The ADA needs a drink.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is 22 years old. It could buy itself a drink, and really kind of needs to right now. I recently had an, erm... run-in with animal control. They found out we had dogs, and insisted we license them. I asked for their waiver for the fee for my service dog, and they insisted we just needed to pay them $82, and that it being illegal to ask for the fee wasn't their problem.

Animal control insisted the LAW wasn't their problem. However, the law was their problem when it came to licensing every pet in the county.

I contacted the mayor's office as soon as a citation warning was issued to me by animal control. It took me a while, but the disabled aren't always known for their ability to be super on top of things at all times. Especially this girl in fall. The change in light as summer ends wreaks havoc on my brain in a really bad way. I got a reply backing me up, and there's going to now be a waiver in Whatcom County for service animal license fees. That saves us $82 a year, so squee!

The issue? NOBODY has brought this up to them. They've been illegally charging service dog handlers pet license fees for 22 years. Their lawyer agreed it was illegal within 2 days of my email even going out, so clearly it's not something that needs lots of deliberation. I'm thankful Bellingham isn't like some towns that try to deny service animals the right to even live in their city limits (yay Aureilia, Iowa) but still, it really puts the problem out there. It's a 22 year old law. Everyone put ramps outside their places of business, and government buildings are wheelchair accessible. However they seem to be willfully ignorant of the service animal portion of the ADA. Illegal policies regarding service animals are everywhere in local governments, and the attitude towards you if you have a service dog without an obvious physical disability is still very archaic.

I won the battle of the ADA being followed. It happens way more than it should. What's so difficult about complying to a 22 year old federal law? I really, really want to know. They managed to put ramps up to their buildings in a matter of months, but a piece of paper that waives a fee or just NOT saying, "you can't have your dog in here, only REAL service dogs" takes 22 years to figure out?

You don't harass service dog handlers. You allow well-behaved dogs who are said to be service dogs access to all places. You waive all "pet" type fees and charge no more taxes or fees than you would for a wheelchair. It's super simple stuff. Most handlers want to be left alone in ALL ways, honestly. Treat us like normal people and ignore the dog. The dog's there to help us function safely and normally, and should be ignored in all ways, including in fees and stuff.

If it took you less than 22 years to read this post, great job! You're smarter than most local governments!

We're Not Going to Run Out of Ability to Treat People Equally, You Know...

I've been verbally attacked by people about my dog before, and depending on my state of mind, I react in varying degrees, internally and externally. Today, I was sick as a dog, going to the store for some pepto before crawling home in defeat. I almost got run over by a woman in a motorized rascal that stores offer customers who need mobility assistance, and the woman had the audacity to tell me I didn't need a service animal.

I told her that if I didn't need my service animal, then she should just get out and walk. Now, it's not my proudest moment, and I was upset she didn't respond so I could educate her, but it's one of those delirious moments that sort of illustrates something about invisible disabilities. We were both physically capable of going into the store on our own, but both disabled and receiving accommodation from the store. In the eyes of the law, we were the same, in the broadest sense.

But in a lineup of 20 people off the street, I'd bet they'd all point to her as the "real" or "more" disabled person. The sense of entitlement to her accommodation, but the anger at mine (and I found my roommate got the same treatment from her) is part of what's at the core of the fight to recognize invisible disabilities. Not even other people who are disabled, who require assistance by either medical equipment, aides, or animals, are all on our side. There's this big group of people who seem to feel "more" disabled. Rather than showing solidarity with other people with disabilities, and helping us all be treated better, this group of disability elitists makes things harder on everyone. It's part of why I don't like Assistance Dogs International, by the way. The  group of people desperately trying to be "more" disabled, and restricting how far rights go for people whose disability isn't physical or visible.

Me being accommodated and treated well despite my "medical device" isn't hurting the accommodations given to someone who has trouble walking around a store. She's not being treated any less. There's enough decent treatment of people with disabilities to go around. No need to be grabby with it.

ADA WIN!

After the events that led to THIS post, I wrote up every detail of what happened, and emailed it to the courthouse's general email, planning to file a formal complaint Monday morning with the DOJ. 10am Monday morning, I found the formal complaint red tape unnecessary because in my inbox was an email. From a judge. I can't say EXACTLY what the email said, but the bullet points of the whole thing are essentially angry/appalled judge, meetings with security, meetings with sheriff's department, and a major WIN for the enforcement of the law passed 22 years ago (yes, it was passed in 1990. Everyone's had 22 years to comply) that protects people like me. It's a major happy bunny win in sugar gumdrop land, and I don't need to go through government red tape in order to make a change. Go me!

