caused the most severe allergic reaction I've ever seen. Never been so scared in my life, there's nothing you can do when someone's heaving over and over like that - they can't breathe. You just have to wait and hope their airway doesn't close up.

You know what's funny? He'd say "just deal with it" about the situation too. Most extreme ADHD folks have no self preservation.

 

[AmandaDi]

Just so you all know - My brother has ADHD and extreme PTSD.... so Im not making assumptions based on information I am unfamilar with...

GENERALLY a therapy dog is meant to calm and sooth... A service dog alerts to conditions and performs tasks a disabled person cannot do on his/her own. The major factor used in the PTSD dogs in to calm the soldier when they are having a hard time... to teach them that they are important and have someone who needs them... to wake them when they are having night terrors. They perform both therapy and service depending on the soldier.

I was just giving a hypothetical really - when it is therapy and when is it "service". The dog in the article wasn't granted immediate access because it isnt classified as a service dog, but a therapy dog.

I KNOW the difference between a person with PTSD and ADHD. I was talking about the dog and its purpose between the two.

 

[addictedtochins]

So Carol, have you heard any updates on this story? Maybe there will be after school starts. Thanks, Theresa

 

[eroomlorac]

Nope. No articles in the newspapers yet on this dog biting anyone.

If I hear anything about this situation, I'll definitely let you all know.