Hearing dogs alert people who are Deaf or severely hearing impaired to sounds in their environment that the human partners needs to know about for safety and to better function in the world. Hearing dogs can be trained to alert to everything from doorbells, alarm clocks, babies crying, home appliance noises, someone calling the handlers name, and more. Hearing dogs unique in the service dog world as they are often both rescued/shelter dogs and small dog breeds. Historically Hearing dogs rearly worked outside the home, so issues that might have prevent a rescued dog from becoming a service dog weren't as big a concern. Today, you will still find that hearing dogs are still on the smaller side many hearing dogs are specifically breed for the work with known histories and temperaments that can handle a public life.
Summary:An
exciting book on a fascinating subject! Includes Hearing Dog Basics,
Behind the Hearing Dog Temperament, Testing Potential Hearing Dogs, and
Training Basics. More about Martha Hoffman the author.
You don't need to be able to speak to communicate with a service dog. Dogs will accept anything as a cue as long as it is consistent and the dog is rewarded for responding.What I like most about this video is near the end the young women chooses to pet the dog as well as give her a treat!
There are many responsibilities that come with a a service dog. Without a doubt one of the most gross, but paramount for being viewed as a responsible handler is poop scooping. This can be a challenging job for those of us whose disabilities and the equipment we use prevent use from easily reaching the ground.
Then there are those of use who can bend but don't want to touch it or who can bend but have hand dexterity problems that prevent them from performing grabbing motions.
While looking for the latest and greatest information on Autism and Service Dogs I stumbled across this postAnother Fleecing of the Autism Community, Service Dog Edition about a now defunct program that took advantage of families with children on the spectrum. A problem that is sadly too common in my opinion, because it is very easy to get people to open their wallets for anything that might help these beautiful children and their families are often desperate to find anything that might help their child. More interesting than the article itself to me was a comment posted in response by Patty Dobbs of North Star Foundation,
" I want to mention that Siberian huskies are not a good choice for a child with autism, as their breeding does not lend them the necessary qualities to help them relate and communicate gently with a child on the autism spectrum. (Golden retrievers are much better suited to this work temperamentally...we breed several sound lines of Goldens that are superior temperamentally for work with children with autism.) There is great danger in this field if children with autism are partnered with a dog that does not have the correct temperament to work with them...improper or nonexistent socialization of the dog slated for service work is also dangerous for the child. This is a service rich field, and it is not just about the training a dog receives or the facility they grow up within to keep the placement safe as well as effective."
This comment started me off on looking for articles providing food for thought for families with members living on the autism spectrum.
"The use of service, or assistance, dogs with spectrum children is gaining popularity. However, this is a complicated issue. Unlike other autism interventions that can be more easily started and stopped, embarking on the journey to find an appropriate service dog for a child is a long-term commitment on the part of the entire family. A service dog is much more than a well-trained pet."
She goes on to discuss the sensory issues that come with dogs that may turn a child with autism off to a service dog and the different levels of support dogs can be trained to provide families and children on the spectrum. As a follow up piece to this one Temple wrote Questions to Ask When Selecting a Service Dog Provider, a good list of question for any family considering a service dog to use and think about what answer would be acceptable and not.
In Service Dogs Aid People With Autism, Merope Pavlides, a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, as well as the mother of a son with autism discusses the common roles of a service dog placed with a child with autism and the pros and cons of such placements for families.
From The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism I found anAutism Service Dogs article
by Sarah Oriel about her experiences in obtaining and working with a service dog for her son who has autism. More can be found about her family's journey into the world of service dogs on her blog Planet Josh under the Paws and Effect .
From Service Dog Central, a cross disability community of service dog partners, their families and other allies Autism Service Dogs, multifaceted portal of information and issues surrounding service dogs for people with autism compiled by the members of the community living on or with someone who is on the autism spectrum.
