Dec 20, 2009

“A Pup’s Journey to Greatness”

Al , Service Dogs

Today I’m gonna give you a chance to see something most people never get to see.

When they’re 8 weeks old, Canine Companions for Independence puppies are brought to the national headquarters campus in Santa Rosa by the breeder caretaker of the mama dog who gave birth to them. They are checked out thoroughly by the veterinary staff, given an identifying tattoo in their right ear, washed, and then sent on their way to puppy raisers across the U.S., who will raise and train them for the next 15-18 months. (You can read more about breeder caretakers and CCI’s very carefully controlled breeding program here.)

This new short documentary video shot just last month by Alex Lowry, an Academy of Art San Francisco student, gives you a rare inside look at that process. It’s not secret or anything, just something that even the vast majority of CCI volunteers and staff never get to see simply because you’d have to be in Santa Rosa and on days when this was happening (not to mention those puppies leave at the proverbial oh-dark-30 for early morning flights at SFO).  For example, I’ve spent time at the campus, know the places and most of the faces in the video, and I’ve never gotten to actually witness this.

Here you go – enjoy this great inside look at something very special (thanks to Brenda Voght from the CCI Puget Sound Chapter for posting this).

View on ExposureRoom

Dec 17, 2009

Judge Who Raises Guide Dogs Upheld In Barring ‘Service Dog’ From Courthouse

Al Service Dogs

Moral of this story is it’s not the smartest move to take your questionable “service dog” into the courtroom of a judge who raises guide dog puppies with his wife (I believe for Guide Dogs for the Blind, but haven’t verified that):

“Federal judge rejects Ryderwood woman’s service dog discrimination suit”


Haven’t heard much about this case, either, even though it’s been going on for over a year, but I can’t say I’m surprised – it’s exactly the opposite of those “service dog discrimination” stories the “outraged public” waits around to pounce on and be outraged about all the time.

My guess is you also won’t be hearing a lot about it being tossed now, which is exactly why I wanted to write about it here.

Big points to Judge Stephen Warning for standing up on this one. You can read the links below for more details, but here’s the heart of the matter:

“I was told by security that her dog smelled so bad that people were having to get up and leave the courtroom,” Warning said.

When he asked Brown what service the dog performs, he said, the situation became “laughable.”

“She said, ‘Well, she pulls me.’ … As she’s facing me, the dog’s trying to pull her in another direction. It was clear the dog was not trained to assist her in any way.”

Warning said he of all people would be especially forgiving of a service animal in his court. He and his wife have trained three seeing-eye dogs, one of which was sleeping at his feet when the incident unfolded.

And the real bottom line:

“Unfortunately a lot of people abuse the provisions of the ADA in order to keep their pets with them at all times and that makes it difficult and is one of the biggest problems legitimate service dog users and service dog organizations have,” [Judge Warning] said.

Amen.

“Two women take on county over service animal policies”

“County faces federal suit over service animal policy”

Dec 15, 2009

Wounded Warriors On Ice

Al , , , , Veterans

Saw this USA Hockey Magazine story about the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program via the Walter Reed Army Medical Center fan page on Facebook yesterday – talk about motivational! (Not to mention probably the coolest hockey story I’ve ever seen.)


“I’m probably the only person you’ll ever meet who opted to have their leg amputated so they could play hockey, and that was my whole goal. I spent two and a half years at Walter Reed, and everyone there knew that my first goal in life was to get back on the ice.”  – SFC Joe Bowser

Read the whole thing here: “The Warriors Way”

Dec 14, 2009

Spinal Cord Injuries Are Rising Sharply Among Troops In Afghanistan

Al , , , Service Dogs

Recent short article from the Nov 4th USA Today (“Spinal injuries up among troops”) didn’t get much public notice, but it sure got my attention.

Turns out that, contrary to everything we’ve been hearing for some time about how spinal cord injuries are way down in Iraq, those injuries are actually way UP in Afghanistan.


And that plays directly with future placements of service dogs with OEF veterans. I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out that with the recent increased troop levels, the reality is we’re likely going to see a concurrent increase in SCI for some time.

Which means we need to be taking a real hard look at things like the types and quality of service dogs we’re training and especially where government funding is going to be allocated for those dogs.

The overwhelming emphasis in the press, Congress, and even the Army in recent months has been placing dogs where post-traumatic stress or other mental health issues are the primary concern.  While that’s certainly understandable during a time when the Army has just announced a record suicide level and everyone’s grasping for solutions, we can’t afford to lose sight of the more traditional need for those with severe physical injuries, particularly SCI.  In some cases – like legislation that arbitrarily says 50% of the veterans who receive dogs must suffer from primarily mental health issues – I think we already have.

Given the length of time it takes to adequately train effective service dogs (not to mention moving things through government bureaucracies), NOW is the time to reassess and readjust as necessary, not several years down the road when it’s too late.

Dec 4, 2009

Another Perfect Example Of Why We Have Service Dog Access Problems

Al Service Dogs

I said I was gonna concentrate on positive stuff, but no way can I pass this one up.

“Pink poodle, owner get apology from Denny’s”

Yeah, maybe the dog is legit, and, yeah, service dogs come in all shapes and sizes, and, no, the ADA doesn’t say you can’t have a poodle and dye it pink.

But, seriously, c’mon – we gotta be smarter than this.

Remember this one next time somebody starts giving you the lecture about how there’s really no problem on the service dog end of the public access issue and it’s all businesses’ fault.

Dec 1, 2009

Every Service Dog Placement With A Veteran Should Be As Great As This One

Al , , , , , , Service Dogs

I said I was gonna stay positive and show you examples of how things should be rather than ones where I know they are not, and this story is a great start.

When you see someone talking about service dogs for veterans, I want the image of this team to immediately pop into your head, because this is the model, on both ends of the leash.  Beyond just being a great story on its face, as you read it, compare what you see here – and, just as importantly, don’t see – with some of the other very visible “service dogs for veterans” stories of late.

Andrew Pike is a young Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran from Idaho who was paralyzed below the waist by a sniper in Palaji, Iraq on March 26, 2007.  He graduated with Service Dog Yazmin from Team Training at the Canine Companions for Independence Northwest Regional Center in Santa Rosa, CA on November 21st.

You can read all about them here:

“A wounded vet and black lab become partners”

Please watch the following two videos which will tell you even more. (Guess it’s not my day for embedding videos since I couldn’t get either one to do it, which is very odd.)  First one was taken during Team Training; second one was filmed after they returned home to Idaho.

“Iraq War Vet gets service dog from CCI”

“Andrew Pike: New life after the war“

You can make your own list, of course, but here’s just a few things I’m hoping you noted and will file away for comparison:

  • Very calm dog under all circumstances – no evidence of stress, such as panting or pawing at her human partner.
  • Dog under control by the human at all times, and that means a leash – shoot, Andrew even held onto the leash when Yazmin was at home – now THAT’s control.
  • Dog actually performing physical tasks for the veteran, e.g., opening doors.
  • Calm, stable, grounded veteran discussing his future in very positive terms.

I know there are more, but you get the idea.

Not really much I can add other than to say Andrew is a wonderful example to me of someone being positive under far tougher circumstances than I hope I ever have to deal with, and a great reminder of why those of us involved with CCI do what we do.

You can read lots more below: