Yesterday at the post office ...

[Dixie]

That is why you leave the hearing dog at home when you run to the PO to mail a package or to buy stamps.

But get this ----- in larger metropolitan area the USPS will now pick up and deliver packages right from your front doorstep - so no need to go to PO in that instance, also you can print stamps off on your printer and tape to the package and it will be delivered. You just use your credit or debit card to purchase the stamp online.

And I will stick to my opinion - the best place for a hearing dog to function is in the home and there are VERY few circumstances outside the home that the dog would truly be beneficial to the deafie.

Most hearing dog tranining places emphasize their training for the dog to function mainly in the home. Most will not train the dog to alert you to a car behind you or to sirens while driving. This is why you constantly check your mirrors for ambulances running hot behind you.

To keep from getting run over, you should not walk in the vehicular right of way, and always be aware of your surroundings sightwise. You can turn your head occassionally to look behind you.

Again I am not saying that hearing dogs are second class service dogs, I am saying that in order for them to truly help the deaf person function they have to be used for the right reasons and not abused as a pet they get to take everywhere with them.

I think we have two kinds of handlers we are discussing - one that has a service dog that needs it to be mobile and the dog is a working animal but the companionship is just an added bonus of the overall package. Daily training and conditioning is done to keep the dog sharp and ready to work.

the other is somoene who purchases a service dog but never puts in the time for daily traininng and maintenance to keep the dog in working shape both mentally a physically and the dog then becomes a pet that gets to go to wally-world. They fail to realize that the animal is a working animal first and a companion second. When it comes time for annual evaluation by the training agency the dog fails and the dog is often removed from the program altogether and sometimes the dog is sold to the person whom the dog was placed with to assist and sometimes the dog is removed when there is clear evidence the dog was not used for its intended purpses or there was a severe case of neglect towards the animal. In which case the person is now no longer eligible for any type of service dog.

The fact here is if you have a service dog you have to use the dog for its intended purpose and training. A service dog is not a hunting retriever, a service dog is equated to that of a police dog in some states and it should be that way in all states. If the dog is intended to assist and alert then it should do so.

In most programs - service dogs are never allowed to play with other people besides the person they are to assist, petting even by live in family members is discouraged but not forbidden. They want to make sure the dog forms a tight bond with its person.

It cringes me when I see someone other than the designated person playing or petting a service animal, and the designated person allows it and even encourages it in some instances.

If you have a service animal you should always have a daily training regimen to keep the dogs skills sharp, dont feed it table scraps, and have daily physical excercise. A service animal is just that a service animal first and foremost, only the best of the best get selected to go through training and eventually placed in an assistance home.

For more information on hearing dogs - click here:
How we train dogs - Hearing Dogs for Deaf People - UKs main hearing dog program

Dogs for the Deaf, Inc.
A US hearing dog site.

Dogs for the Deaf, Inc. -
Why would a person who is deaf need a dog in public?
Deafness is invisible and many people feel more secure and confident in public with their dogs beside them. The dogs help others realize that the person is deaf and might need help in an emergency and that they might need to make a bit of extra effort to communicate with the person. Also, through normal body language and demeanor, the dog provides very important environmental awareness for the person.
but the dog does not truly help the deaf person function in public - it is there solely as a comfort animal not a service dog. I personally think that if you are worried about a situation in which someone might not realize you are deaf - you could wear a medical ID tag or bracelet that informs medical personnel that you are deaf and may need accomodations in communicating and in some cases a terp may be provided.

Lets be realistic - a hearing dog's primary function is in the home if you notice none of the training is done for environmenents, all the sound work is done for the home.

 

[pek1]

Does the dog wear a cape or jacket that -clearly- states you shouldn't pet it? I think that might be helpful, if it's currently only wearing identification as a service dog, or has a smaller (thus harder to notice) notice not to touch.

On the other hand, being consistent in the "don't pet him/her" is also important- it doesn't allow people to get the impression that petting your dog is okay, so petting ALL service dogs is okay.

I think it's mostly a matter of educating others. Most people still seem to be under the impression that all service dogs are "seeing eye dogs" so they don't really understand how to act around them.

Aleser,

I can't get the website, Nu-Capes up right now, but if you go to it and click on hearing dog, you will see a blaze orange cape on the dog in the picture. The hand in the picture circled with the / through it. This is what Snickers wears most of the time. In fact, I am having her wear it more often.

As for educating others . . . sorry for sounding sarcastic, but . . . my time is valuable, too. I just can't stop and visit with everyone all the time regarding this, as I would never get anything done.

 

[pek1]

Well darn it, I guess I'll have to go with the frowny face for today,

I think you misread my post - I did not say that a seizure alert do was to supposed to lead the person outside, the dog simply alerts the person that they need to get into a seizure ready position and wait. You see these dogs typically associated with people who have grand mal seizures - the croppy floppers so to speak.

When I said for people with certain forms of DEMENTIA if they become disoriented with their surroundings or have severe panic attacks the dog is to lead the person outside. I do know of one man that has amnesia, he had his first episode when he left his home one evening to take an evening walk - he was missing for nearly 30days and has no clear recollection of that time. All he remembers is that he woke up one morning and realized who he was and had to figure out how to get back home. He survived by eating out of trash bins and swiping ketchup packets from mcdonalds. Now that he has been properly diagnosed he carrys a cell phone with GPS embedded in it along with having a guide dog that should he become disoriented again the dog is to have him sit down and he is to press the 911 button on his phone and the police come and take him and his dog to a hospital. The dog is there to keep him from wandering the streets aimlessly. He often trains the dog by pretending to become disoriented and they go through the drill of what is supposed to happen should he have another amnesiac attack.

There are people that are known to have strokes and TIAs (trans ischemic attacks aka - mini-stroke). If the person becomes suddenly unconscious the dog has a special phone with a large button on it that is a direct dial to an ambulance service. IF the person is out in public - the dog stays with the owner.

There are people with certain mental disabilities where they have a service dog to keep them within a certain range, the dog is trained to NOT go beyond a certain point, this helps the person with limited skills to become somewhat independent but will never be totally independent and this frees up would be home health workers to help other people.

I think you got your dementia and your epilepsy confused, they are different though may present similar symptoms in some cases especially in petite mal seizures.

Okay . . . thanks for clarifying. I honestly thought you were being a jerk about it, which is why I said you wouldn't get a smiley face. I understand what you were saying. Okay, here is your smiley face!

 

[Reba]

Honestly, no one should pet anyone's dog, service or pet, without permission. It is rude and potentially dangerous to do that. No stranger has the "right" to touch another person's animal, and no one should get offended when permission is denied.

 

[Reba]

...As for educating others . . . sorry for sounding sarcastic, but . . . my time is valuable, too. I just can't stop and visit with everyone all the time regarding this, as I would never get anything done.

Understandable.

Maybe you could carry some business cards with a brief description that you could hand out, or maybe Snickers' "uniform" could include a printed website address for further info?

 

[Silentwolfdog]

Honestly, no one should pet anyone's dog, service or pet, without permission. It is rude and potentially dangerous to do that. No stranger has the "right" to touch another person's animal, and no one should get offended when permission is denied.

Yeah, I would think it's something that is already a custom in America after many attacks toward children by pet. But for some reason Americans can't resist touching other person's pet.

This is why, someday if I bring a dog to a park or whatever I would put on a muzzle because I can't trust a stranger to keep their hand off my dog or children not to scare or harm my dog which result in dog biting them.

 

[Gemma]

I need to defend us, service animal owners. Dixie mentioned that she didnt understand why we would need to bring our dogs into PO. She has a point there but service animals are trained to go everywhere with us period.

If I leave my dog in the car when I go into places that wouldnt require her assistance, she will get confused and forget some of her training. She has been trained to follow me everywhere. She would whine and cry loudly in my car, thus attracting other people and making them think I am unkind enough especially when the weather is hot!

Unfortunately too many people ignore my request and pet my dog. More than often, they would stop me and ask me about what kind of breed my dog is. I seem to be attracting more attention even though I live in a very dog-friendly city. There are even bars and resturants that allows dogs -nonservice or service. But my dog is of a rare breed so that immediately attracts people wanting to talk and pet her.