Recent revisions to the regulations implementing Title II and III of the ADA have raised increased focus on the issue of service animals in a variety of settings. Post secondary institutions face unique challenges around these issues when it comes to their policies and procedures regarding service animals in student housing, classroom and public spaces. This session will explore the different scenarios that often play out in post secondary education and discuss the interplay between laws governing non-discrimination in housing versus equal access to programs and services. Join this panel of presenters for a discussion of the issues and engage with them in an interactive question and answer period.
Certificate of Attendance/ CEUs offered for those participating in the live teleconference for the following fees:
For-Profit Entities
Single Session
Teleconference: $40.00
Real-time Text Captioning (via Elluminate Live Platform): Free
Real-time Streaming Audio (via Elluminate Live Platform): Free
Not-for-Profit Entities
The non-profit discount is available to education, government and service agencies operating on a not-for-profit status.
Single Session
Teleconference: $25.00
Real-time Text Captioning (via Elluminate Live Platform): Free
Real-time Streaming Audio (via Elluminate Live Platform): Free
I followed Vicki, mine and Slugger’s teacher, into the building’s cool basement. Several dozen folks awaited us there. A woman in a plaid skirt and crisp white blouse ushered us warmly to the front of the room.
She addressed her colleagues, “Okay, everyone, we’d like to get started. We’re honored to have with us Vickie Polk and Leigh Brill from Caring Canine Companions of Virginia. They’re going to be telling us a little bit about their lovely dogs.” She turned and smiled at the Labradors who were now lying quietly in heel position. “How beautiful! And so calm, too!”
Sensing appreciation in the woman’s tone, Slugger flicked his tail twice. “Well you’re welcome, gorgeous!” His admirer cooed. Laughter rippled through the audience as she settled into to an empty folding chair.
Now Vickie stood. “Thank you all for inviting us. I’m a trainer with Caring Canine Companions. This is Zack, my newest student.”
She gestured to the black Lab. Then she pointed toward me. “That’s Leigh and her new service dog, Slugger. They’ve joined us today, so Leigh can see what it’s like to be on this side of a presentation. The two of them have been working really hard finishing up their team training, and I’m happy to say they’re turning into an impressive pair. Slugger does a great job helping Leigh deal with the challenges of her cerebral palsy.”
Vickie paused and beamed at me, but I was suddenly besieged by a wave of panic. Oh God, the voice in my head shrieked, I can’t believe she just told a room full of strangers I have CP! Now I was afraid to look at the audience, afraid I’d find their faces pinched by morbid curiosity. I’d encountered such expressions all my life. Buy A Dog Named Slugger (Note:I get no support from the sale of this book, but service dog programs do!)
By now most of us are probably getting deals via email, text messaging, facebook, and iphone apps from our favorite vendors of all kinds of items and services we use regularly. I, recently, signed up for a couple free services called Living Social and Groupon offering one day deals for all kinds of services in my area (and around the world) at up to 90% the regular price; and being a person who is on a very tight budget I love a deal (especially on things that often there would be no room for in said budget like meals out, movies, plays, etc). My deal hunting doesn't stop with stuff for me.... oh no sir, the dogs and stuff for them is fair game!
Please note I found several other services; the above two are the only ones that checked out as active. Enjoy!All my readers, please share your best places for deals in the comments below this post!
Since being partnered with Shilo my work situation has consisted of multiple part time positions. My main position with the University Center For Excellence in Developmental Disabilities began two months after Shilo and I were partnered, so we interviewed for the job as a packaged deal. The job began with .3 time or 12 hours a week and within six months I was bumped up to.5 or 20 hours a week. It is hard to meet all of one's financial obligations on half time, I continued to look for other part time work and found a job as a facilitator/ data collection specialist for a research project out of OHSU for the Healing Pathways project testing and facilitating a peer facilitated strengths-based curriculum for women with physical disabilities who are also dealing with depression. This job was contract work for a set amount of hours and pay with the average being ten hours a week for the last year and a half. As this contract comes to a close, I need to fill the gap that it creates in my income so it's back to the job hunt!
Job hunting for a person with a disability can be daunting even in the best of times, though the current economic woes in the US (9.8% according to the Bureau of Labor statistics in Nov. 2010) as a whole and the even more dismal picture of employment in my home state of Oregon (10.6% for Nov 2010 according to Oregon Labor Market Information System) can make it feel like a gladiator fight to the finish. I have been working and interviewing with a service dog or service dog in training in tow for over a decade. I know for some people the question arises whether or no they should go to the interview with their service dog, because it brands them as a person with a disability especially when their disability is not readily apparent. The decision of how and when to disclose details about a disability is a deeply person one often with far reaching implications. My disability just happens to be very apparent so any employer or potential employer knows there is something. Therefore, I put my service dog in the same category as my wheelchair, where I am it is.
Preparing for a Job Interview:
When I am preparing for a job interview I have a routine:
Research the company and identify points of interest, questions I have, skills I feel based on my research I can contribute
Prepare my professional portfolio
Pack any requested application materials in my bag
Look up directions
Pick out my clothes
Wash my wheelchair upholstery
Wash Shilo's Gear
Brush/Groom Shilo
It is very important when going on a job interview with your service dog that your dog be just as dressed and groomed to impress as you are. It is also very important that your service dog be on it's very best behavior--All Business. In the space of an interview you and your service dog can show an interview that you and your service dog can work quickly, quietly and unobtrusively. You should also be prepared to answer the three questions per the DOJ Business Brief: 1) Is that a Service Dog? 2) Are you a Person with a disability(as defined under the ADA)? 3) What Tasks does your dog perform? Nowhere do questions 2 or 3 require a person to disclose what their disability is; however, some handlers may have to think carefully about how they describe the work their dog is trained to do to avoid disclosing their disability.
MAKING THE MOVE TO MANAGING YOUR OWN PERSONAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES (PAS): A Toolkit for Youth With Disabilities Transitioning to Adulthood
This in-depth 69 page guide covers this ins and outs of personal assistants for youth with disabilities utilizing the stories of youth with disabilities to illustrate topics related to utilizing, hiring, and selecting personal assistants. Pages 10-12 talk about Service Dogs and an option for meeting personal care and assistant needs. The section is clear, honest and bringsup many good points people who are new to dogs often don't realize.
"While it is perfectly okay to have assistance in caring for a service dog, the human partner should take an active and primary role in making sure the dog’s needs are met. For the bonding of a team to take place, the human partner needs to be the most important person in the dog’s life. This means making time to exercise, groom, and even play with the dog. "
"Given the dog’s responsibilities, this means the dog will likely sleep next to you, pick up things with its mouth, and need to be walked regularly. It also means that your clothes and your living space will regularly be covered in dog hair. So, if dog slobber and animal fur are anywhere on your list of pet peeves, you may want to rethink the idea of getting a service dog. "
Source:The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, HeiTech Services, Inc., Concepts, Inc., 2010, Making the Move to Managing Your Own Personal Assistance Service (PAS): A Toolkit for Youth With Disabilities Transitioning to Adulthood, Washington DC
While reading some information for my day job I stumbled across mention of the Assistance Dog United Campaign! This is complete news to me as I'm sure it will be to many of you. Below is a short description of campaign taken from their site ( the links and bold face font were my additions):
The Assistance Dog United Campaign (ADUC) is a health and human welfare organization which provides financial assistance to individuals who have the need for an assistance dog but have difficulty in raising the necessary funds and to people and programs whose purpose is to provide assistance dogs to people with disabilities.
The ADUC Board of Directors raises funds for assistance dog placements, for grants to support industry research and development efforts and specific provider program development projects, and for scholarships for individuals attending the Bergin University of Canine Studies in pursuit of an Associate of Science degree in Assistance Dog Education. ADUC's funding for assistance dog placements is unique in that seventy percent of the donations are earmarked as vouchers.
