American Disabilities Act Tightening the Leash!

We get the call, about 3 times a month... " where can I get one of those vests so my dog can be my service dog"

Sadly there are local dog trainers that abuse the 1990 ADA by assisting dog owners who abuse the system set for for properly trained service dogs- telling them they can train their own dog to be a service dog in a matter of 2 months or even asking them to simply get a vest and put it on their dog.

A "service dog" is individually trained to perform tasks that mitigate the disability of his owner. Training typically takes 18 to 24 months and is not suited for all dogs. Because of this advanced training, a service dog is considered medical equipment and is permitted to accompany a disabled owner to public places where dogs are not usually permitted.

Animals whose sole function is to provide emotional support, comfort, therapy, companionship, therapeutic benefits or promote emotional well being are NOT service animals. This refers to the dog owner who simply feels calmer, happier, less stressed and so on with his/her pet dog present and is therefore calling is an emotional support dog. All of us who love dogs would have a "service dog" if this was the standard.

For a dog to be an "emotional support or psychiatric dog" in the service sense, the dog needs to undergo the SAME type of training as above as well as the owner must have a written prescription for a doctor stating that the dog is necessary.

Although one cannot ask a disabled person what their disability is, you can ask them what the dog was trained to do specifically for them (open doors, pick up items on the floor, alert to phone ringing etc). They also need to be able to show that the dog can perform that task on cue.

The U.S.Department of Justice is cracking down and are enforcing the Amendments Act to the ADA. No longer can people throw a vest on their dog and take advantage of the system set up to help individuals with true disabilities

If you are in need of a service dog, contact the ONLY trained individual in Whatcom County to assist you: Denise Costanten of Brigadoon Youth and Service Dogs: 733-5388