May 21, 2009
Canine Partners, the premier assistance dog organization in the UK, will be opening a major new training facility at its site on June 2nd, and former Prime Minister Lady Margaret Thatcher will be present for the dedication. Read more here.
It’s fantastic to see recognized top-notch service dog organizations getting this high level of attention, and I only wish we had that same level of interest here in the United States.
May 4, 2009
Cole Massie and his tremendous assistance dog Ilia are pretty famous. They have their own PSA you may have seen on TV and a YouTube video that I’ve often said should be the recruiting video for CCI. Show that video to a group of potential volunteers, check to see who’s crying when it’s over and keep them, tell the ones who aren’t crying “thanks for coming” and send them on their way. 
Cole and Ilia have a blog where they describe their adventures, and the latest ones include surfing – how cool is THAT? Here’s a picture of Cole getting suited up to hit the surf (I see a very familiar head in the lower right corner, too) – more can be found via the links at their blog, “Cole and Ilia Massie – Anything is PAW-ssible!” .
May 2, 2009
No question, both are demeaning to service dogs, but I vote for the second one.
Petting a service dog is a continuing problem, seems to respond to education, might actually be becoming less of a problem, doesn’t result in more bogus service dogs, and is normally done by people who don’t know any better (even though they should).
Calling a pet a service dog is a continuing problem, doesn’t seem to respond to education, might actually be becoming more of a problem, results in more bogus service dogs, and, maybe worst of all, is normally done by people who do know better, but do it anyway.
We know how to handle the first one, but based on what I keep reading several times a day, we’re not getting anywhere on the second one – well, at least I’m not.
If you have any ideas, especially about how to fix it, please let me know.
May 1, 2009
It’s no big secret that I’m actively involved as a volunteer with Canine Companions for Independence, but, as I’ve said, they aren’t the only game in town, and I think this is a good time to start writing about some of the other great service dog organizations that I’m aware of. I will likely intersperse these “Places You Should Know” posts with others on different subjects or I could just do them all in a row – don’t know yet.
Lotta reasons to do that, but the main one is because I see inaccurate information or just plain ol’ misinformation about CCI and other service dog organizations – daily. Mostly it’s objections or concerns in a specific area that are being used to rule out an entire group of organizations and, consequently, as a reason for someone looking for a dog to “go it alone” when that may not be necessary.
Said it before, say it again – the place to start is the list of Assistance Dogs International accredited members on the ADI website:
“ADI Accredited Service & Hearing Dog Providers”
There are a wide variety of organizations on that list, and chances are pretty good you can find what you want, in spite of what some might tell you.
For example, some people might not like organizations that breed the dogs they train (like CCI does) and would prefer a place that uses rescues – there are a number on the ADI accredited list (NEADS and Texas Hearing and Service Dogs come to mind right off).
Or there might be a specific type of dog someone’s looking for that all or most organizations don’t train. Seizure alert dogs, for example – CCI doesn’t train them, but at least one ADI accredited organization does – Canine Partners for Life.
Of course, there are many reasons why one place might be a fit for you when another isn’t – availability of a dog, geographic location, type of dogs they train, and so on. And even after a hard look, maybe none of them are a fit. But give them the hard look first – don’t just rule them all out based on one thing that someone tells you, especially when it’s not accurate. There are a lotta things a good organization will provide you, not the least of which is ongoing follow-up for the entire time you and the dog are together (at least here on Earth).
One other important thing while we’re talking about this…
I’ve never talked about money at all, i.e., whether an organization charges some kind of fee for a dog. CCI does not – the dogs are provided free of charge to the recipients – but that doesn’t mean that because an organization charges a fee that they are crooks, or it’s a bad thing, or they are profiteering from someone’s needs.