Bottom line - I run many errands so I cannot just leave my dog at home or in car. She even goes to work with me - she doesnt do any assistance at work for me but she knows that she has to work alongside me.

 

[Hear Again]

Now that he has been properly diagnosed he carrys a cell phone with GPS embedded in it along with having a guide dog that should he become disoriented again the dog is to have him sit down and he is to press the 911 button on his phone and the police come and take him and his dog to a hospital.

Technically, this is not a "guide dog." The purpose of a guide dog is to lead a blind or visually impaired person around obstacles. Just thought I'd clarify.

 

[dreama]

I live near an area which is very anti dog. We've been refused admissions in asian shops and by asian cab drivers. So I can't even go to that area with Jilli as she doesn't work properly there.

As for Petting: People should never pet a dog working in harness as the dog will get distracted and may get lost. However when Jilli is NOT working in harness I have no objection to people petting Jilli as she likes people to make a fuss of her and I can't see any harm in it.

I do wish they wouldn't feed her though. Sometimes people ask me if they can give Jilli something and I always say no. Some people seem to react badly to this. More often though they already know that Jilli isn't supposed to be fed and it's very easy to slip a dog food behind a deafblind person's back as it were. I don't know for sure but I do suspect it goes on. It went on with Bruce a lot and he got rather plump by the time he was required even though I only fed him on dry kibble. Fortunately Jilli's weight is ok.

 

[Dixie]

Now that he has been properly diagnosed he carrys a cell phone with GPS embedded in it along with having a guide dog that should he become disoriented again the dog is to have him sit down and he is to press the 911 button on his phone and the police come and take him and his dog to a hospital.

Technically, this is not a "guide dog." The purpose of a guide dog is to lead a blind or visually impaired person around obstacles. Just thought I'd clarify.

I stand corrected - I mis-used the term guide dog. I should have used service dog instead. No offense taken. Thank you for pointing that out.

 

[Dixie]

I need to defend us, service animal owners. Dixie mentioned that she didnt understand why we would need to bring our dogs into PO. She has a point there but service animals are trained to go everywhere with us period.

If I leave my dog in the car when I go into places that wouldnt require her assistance, she will get confused and forget some of her training. She has been trained to follow me everywhere. She would whine and cry loudly in my car, thus attracting other people and making them think I am unkind enough especially when the weather is hot!

Unfortunately too many people ignore my request and pet my dog. More than often, they would stop me and ask me about what kind of breed my dog is. I seem to be attracting more attention even though I live in a very dog-friendly city. There are even bars and resturants that allows dogs -nonservice or service. But my dog is of a rare breed so that immediately attracts people wanting to talk and pet her.

Bottom line - I run many errands so I cannot just leave my dog at home or in car. She even goes to work with me - she doesnt do any assistance at work for me but she knows that she has to work alongside me.

There are places and instances where a service dog is not needed. IE - while you are in the hospital as a patient, or if you are going to a place where your service dog would be over-stimulated and not able to work - such as Fireworks shows. Your dog doesnt need to go into a tizzy over the BOOM. When I had my two labs - yes I would take one of them to town with me occassionally to run errands but not often. And yes they stayed in the car with the exception of when Narcan was a pup and I carried him inside the liquor store the first night I had him. If I knew there was a chance they would be in the vehicle for an extended period of time - I would not take them with me - period.

Yes I could have gotten them certified as hearing dogs and/or pet therapy dogs but I did not see a need for them to become service dogs. They were companions first and foremost - hunting retrievers second. If Narcan had gotten certified as a hearing dog then yeah we could have stayed in the Hilton with no extra pet charge or worries. But I instead chose a pet-friendly hotel and paid the $15 pet fee.

Again the primary function for a hearing dog is in the home with very few circumstances outside the home where they would be beneficial for example - if you are travelling and will stay in a hotel. You call in a pizza to be delievered and your dog would alert you to the knock on the door by the delivery guy. Or if you worked in an office setting and needed an alerting to someone opening the door (such as a bell the dog could hear).

I did not say you could not take your hearing dog out period - but to take it out to go to wal-mart to pick up deoderant thats boderline abusing its purpose, which in turn makes it harder for all the other service and guide dogs out there. JMHO.