Jill tells me that when she is out with Moses, some people get a concerned look on their face and then they ask her if I am still around. Yes, I am still here. To prove it, I am writing this week's column. The theme of my column is "getting old is a real B _ _ _ _ !!!" And I don't mean a female dog.Read More
Knowing the place where your dog will be most out of the way is one of of the arts of top notch service dog handling.
Moving furniture should be of very last resort and you need to teach your dog curl up. A good way to teach this this to dog not natural curler is to a blanket and teach the dog that it must keep all it's parts on the blanket. You fold the blanket successively smaller over time, still asking the dog to all their appendages with in confines of the blanket. Your dog should also be trained to go on cue to all the following placements:
-In front
-Left side
-Right Side
-Behind
Furthermore your dog should see your equipment as an extension of you and be more than happy to curl up tight against a wheelchair/scooter/Walker. Which means they have to trust that you will not move without fair warning.
Your dog needs also to be comfortable going under:
Tables, Chairs, Benches, your legs
Common Places a Service dog can be out of the way in a public:
-Under the table
-Under your chair
-Under your legs (usually means you have to scoot your chair back a bit)
-In a corner
-Next to your chair against a wall
-In between your and your table partners chair
Finally your dog should be comfortable with people stepping over them.
Overtime an experienced dog will naturally gravitate to the most out of the way placements, because they do not want to get stepped on!And all working dogs do get stepped on from time to time. A solid dog will take these rare incidents in stride. The most common situations a dog may get stepped on despite the best efforts to be out of path:
-The bus/subway/train
-Movies/theater house (can you say dark)
-Bars (generally not a great place for your dog)
This great video from Susquehanna Service Dogs out of Pennsylvania shows the life of a service dog candidate from puppyhood to team training. For it was kind like a Where's Waldo of identifying the different stages and training exercises.Here I caught:
Whelping box with litter mates
First semi-solid food (yumm)
Intro to a kneeling bus
Interacting and being patient with a small child
Greeting older dog
Wearing strange items like jingle bell collars and antlers
101 things to do with a box (clicker game)
Parachute tunnel
Novel surface gauntlet-look at that puppy's tail waggin' with excitement
Visit-with head gently in lap
Down-stay while being stepped over
Down-stay at a distance-look that happy engaged face
Wait until released to eat watch the drool string!
Tug open a door
Distance recall
Leash retrieval
Heeling next to a power chair (note bungee leash to make sure does not get caught in the drive wheels)
Heeling next to a manual chair
Providing light forward momentum using a handle and body harness
Stopping on stairs
going under something
An action packed three and half minute video... Did see anything I missed?
I finally got a chance to watch this PBS Documentary, Though a Dog's Eyes (Watch the video on PBS.org.)This documentary really shows the team training and placement process that people applying to Canine Assistants in Atlanta, GA.
Any person, especially parents of young children, need to pay particular attention to the last 20 minutes of the video when one partnership a Aiden fails, and Chase and Conner's mom notes that "it is like having two more kids to take care of " and how difficult it is to find the time and energy to work with her children and the dogs.
Things to keep in mind if you are trying to decide if a service dog is an option for you or someone you love:
1. The way the dogs are raised and trained varies from program to program. This program does not use puppy raisers.
2. There is never a guarantee that there is a dog for you this time. The emphasis on the bond is something that you will hear time and time again. It does happen that people will go home from team training without a dog and that matches after going how don't out .A person wanting to partner with a dog really has to put themselves out there emotionally and realize there is chance that it won't work this time.
3. Not all programs wait until team training to do a dog match. For instance, Summit, where I got matched with Shiloh, does what they call assessment visits where they pair clients with different dogs (each dog is at a different place in training) and the trainers ask questions about what the client likes, dislikes, and needs from each different dog. All the while they are making note of every thing from the way the client moves,interacts with each dog,and how each dog interacts with them.
4. Having other children and the difficulties that presents.
5. It is not uncommon for dogs placed with really young children to prefer to bond with the adult in the environment. It only makes sense from the dog's point of view because the adult is the person who really takes care of everything and knows what is going on.
6.Those first few nights in team training alone with your dog are great, confusing, tiring, and exciting because everyone is out of their element. I remember Shiloh and I coming back from out third day of team training and both sacking out a 3 o'clock in the afternoon!
7.You must continue to work with your dog and be patient when you return home for them to find their bearings,get comfortable and get up to speed.
I try to be as environmentally conscience as I can with the supplies and gear I use and buy for Shiloh, while keeping in mind my very real budget concerns. I recently had to switch from Organix, an organic (definition of organic from the USDA) dog food made locally in my home state to a natural (the USDA does not currently have a definition for "natural products" ) dog food because Organix--much as I and Shiloh love it-- just became too expensive for the budget. AACFO that regulates the pet food industry defines "natural" as, "For the most part, "natural" can be construed as equivalent to a lack of artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives in the product. As mentioned above, artificial flavors are rarely employed anyway. Artificial colors are not really necessary, except to please the pet owner's eye. If used, they must be from approved sources, the same as for human foods. Especially for high-fat dry products, some form of preservative must be used to prevent rancidity. Natural-source preservatives, such as mixed tocopherols (a source of vitamin E), can be used in place of artificial preservatives. However, they may not be as effective" (taken from AACFO/FDA page on Pet Food Labeling).
Food is just one area one can use to reduce the carbon foot print of a service dog. The pet product market is awash with biodegradable, sustainable, recyclable, and products made of reclaimed materials and according to The American Pet Products Association Survey of Pet owners in 2008/2009 the industry expects to see a continued demand for eco-friendly pet products of all kinds.
Examples of Eco-Friendly Products for the Busy Service Dog:
Biodegradable waste bags
Collars/Leashes/ Harnesses/ Beds made from recycled or sustainable materials such as recycled plastic, rubber, polyester; hemp; or bamboo to name a few.
Organic or Natural food (I hear all you Barf and Raw Diet people yelling at me to include you:))
* Note: I haven't linked to any specific Eco-Friendly pet products or companies because there are just too many and I do not want to offend you, my loyal readers, by leaving out your favorite company. Free free to discuss you favorites by leaving a comment on this article.
Examples of Eco- Friendly Practices for Life with Service Dog
Bring Reusable traveling gear in your bag such as refillable water bottles, and reusable water bowl
Save and/ or Trade outgrown vests/harnesses/collars. I cannot tell you how much money my friends with service dogs and I have saved by trading/loaning gear that does fit or is not being used. Not to mention we don't throw away things we otherwise might this way.
Use biodegradable grooming products
Turn the water off while soaping up your service dog in the bath
Take your Service Dog in the Shower with you... Really, Seriously. I've done it and I know others who do this too.
Turn those warn out towels and blankets into dog towels/bedding
Do you have other eco-friendly practices and tips you use in life with your service dog? Share them in the comments section!
Resources and More Information on Topics in this article:
Today is October 11, 2009. A year ago, today, I awoke to begin seven days of training with a dog I hoped would become my next service dog. It was even more uncertain than these trips usually areas the week before I had lost my job of four years. I needed to spend a week bonding and working with a new dog and I didn't even have financial stability. Stressful would be an extreme understatement. I felt I had to go, after all, who knew when they would have a dog they felt would be suitable for me again. So, despite all this uncertainty I packed my bags and head to the first day of my team training with Shiloh. I had teats,my clicker, my laptop, my camera, and my leash. Come what may I had decided to put myself into the process full out. Read about this day:
Last week Shiloh and I accompanied our roommate on a few errands because her guide dog is healing from a mysterious allergic reaction and there where a couple of incidents in less than an hour that remind me why dressing/ marking your dog visibly as a service dog is so important( I discussed this early this summer).
The first encounter reminded me that I live in a town with a lot of puppy raisers for Guide Dogs for the Blind --This is not a negative commentary on GDB--only observation. Guide Dog puppies here all wear green puppy capes when really small, and green vests as the they get older. Summit Assistance Dogs chose green as their color and as such all Summit Teams graduate with a nice green vest.The vest is now Shiloh's light duty gear; I use it when we are going on quick outings where I will not need her to pull my chair. When Shiloh is wearing her Freedom Design Harness, which is red (soon to be purple though the red one belonged to Bastien), we never get asked if she's in training.
The second incident involved someone else who had a "service dog" in the public library. This was a large Black Labrador that was wearing both an Easy Walk Harness and a Gentle Leader but no vest or patches of any sort and the person's disability was not apparent in any way.She was complaining because a library employee had come to question her and tell her her dog was in the way (he was laying down sprawled out). The person felt the library employees needed to be better educated and were being unfair to her.Mean while My roommate and I were inline waiting. We got up to the counter and when we were conduction our business the lab began whining loudly and pulling to get to Shiloh.
Lessons here: Chose your gear carefully and if you Chose not to dress your dog don't be surprised when you get hassled.
A good start to the conversation about the cost of partnering with a service dog and tips on choosing the right program featuring Ed andToni Eames of IAADP in yesterday's NY Times.
This is an issue anyone considering partnering with a service dog must consider carefully before taking the leap to partner. I know I personally spent about $100 a month caring for and maintaining Shiloh after all is said and dog with food, grooming, equipment maintenance,vet care, and enrichment like toys.
I regularly read the blogs in my blog list (on the right side of this post) and I thought this post Service Dog Sawyer: Re-naming...(and introducing "Denver") discussion working with dogs who have previous experience or for whom certain words where previously associated with unpleasant experiences was very interesting. I hope you will too!
Yesterday and the preceding evening I experienced an unusually high pain day. After living 25 years using a manual wheelchair as my primary mode of locomotion my shoulders and spine give out on a regular basis (this is why I am working on getting an appropriate power wheelchair, which--of course-- falls into the category of things easier said than done.). High pain days for me often mean no sleep either, due to the rate my body burns though pain meds versus the safe intervals in which one can take more.
How I deal with high pain, low energy days:
If it is in any way possible I take my service dog out. Even if I need help from my family, roommate, or other person to do it.There have been time in my life where I was completely on my own. During these periods, so far I have been lucky enough not to get ill to the point I could not take my service dog out. Knowing that is is possible I always keep look out for good area pet sitter/ dog walkers that I could enlist to help care for my dog. See Pet Sitters International Locate a Sitter Service. I remember an incident when my roommate's service dog Einstein was only four months old and I was out of town on business. My roommate went to the ER and was told she needed emergency surgery. She was able to call our pet sitter and he fit her into the schedule. He took Einstein home with him and came over each day to care for the cat and domestic rats we had at the time until I came home.
Sick or not service dogs need interaction with their handlers. In general the service dogs I have had and have been known for being uncannily good at realizing when their people are really, really sick and adjust themselves to sometimes strangely quiet modes. By the same token, they are sometimes so pleased to see their person start to get well again, they want to just jump right back into regular activity levels. Every handler should identify quiet, minimal energy (for the handler) activities that they and their dog enjoy. If your dog is used to positive training and enjoys shaping a few minutes several time a day can be both physically and mentally stimulating for a dog.
Make sure you have several people who have been properly educated and will happily follow the conventions of your service dog's training. The last thing a disabled handler who is recovering from illness needs is a dog who has developed bad habits or experienced a down grade in their skills during their illness.
People with disabilities who partner with service dogs must find ways of meeting their dogs needs on their low functioning days. How one will care for a service dog on these days is a question any person considering entering into a partnerships should have ideas and resources in place before the service dog ever comes home.
Book: Lend Me an Ear