Oh, I don’t doubt there are crooks out there – I’ve heard the stories and seen a few in the news (including at least one where a state attorney general is suing an organization – not an ADI one, BTW), both in the service dog area and in the canine detection dog world, too. And no question the cost is a factor for someone who wants a dog. I don’t have qualms about the places on the ADI accredited list, though. What I usually see there is that even the ones who charge fees charge a lot less than what you normally see (e.g., $1-3000 vs $12,000 and up), and work with the person getting a dog to help them get that money.
All the more reason to have a place like ADI, and to start your search for a dog with ADI accredited organizations.
Apr 29, 2009
I can’t give you a definitive answer on how large the potential number of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) / Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veteran candidates for service dogs is – there are just way too many variables.
What I can do, though, is give you the official OEF/OIF casualty numbers and go from there: almost 35,000 wounded warriors with varying levels of injuries, including around 900 amputees.
( http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/gwot_reason.pdf and http://www1.va.gov/vetdata/docs/4X6_fall08_sharepoint.pdf )
Now, if I just arbitrarily say the number of people who need service dogs is 1% of that total number – and, again, I have no way of knowing if that’s accurate, it’s just a seemingly conservative “pull it out of the air” number to start from – that’s roughly 350 dogs. Shoot, let’s say it’s just half a percent – that’s still about 175 dogs.
Either way, in case it’s not obvious, that’s a lotta dogs when you are talking fully-trained service dogs. To put it in context, the largest organization of the bunch graduates about 200 dogs a year.
Those casualty numbers have stayed fairly constant for a while now, so I’ve had plenty of time to think about them, and there are a coupla things that jump right out at me.
First, I’d expect to see a lot more demand for service dogs coming from this population, which is why I harped on the subject of education so hard in my last post. But, hey, maybe I’m just flat wrong and there’s not anywhere near the kinda need I think there is.
But if I’m not wrong, even at the low percentages we’re talking about, that’s a huge additional need. And while I don’t think the larger service dog organizations are prepared to handle a load that large if it materializes, I also don’t think there’s any way we get close to handling it without them.
For me, that means I’m gonna continue to spend my time and effort supporting those places because I believe they offer the best hope to make the biggest and most effective positive impact on the largest number of people. Others have a different view and believe they can be more effective through supporting smaller programs or doing things individually.
Personally, I think it’s gonna take a combination of large places, small places, individual trainers, and maybe even some people training their own dogs, just as it does now. And I think there’s a place at the table for everybody, as long as they are up to the standard and make good placements, which is why I harp on that subject so hard.
That’s not a new discussion, it’s been going on for a long time, I’m familiar with it, and I certainly have no problem with respectful disagreements. That’s to be expected – organizations and trainers focus on different areas of need, feel competent in some areas, not competent in others – and there are great places of every kind – big, small, individuals, you name it.
Unfortunately, the pattern has been for that discussion to deteriorate into attacks on the larger organizations. Let me forewarn you – given the track record, I fully expect to see that same thing happen in the veterans area if it hasn’t already, so don’t be surprised when things turn ugly.
You’ll know that’s started when you see certain things. Look for a pattern – the first sign will normally be when you hear someone say something like “the big guys suck, I know better than they do, and I can do a better job training a dog”. As the discussion goes on, I’m willing to bet that at some point a person making those statements will say that either they were looking for a dog for themselves and the place couldn’t meet their need, or they were involved with the organization and became disillusioned with it over time.
Nothing wrong with either of those things per se – that stuff happens, and that’s how many great new ideas, products, companies, and organizations have come about in many areas. Where the problem starts is when there are attacks about the competency, motives, and sometimes even the character or integrity of the people working with those organizations.
Me? I don’t have time for any of that stuff. I’m focused on getting more top-notch dogs placed with all these young veterans who’ve done so much for all of us, and anything that doesn’t further that goal or, even worse, gets in the way of it (and the kinda stuff we’re talking about here definitely falls under that heading), I just don’t have time for.
What I’m looking for is more people to get on the bus with me and make this happen. The numbers here tell me that we have a potentially huge job ahead of us, and that’s where we need to be concentrating our time and effort.
Apr 27, 2009
“I didn’t think I needed an assistance dog. Then I saw them in action, helping other people with disabilities… Having a CCI assistance dog has really changed my life.” - Jeffrey Adams
Jeffrey Adams, first OEF/OIF vet to get a CCI service dog, with Sharif.
Most of the discussion I see about getting service dogs for disabled veterans is completely backwards – people keep talking about getting more service dogs when what we need to be talking about is getting more disabled veterans who want service dogs.
The simple fact is not enough disabled veterans, especially OEF/OIF vets, are asking for service dogs – period. Same is true for the professional medical staff who work with those veterans and could apply for facility dogs.
Until that changes, all these other efforts, while noble and important, are secondary. The “if you build it, they will come” mentality won’t work – supply is not gonna drive demand.
Why that’s true is pretty simple. First, nobody’s gonna just give somebody a dog (well, at least no responsible organization will), nor should they. Second, you can’t make somebody take a service dog.
Once you grasp those two concepts, it follows that if someone wants a service dog, they have to ask for one – that’s the way it is now, and there’s no reason for that to change. People need to apply for a dog from a reputable organization, go through a thorough screening process, find out if an assistance dog is the right thing for them, and be selected to receive one. And before someone can apply, they have to know what an assistance dog is and what it can do for them.
There’s much more to say on this subject and it will continue to be a major theme here, but here’s the one point I want to make right now:
The biggest hurdle we face in getting service dogs to veterans with disabilities at this point isn’t money, or the VA, or how many dogs are available – it’s education.
Sure, those other things will become important, but only to the extent that we get the education piece done first, and if you really wanna have an impact, that’s where you can help. Educate yourself, and then educate everybody else – those veterans, their families, friends, medical staff – even just people you meet on the street. I’ve already told you what to look for in reputable service dog places ( “How to Find the Best Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans” and “Tough Questions You Need To Ask About Every Service Dog Organization” ) – aim people at those organizations and this website.
Much more to follow…
Apr 25, 2009
I already told you about the CCI graduate team of Wallis Brozman and Caspin (“One Of The Most Touching Service Dog Stories I’ve Ever Read”) – now they along with some of the great Sacramento-area puppy raisers and their dogs in training are in a fantastic two-minute news video just filmed yesterday at the Sacramento airport .
There are some of the usual news media inaccuracies in the story you need to be aware of (e.g., they aren’t “guide dogs”, they misspelled Wallis’ last name, it costs a lot more than $10K to produce a dog), but don’t let those detract from an otherwise tremendous story.
Wallis does an outstanding job of explaining what having a dog like Caspin has done for her, and Caspin shows off some of the things that CCI dogs learn in advanced training (like picking up a penny). I honestly wish I could take them with me “on tour” because she’s rapidly become a tremendous spokesperson for CCI, and if you look in the dictionary under “service dog” you’ll see Caspin’s picture, but for now the video will have to do.
Apr 21, 2009
There’s a very nice – albeit also very sad – story in the Vail paper today about Mylissa Eckdahl, a recent Canine Companions for Independence graduate who passed away last week. Mylissa was only 43 and had only just graduated with her service dog Santana from the CCI Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside, CA in August 2008.
I happened to be out in Oceanside for the graduation that week, but I can’t say I really knew Mylissa other than briefly saying hello. That’s definitely my loss, and reading the article made me wish I’d gotten to know her a lot better.
Please read the article – beyond being a very nice tribute, it will also give you an excellent perspective about the kind of things some of the more severely injured people who get these dogs deal with daily.
“Eagle woman’s courage, generosity remembered”
4/23/09 UPDATE: Several people who attended Mylissa Eckdahl’s memorial service last evening said it was a very moving and beautiful service. A very nice memorial site where you can see more information about her life and leave comments if you’d like has been set up at this link:
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 there are still ongoing discussions about this subject. My understanding of where things stand now is that they are “on hold”, like so many things are with the change of administrations. That said, here’s the short version of the background/history…
In early 2002, Public Law 107-135 (specifically Title II, Section 201(c)(2)) was passed which said the VA could, but didn’t have to, provide service dogs to veterans with certain disabilities. Since then, the VA has taken seven years, spent several hundred thousand dollars, done three studies, and still has not come to a definitive conclusion.