 

[Hear Again]

I've also had problems with people petting my guide dog, but like dreama, I don't mind if people pet her when she isn't working. However, I never would have gotten away with this with my first guide dog -- she was too exciteable.

That being said, I always ask people not to pet my dog because it's a matter of life and death. If my dog sees someone walking down the street who gives her alot of attention, chances are she will focus on that individual instead of her guide work.

To demonstrate this point, I like to use the example of my dog and I traveling near a construction site. If my dog is distracted for even a moment, that can have dangerous consequences for us both.

Knock on wood, I haven't had any problems with cab drivers -- although many years ago I used to have trouble with cab drivers seeing my guide dog and driving away.

Fortunately, our local cab company includes the notation of "guide dog" or "service dog" in their client computer records so that each driver can choose to accept or refuse someone with a guide or service dog.

 

[OpheliaSpeaks]

Regardless of the service the animal is performing, it's illegal to deny access for any reason (unless the animal is out of control and public safety is at risk; I've never heard of that scenario- yet). Federal law trumps state/county law always. "Local health department" laws are null and void when it comes to granting access. Service dogs are an extension of the individual. Would you take someone's wheelchair away?

It's amazing how many adults reach over to pet the service dog and children are the ones asking "May I pet your dog". Unfortunately, service dogs are not frequently seen in public so many are ignorant as to how to act around them. "Please don't touch her, she's working" is usually enough.

Hearing dogs, while their functionality may be best in the home, can also serve as a deterant if the individual is out alone. My friend takes her hearing dog with her on many outings and the dog alerts her if someone is approaching her from behind.

Just some thoughts.

 

[pek1]

Understandable.

Maybe you could carry some business cards with a brief description that you could hand out, or maybe Snickers' "uniform" could include a printed website address for further info?

I have contemplated it before, Reba, with our picture on it and the ADA on the back. I'd list, possibly my name and address (I use a PO Box) and maybe a phone number.

 

[pek1]

Regardless of the service the animal is performing, it's illegal to deny access for any reason (unless the animal is out of control and public safety is at risk; I've never heard of that scenario- yet). Federal law trumps state/county law always. "Local health department" laws are null and void when it comes to granting access. Service dogs are an extension of the individual. Would you take someone's wheelchair away?

It's amazing how many adults reach over to pet the service dog and children are the ones asking "May I pet your dog". Unfortunately, service dogs are not frequently seen in public so many are ignorant as to how to act around them. "Please don't touch her, she's working" is usually enough.

Hearing dogs, while their functionality may be best in the home, can also serve as a deterant if the individual is out alone. My friend takes her hearing dog with her on many outings and the dog alerts her if someone is approaching her from behind.

Just some thoughts.

What about a person's prothesis? Eyeglasses?

By the way, this is what Snickers does!

 

[pek1]

. . . my dog is of a rare breed so that immediately attracts people wanting to talk and pet her . . .

Snickers is Akita/German Shepherd, so I know what you mean, Gemma.

 

[Rollover]

I didn't know there were so many kinds of service dogs. I saw on TV a service dog for mold/bacteria. I feel this is dangerous for the animal breathing in mold which is harmful for humans. What do you think?

 

[VamPyroX]

Honestly, no one should pet anyone's dog, service or pet, without permission. It is rude and potentially dangerous to do that. No stranger has the "right" to touch another person's animal, and no one should get offended when permission is denied.

Another person's dog is like another person's body. Do you walk up to a stranger and pet their head? No.

If that stranger holds out his/her hand to shake your hand, that person is giving you permission to shake hands. The same goes for pets. If they give you permission, fine.

 

[pek1]

Another person's dog is like another person's body. Do you walk up to a stranger and pet their head? No.

If that stranger holds out his/her hand to shake your hand, that person is giving you permission to shake hands. The same goes for pets. If they give you permission, fine.

I concur!

 

[morbid-mongoose]

NO DOGS ALLOWED BUT SERVICE SEEING EYE DOG

Does anyone else see the irony in this? Let's think about it for a minute. Who is this sign for? It's for blind people that aren't going to see it because they're blind. It's almost as bad as the books on the problem of illiteracy in our school library. Like the illiterate kid is gonna pick it up and read it. :roll: