Apr 18, 2009
I saw yet another upset comment this morning about “Why doesn’t the VA pay for service dogs?”, so I thought this would be a good time to outline the concise history of their position, especially since I don’t believe it can be found all in one place anywhere. The subject comes up all the time and if you have an interest in this area, you definitely need to know the background so you can have an intelligent discussion and come to an informed opinion.
First, you need to know that … Read More
Apr 16, 2009
I read hundreds, if not thousands, of blog posts, Twitter tweets, and news stories daily, and, frankly, I see the term “service dog” tossed around pretty loosely (no surprise to you if you’ve read this blog at all).
I started to write a buncha caveats to clarify what I’m about to say, but decided not to. I’ll just say this – read this story written by Wallis Brozman and then see how your idea of what a service dog is and what it does racks up against it.
Oh, yeah… … Read More
Apr 14, 2009
Something CCI has heard more than once from potential candidates for a service dog, especially younger veterans, is “I don’t wanna take somebody else’s dog.” Meaning, they think there’s somebody with a more severe need than they have, and they don’t want to take a dog that would be going to that person.
Can’t happen. Lemme say that again – can’t happen.
In fact, not only is it not possible, the exact opposite might be true – they might actually provide an opportunity for a dog to be placed … Read More
Apr 10, 2009
Amen.
I saw this quoted in a response by someone to an earlier letter in a small newspaper in Northern California today (“Will the real assistance animal please stand up?”). The response then goes on to talk about how dogs have to be trained for specific tasks to be considered service dogs.
Of course, I don’t disagree with that at all – I would just add that, while there’s no question those tasks are a critical element, a successful service dog placement goes way beyond that. You want … Read More
Apr 8, 2009
Last time I talked about how you can’t know if a dog is really a service dog, and ended up promising I’d tell you how you can have a huge impact on the overall quality of service dog placements, and why it’s absolutely critical that you do. (I’ll forewarn you that this is a longer post than I like to write, but it’s that important.)
Lemme get right to the heart of things and tell you first why it’s so critical. Some people, including me, fear that there’s a … Read More
Apr 7, 2009
Simple – you don’t. And you probably never will.
Lotta things I could show you, but here’s a direct quote from the Department of Justice’s proposed changes to 28 CFR 36, “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities”, the part of the ADA that addresses service animals:
Proposed training standards.
The Department has always required that service animals be individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, but has never imposed any type of formal
Apr 6, 2009
A nice follow-up story to the passing of Endal a few weeks ago (“UK’s Most Famous Service Dog Is Gone” ) – EJ (Endal Junior) has made his first official public appearance:
“Endal’s Successor Makes Dogs Dinner Out of First Official Engagement”
Note that he’s only 10 months old and, as his human, Gulf War veteran Allen Parton, said, “…is very much a puppy in training and not a fully qualified service dog…”, but is still doing very well already.
Junior is not actually a son of Endal – … Read More
Apr 5, 2009
I’ve been wanting to say something about this subject for some time, but I’ve been wrestling with just what to say because I want to add something helpful and not just more fuel for all the arguments about what is a controversial subject. So, I think the best thing to do is just tell you my approach and how I got there.
Probably no topic generates more heat in the assistance dog world than just what is and what isn’t a real service dog. Once you get past the subject … Read More
Mar 24, 2009
Check out this fantastic picture of a Marine two-star CCI puppy raiser and puppy (click on the picture for the giant version):
OK, I’m lying about the puppy raiser part, but the picture is very real.
That’s MGen(sel) Mike Regner, the Legislative Assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, visiting with Bogie, a Canine Companions for Independence assistance dog in training, at a recent function in DC. You can read Gen Regner’s full biography here:
http://www.marines.mil/units/hqmc/cmclegalasst/Pages/home.aspx
Bogie is being raised by Cyndi Perry, long-time CCI volunteer and puppy … Read More
Mar 20, 2009
I get asked all the time whether a specific service dog organization is good or what service dog organizations I’d recommend, particularly when talking about service dogs for disabled veterans.
It’s a great question because there are so many places out there saying they provide service dogs for veterans, people really want to help, and potential candidates for assistance dogs want to know where to apply, but it’s confusing. How can you know which ones are the best and which are the ones to avoid (and, make no mistake, there … Read More
I'm very active with Canine Companions for Independence as a volunteer, to include being a past member of the Veterans Task Force and puppy raiser. Retired US Air Force Chief Master Sergeant with my last assignments at the Air Force Academy as the Fourth Group Sergeant Major and Dean of Faculty Superintendent. Actively looking for a paid position performing these functions or other similar meaningful work. More...
