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

Dogs vs Cats

A TAW client asked me today if we could help her dog get used to cats. Her dog chases all neighborhood felines.

You see, we foster kittens here at TAW and she was hoping by exposing her dog to the kittens it would help her dog not be such a brat to neighborhood cats. Good idea... but not much of a chance.

Yes, we can help dogs get more used to the kittens here and in turn it can help dogs do better with house cats, but when we are taking about cats in the neighborhood we are now talking about prey drive.

Prey drive is the desire for a dog to chase and hunt. It is in all dogs, to some degree, more in some- less in other breeds. Terriers have a high prey drive, as they were bred to hunt and kill small vermin. What we have to understand is the dog does not have to catch the prey in order to be rewarded. The chase its self can be all it takes. Your dog does not need to have ever caught a squirrel to know its fun to chase them...

Dogs with a high prey drive can, in my opinion, never be taught to not WANT to chase... but we can put their focus on something else. Agility, Frisbee, Tracking ECT.

Remember, we cannot pick and choose the traits we love about our breeds. The same tenacity a terrier has to bark and chase is the same thing you love when it comes to theri attitude about loyalty to you.

Check us out on FACEBOOK

Just a quick note to ask you to friend us on facebook. We post daily photos and videos of the dogs at day care, in classes and all things TAILS!

Allie, needs her forever home

Hi everyone. My name is Allie, I am a 2 yr old Australian Shepherd/Golden Retriever Mix. I have had a pretty tumultuous life and as a result I have some habits that I need a lot of work on, but I appreciate you reading about me and considering that we might be a good match for each other

I have been in 5 different homes in the past year. I was originally a homeless dog, living on the streets and brought in to the shelter. I got adopted but returned after a few months. Back to the shelter I went, then on to a foster home. Logistics had me have to go to another foster home... so I am sure you can see, I don't have a real sense of where to call home. I have been showing reactive behavior to other dogs, as a result- especially other females. Although this is not an acceptable behavior, its all too common with shelter dogs with my experiences. You see, dogs like me react (bark, lunge, act a bit scary) when we feel the people in our lives don't have our "back" being in so many homes over the past year, I never know if I am coming or going and I have learned that this behavior works for me...

The foster home I was in before, worked really hard with me and I was getting so good on my behavior that it was close to resolved, but when I had to go into another foster home, it all started up again... and here I am. I am in training classes, and doing well in the class and adore my foster home ( I have a foster brother who I LOVE!)

I am very loving when I know you will treat me right. Treats help me realize that a lot quicker!

Humans who know me describe me as a loving, loyal, charismatic, beautiful dog. I am crate trained, potty trained and walks well on my leash (I use a gentle leader due to my reactive tendency) I am not destructive in the house, and settle well. I am VERY active and love to run and play. I love Stuffed Kong’s, Plushy toys, running on trails and wrestling with dorky boy dogs. I am quiet, but a good alert dog and I need lots of exercise and stimulation. I know my basic commands and enjoy clicker training. I have spent some time with cats and showed very little interest in them.

My adoption requirements are as follows:

Physically active but overall, calm home
No young children
Equally sized male dog playmate is welcome (But I can be an only dog)
Experienced dog home
Someone willing to continue work on my reactive tendencies

To learn more about Allie, conact www.whatcomhumane.org

Puppy and classes

Hi Tails,
I'm confused... my vet says my pup can't be around other dogs and puppies until she is fully vaccinated, which is when she is about 16 weeks old. But you have classes starting at 9 weeks of age. What gives?

Vicky and Scooter-Pie, Bellingham

Dear Vicky and Scooter-Pie,
First let me say your veterinarian is absolutely, 100% correct. You cannot subject your puppy to other pups and dogs in which you do not know their health history, it’s just not safe! Too many canine diseases can live outside the body and your pup can be exposed to them simply by going for a walk in which a sick dog walked there the week before... However... your question needs more of an explanation.

Puppies are constantly going thru developmental stages; their brains are capable or learning and absorbing information at certain times that they cannot learn later in life. So we are faced with a dilemma. How do we socialize a puppy when that puppy can't be around other pups? The answer lies in socialization classes.
Our puppy pre school and kindergarten classes are open to all pups over 9 weeks of age. Those pups have to have been seen by a veterinarian and have started on their vaccines (DHPP and Bordetella). Its true you cannot take your pup on a walk or to the park, or anywhere that a dog you don't know their health history could of been before you. But our classes are healthy pups, in which we know their health history. We are faced with two risks:

1) risk of disease. Certainly these pups in classes are not finished with their vaccines so there is still a level of risk of exposure to other pups.

2) Risk of lack of socialization. This risk, in our opinion, is a far greater one.

Waiting until your pup is completely finished with vaccines until they begin to learn socialization is a huge missed opportunity. At the very least plan on a TON of catch up on your part. And know that some pups never fully recover the missed opportunities for socialization. I have been teaching classes for over 22 years and not once have we ever had an issue of disease contamination in one of our puppy classes. But I cannot count the number of calls we get about a 6 months old under socialized pup who is having major issues with not only socialization, but manners and bite inhibition.

So, in short... get puppy into an off leash socialization class- with a training center recommended by your vet, one who knows the health risks, one who is trained properly in animal husbandry and has a safe clean facility in which only vaccinated pups can come! You need to trust the training center that they are making sure everyone is up to date on vaccines, and not simply taking people word for it. Make sure the training center is clean and sanitized after classes.

Drop in on those classes, see how the class is run. Trust your gut!

Remember what we alwasy say: "Good Puppies don't happen by accident"

Circus Animals. Tortured to Entertain You

Yes, even in a city as progressive as Bellingham an animal circus still came to town. The Shrine Circus was at SportsPlex Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We were there all 3 days protesting them. We stood on the sidewalk and peacefully held our signs depicting how animals are tortured in a circus. Most people hung there head as they passed by, holding their child's hand. Some asked questions, some took literature, some walked in saw the animals in chains and turned away and left. A tiger sat in the parking lot, drugged, rubbing its head along the bars of the metal cage.

Please take a moment to write a letter to our Mayor Dan Pike about how we encourage and support animal free circus in Bellingham.

Doggie Socials easter party

Hope you can join us for our annual small dog easter party on Sunday April 4th from 10am to 12 noon

Enjoy our regular Doggie Social Event, easter egg hunt and special bunny cookies!

Normal requirements and fees apply. For more information, check us out at www.tails-a-wagging.com