See? It's hard, but it's easy. Being willing to communicate, educate, and go to bat for your rights pays off. Wheeeeeee! Speaking of education? I'm planning a delicious post full of links and how to get a service dog 101 for people who need the info somewhere nice and tidy and shiny.

Access Denied

I knew it'd happen someday. Today I was denied access to a place that wouldn't take my knowledge for an answer, and they had security to keep me out. It was at a courthouse of all places, and I learned some things from my experience with these people. They harassed me for about fifteen minutes before finally letting me in, and it was a fight. I've had hard challenges before that I learned from, but nothing as blatant and persistent as this before.

These things pertain in the United States, but probably in most countries with some tweaks. These tend to be AFTER you've asked to see the person in charge, which is always my first step. Often employees are not as well-versed in the law, and the most important person there will usually take over and help you out. The access challenges I've had before were ALL fixed by talking to people above whoever challenged me, and my strategy for them is to talk to the boss and have them educate employees. Education is way better than getting into something, but sometimes they don't let you educate gently.

1. Persist. It took a while and they were treating me poorly, but I persisted as strongly as I could. Walking away not only denies you the right you had to enter but also tells them that they can do it to others. Sticking it through to win the battle to enter helps other teams that come after you and educates the public about your rights.

Do not for any reason let them put you on the back burner and ignore you, or otherwise shuffle you off. You do NOT need to provide any information about your disability or any paperwork. ID badges are worth the paper they're printed on, and your medical paperwork cannot be asked for except by your landlord or by someone with a warrant. It's your private medical information and is protected. Remind them of this and be strong.

2. Entering a public place with your legitimate service animal is your RIGHT. It's your civil right, and is legally the same as not allowing you in based on having a cane or being a certain race. Disallowing you for that reason is not acceptable at all. You need to make this known, that it's not acceptable to say no if they're not sure. I informed the officer denying me access that my dog was unarmed and was not going to disrupt anything. Being detained for reasons of being unsure or otherwise asked more questions, followed, or otherwise pushed for anything is harassment. 

3. Remain calm and confident. It's your right, and if you remain calm and know your laws and rights, and are able to state them, you're more likely to be taken seriously. You have the right to enter. They have the right to ask you if your animal is a service animal and what tasks it performs. They have the right to ask you to leave if you do not make action to stop your dog from misbehaving or disrupting their business. You can repeat it over and over, and inform them of this. Quote the law, and KNOW what their rights and yours are. If you know the wording of the law and the individual state laws, and how most places handle things, you'll be taken more seriously. This got me through every access challenge except this one. Which leads me to more drastic measures. I believe repeating these things when talked to helped move things along. They cannot make special rules for you. That's not their right.

4. The ADA has a hotline. It's 800-514-0301. They can call it for info, and even get info off the website about their and your rights. Tell them to call that number. Put it into your phone, even. It's a source of this information you probably already gave them from the government lips. The person dealing with me refused to call it, but it's still a good resource to have out.

5. Remember details of the incident. Text them to yourself. I text messaged my email address the officer's name and department. It's on their uniform. Ask for name. I almost asked badge number, and not doing so was my mistake. They have to tell you this information, as a cop. If an employee in a business will not provide information, get the names of the manager, store number, address, and a description of the employee. I wrote down everything he said and did to me with his details as soon as I got home, so I can use that later without memory in the way.

6. Report them to their superiors, and if necessary, the Department of Justice. My issue was with a courthouse, so it's a one size fits all complaint. The Department of Justice does have a complaint hotline, but when dealing with a private business (as I have before when employees were rude to me about my dog) I contact the owner or corporate office. They take harassment of service dog handlers very, very seriously. That's where your details come through.

7. If you encounter this a lot, consider a hangman's noose letter. I don't carry a purse or see access challenges often, but it's useful in some areas of very stupid people. Essentially it's findable online or easy to write, and is a letter stating that the person who signs it (the person denying access) is now aware of the law (copied on the paper) and still chooses to deny access to the individual. You simply ask the person denying you to read and sign, or read and let you in. If they sign it, you have a signed letter stating that they are willingly breaking the law. That's essentially a noose around their neck, and all you have to legally do is drop them off the edge.

I hope this list helps someone! It's a learning experience to be denied, but the trick is to never, ever be intimidated. Ever. I'm terrified of cops, but knowing my rights and sticking to my knowledge gave me the best shield ever. My amazing dog helped me through the situation and was very good, to show them how legitimate he was. (Even though they insisted they only let some kinds of service animals through.)

Summer is Coming...

"Summer is Coming" are the words of THIS house. I really adore the gardening and hiking of summer, and the long hours outside, but with it comes a danger. This is the first summer I have where I think my diagnosis might be right. Previous years, we thought I had an adrenaline problem triggered by heat, but it's all the same in that I can't handle the heat. Thankfully, my super-amazing dog watches the temperature for me! I look forward to posting about how he does in the summer, especially with a full understanding of what he might be sensing. The previous two summers with him, I was working, and often came home to him while I was already drained. This is his first summer with me 24/7, and so far, I don't need the air conditioning unit in. The latest I've ever put it in was early May, because last year was so cold. It's been in the high 70s so far this year, and I've been fine. Thank DOG for that one, because it's a pain, since it doesn't really fit in the window properly.

I read THIS post on ruffly speaking, and it's amazingly excellent. It seems to be a mother and daughter with service animals for very different invisible conditions, and she does an incredible job in describing how service animals work, especially with a young child handling some of them. She describes how the dogs just drop in exhaustion after working, and I can relate to that. Nibbler is always on standby mode, and turns on depending on environment and my situation, rather than his vest. (I often worked him without his vest before I started using it like a purse.) That standby mode drains his battery, and he refuses to do more than doze until I'm safely asleep every night. It leaves him absolutely exhausted, and for a few months that I was doing very poorly, I thought he was dead at night because of how difficult it was to wake him.

Recently, he's been in one of his "hate" cycles where he'll grumble at everyone he sees. It's part of having a terrier, and needs some retraining. Any tips?

I Really Don't Like Assistance Dogs International...

This Story really, really bothers me. The US military is requiring service dog handlers in their service to have dogs only provided to them by certain organizations approved by Assistance Dogs International. This is blocking mentally wounded soldiers from dogs they NEED who do their JOBS. It doesn't matter where you get a dog or who trained it as long as it does its tasks properly. Sadly, it can cost upwards of $13,000 for a dog provided by an organization, as opposed to the under a thousand dollars getting a dog to train yourself can cost. Even private dog trainers charge less to help than the high rates "approved" organizations can charge. Seeing eye dogs arguably need the intensive training methods in a facility that ADI requires, but psychiatric dogs are much, much more easily trained. I got Nibbler when he was 8 months old and he was fully working for me and public access ready at a year old. Adara came to us at 3 months and was also ready around her first birthday.

I would fully support a dog being allowed on base only if the handler and dog could complete a public access test similar to what Psychdog has. Simple, basic tasks to prove the dog is fully trained and capable. Have every handler on base spend half an hour demonstrating the readiness of the dogs. Rules like this only serve to make the lives of disabled people HARDER.

Our soldiers with mental and physical injuries from war have already given enough for their country. Why make them give up their medically necessary dog because the "right" people didn't provide them? It's like getting brand-specific about a prosthetic leg.

ADI advocates training like the training given to guide dogs and other dogs who hold the handler's life 100% in their hands because they openly don't think that psychiatric dogs are "real" service dogs. It's the sort of elitism that makes it harder to have a service dog legitimately. If all service dog organizations would spend the time they set aside to trying to seem elitist (not all of them do this) and put it into educating the public, things would be a LOT easier. The ADA is explicit in what a service animal is, and what sort of tasks define a service animal. THESE are the guidelines to enforce and tell the public about, not some imaginary elitist ones.

Handler-trained dogs can do their job just as well as a program-trained dog. I want to know why ADI wants to put an unnecessary burden on the disabled unless we'll join THEIR club.

Three Things That Could Save Your Dog's Life

(Written back in February, thought I'd put it up here)






When people think of the first things they should teach their dogs, they think of things like "sit" and leash walking. While important (at least the leash walking) they aren't the three I consider absolutely essential. If not for the #3 on this list, I might be posting this morning about how my dog died. Instead, he's bouncing a ball off my foot.






#1 Down. Some sort of absolute "hold it right there and absolutely don't change position one bit until I tell you otherwise." I use "wait" for a "freeze" sort of thing. Nibbler's been known to not even put a paw down in this. This is above and beyond any recall because you can always just go get your dog. A dog needs to be able to hold stock still remotely. If they get out of the yard and wander across a busy road, you don't want them coming BACK to you. You want them to stay perfectly still while you go get their dumb little butts. I use it when I'm loading my bike on and off the bus and need Nibbler to hang out on the side of some busy road and wait for me. If you make no other command PERFECT, make it this one. It can also function as #2 and #3, with your dog freezing and you doing the rest.






#2 Recall. Recalls are beautiful, and the foundation for off-leash work. Even if a dog's "never" off-leash, there will be at least one point in their life where you'll need it. It keeps them out of danger and helps build trust. Also, recalls help you control your dog in situations where they'll approach something dangerous.






#3 Leave it. While 1 and 2 can function AS leave its, this tells the dog that the object is permanently off-limits, in a way. Not just that moment, but forever. A dog could come out of their down and go after it again, but this tells them what they need to avoid. Last night, I dropped a shard of broken glass on the floor, and it was covered in chicken grease. Nibbler dove for it (I'm a messy cook) and I screeched a "leave it." If he hadn't stopped with it probably halfway in his mouth, I would've been lucky to spend a thousand dollars at the emergency vet. I can't begin to imagine what it would've done to him, and I could've lost him on the way there.






I can't begin to stress how important these three are. I practice them all the time. Fetch games often have a "down" or "Wait" component to them, and I practice leave its all the time, often with treats. Recalls are trained really intensively as puppies, since our dogs run off-leash with us. I remember going through an entire gentle leader bait pouch of treats PER WALK when Adara was a young puppy. Sophie's recall was good for almost a mile, and saved her life several times.






If anyone I know ever, ever needs help training these things on their dogs, don't hesitate to ask. Anyone at all who can't afford dog training (I offer pretty cheap rates) will get help with these golden 3. All other training is fluff, really.

Some People Just Can't Be Off-Leash...

It was a beautiful day to go to WWU. A day for the dogs to be off-duty, sunny and 70. For those who don't know Bellingham dog culture, it's one of those perfect "dog" towns. Water sources in the summer, outdoor dining for doggies, dog parks, lots of off-leash areas, and the lax leash laws. I've never been asked to leash my dog. I spoke to a city park official once about it, and he said that "no dog" and leash laws are there in case they need to enforce them, but that they prefer to leave responsible owners be.

I saw a few responsible owners at WWU today. Leashed or not, their dogs were under control. However, two oblivious owners stood out to me for two different types of people who can't be off-leash. The dogs would probably be fine, if they were given direction.

Attack-pug, as the first dog became known, attacked our dogs at every chance. The owner didn't show up until I allowed Nibbler to return fire, so to speak. She came out of a crowd that had been watching her dog accost us and ask where the dog's owner was, picked him up, and carried him away. She asked, "What are you doing?" Not really sure if it was to us or her dog, but there was no reprimand for trying to bite Nibbler's face off. No sorry, no notion she'd done anything wrong, but to her credit, she kept him closer to her and moved across the fountain so it wouldn't happen again.

The second sort of owner can be covered by the "my dog is friendly" or MDIF sort... sort of. He was skateboarding around the campus, his dog 100 yards away at times, and he wasn't looking. We had to tell him once that his dog had gotten LOST and needed to be called, since they'd lost sight of their owner and ran down another path. On another pass, this dog came rushing up at us, sniffing our dogs and jumping up on our legs. We screamed at him to leave after gentle nudges didn't work, and finally yelled loudly enough for the man to hear us. He came back and actually got angry at us for having our dogs off-leash, but saying his couldn't be. He left with his dog leashed, muttering about double standards.

These owners both had one thing in common. They didn't understand that part of being off-leash is ensuring that your dog doesn't interfere with others. They ignored their dogs and seem to fall under the sort of person who thinks a dog is trained for off-leash if it won't run off. This sort of training is good enough for people on large properties, but simply not okay for public spaces. Part of being a responsible dog owner is ensuring that you take necessary measures to keep your dog from putting itself in danger as well as not impacting others. Leashes are the most common tool for this, but aren't foolproof. I've had plenty of leashed dogs (don't get me started on flexis) rush my dogs to start something. Nothing is ever a substitute for training a recall, leave-it, and good old fashioned supervision.

A dog ready to be off-leash in a public area not only needs to be capable of a good recall and leave-it.  Those things can be top-notch and the dog can poop rainbows, but it still won't be ready. The owner has to WATCH their dog. Dogs on leashes longer than 4-6' should be considered off-leash for supervision purposes. Leave it can result in the dog putting the item in an incinerator, but it's not going to do any good unless the owner USES it.

People unwilling to do these things either shouldn't have their dogs out in public or just plain shouldn't own dogs. They require training and attention, especially when they interact with a world outside their home. When I see an out of control dog, I don't get mad at the dog. I just wish they'd put their owner on a leash.

One of those days...

Some days with a SD are better than others. Some days are full of challenges to your rights and dignity, and others are like today. Nibbler's been even less noticeable by others than normal and people have been either properly educated or willing to ask open-minded questions. It seems a local organic market that used to be semi-hostile really has opened up and become more accepting.

I sympathise with people working in no-dog places, but not with the business owners who don't educate. The average clerk or cashier has no idea what to do with a dog in the store, and has to act in the best interest of their job, especially in this economy. That's why I encourage handlers to talk to management about access problems they have with the common worker. These people can actually change things and make policy and education decisions without fear of rocking the whole 'having a job' boat. I talk to the highest up person I can because in another life, I was that poor SOB unable to do anything without management say-so. I had to appeal to my district manager about SD policy when a panicky lower manager got a nasty customer call from small-minded morons who saw our dogs. It worked, and there's another SD-friendly restaurant out there.

This has been a heavy post. Here's a picture of my good boy on the bus.

Whistlers

A problem I often have with service dogs and pets is the whistler. The person who calls your dog and expects them to come to a complete stranger. My dogs have been suspicious of strangers, but many are distracted by it and pet dogs may do as they're told by anyone. I've found a quick solution. Many reactions have to be very short before someone walks away, and while it can seem rude, it gets the point across and can be worded more politely.  I call it the 'that's not your dog.' It can be that, or asking someone why they'd call a strange dog who is obviously not lost or in danger.


Nibbler's vest is in the wash, and as I was writing this, someone came up to pet him. I asked him to please not, and he left. However, someone nearby commented that I should have a vest. I explained it isn't legally required, and people should learn as young children that they aren't entitled to pet strange dogs. He said that it should be required because he's sick of getting yelled at for it. I told him that it' not considered polite or even smart to pet any strange dog without asking, as you could get bit and the dog could be put down. I'm considering asking adults why their mothers never taught them to stay away from strange dogs without permission. All humans and animals involved are put in danger when this happens. The worst, though, is when they 'introduce' our dogs without asking.  My last dog, who was a pet, just didn't do well with other females, and was 90 pounds of  muscle and teeth. She taught people a lesson in a show of force (not harming, just displaying) but my current dog can't defend himself when working, and would lose to an aggressive large dog.

"Mama, I'm bored."

What I'm curious about are other tactics people use to quickly correct people who mess with their dogs and what your biggest issues are.

Introductions...

Hello, my name is Holly and I have a service dog. I've had him since I started training him in February of 2010, and he's pretty incredible. A lot of the issues with service dogs stem from lack of knowledge. I've met people who were told by doctors and other authority figures things about service dogs that are untrue, and I'd like to have a place to talk about the real experience of a service dog handler, and to link information that others can use to help educate people.

One of the major problems I've run into so far is the mental picture people have of service dogs and their handlers. If you don't know me or my dog, I'd bet you have a picture of someone in a wheelchair, with a cane, or with a physical impairment, and with a lab, golden retriever, or maybe a German shepherd.



This is my amazing psychiatric service dog, Nibbler:

The little girl behind him is another service dog named Adara who lives in the same household. They're incredible dogs, and they help us with our various psychiatric problems. They don't need to be big, since their job doesn't have a size requirement. They're enough dog for us, and more portable than larger dogs, not to mention more practical for apartment living. Nibbler's 7.5 pounds, and Adara's trying to hit 5 pounds. I plan on later adding more information, but would LOVE questions in comments or emailed to me. I'll answer just about anything I can, or send the asker to a source if I don't know anything about the subject personally. I trained both dogs here, and learned quite a bit along the way with the help of some of my friends who also have service dogs.