And, while the VA talks about “providing” dogs, the only thing they’ve really been trying to decide is whether to pay the same benefits to disabled veterans with a service dog that they’ve been paying to those with guide dogs for many years. That’s it – there’s been no intent (and that I’m aware of there still isn’t) to “pay for service dogs” the way some describe it, i.e., fund organizations who train assistance dogs.
There was a January 2008 memo signed by the former Secretary which summarized their position (and got at least one angry response which you can find online if you want – I’m not gonna post that link). I’ve read the memo, but I’ve got something even better for you – the man behind the memo describing the VA thinking about service dogs in his own words a few months later.
Fred Downs, the VA’s Chief Consultant, Prosthetics and Sensory Aids did an hour-long interview with Brian Lamb for C-SPAN on June 5th, 2008, during which he discussed many things, including his handling of the service dog issue. You can watch the video below – skip to the 51:20 mark which is where the pertinent section starts. The transcript is available here – I’ve included the pertinent excerpt below (it’s a little long, but I didn’t want you to have to wade through the original to find it).
Do I have strong opinions about a number of things that were said there? You bet. But rather than get into those right now, I’ll just let Fred Downs speak for himself, and you can listen to him and/or read the transcript, see the kinda thinking that drives these decisions, and come to your own conclusions.
I’ve been considering opening up comments here, and this seems like a good time since I’d certainly like to know what you think about this one, so I’ll give it a shot. Although, I gotta tell you – I’ve seen a lotta ranting and raving on this subject over time, and I don’t think it’s helped in the past nor will it in the future. If it really bugs you, one thing I’d suggest is contacting your elected members of Congress. While I’d like to have seen more progress on this issue, you will note that Congressional pressure is the one thing that got the VA’s attention, and things wouldn’t even have gotten as far as they have without it.
One question none of us can answer – and which truly bothers me – is “How many veterans – some of whom may no longer be with us – have missed out on getting a service dog over the last seven years because they needed the VA’s help and it wasn’t there?” We’ll never know – just like we don’t know how many are still in that same boat right now.
Here’s the video and transcript – please check them out:
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Transcript Excerpt – Fred Downs C-SPAN Interview, 6/5/08
LAMB: But give us an example without naming names of a problem you’re dealing with.
DOWNS: Of a problem I’m dealing with right now …
LAMB: Or have dealt with, which is complicated and involves all this.
DOWNS: OK. One is service dogs. Service dog is different than a guide dog. A guide dog for the blind is very well defined. About five years ago an advocacy group convinced a congressman to put a law in place that the VA would provide service dogs to veterans and that’s about as big as it got and that’s – the law was passed. So then it comes over as a law and my job then, because it’s assigned to prosthetics, will have to know regulation, policy and procedures to carry this out. Well it turns out there were no real standards concerning service dogs. Now service dog, for folks who may not know, is – you often see them and they’ll have a saddle on their back and they’re with a disabled individual, sometimes in a wheelchair and they can put things in the saddle bags on the animal and sometimes the dog can do things like open doors and there are other functions that dogs are suppose to be able to perform and so there’s a large advocacy group out there pushing service dogs as being a solution for helping disabled folks get through life and be independent but there’s no – so we had – I had to put together a worker (ph) because there’s no standards and how to develop policy when – I mean do you have a Chihuahua and a German Shepherd, what kind of functions do they perform and who trains them and you have people in prisons that train them and you have people in their homes who train them and so there’s a Web site – you go to the Web site on service dogs, there’s dozens and dozens of them. And all these folks are well meaning but what are the standards? So we have to develop standards to ensure quality of care to the veteran because the dog – you got to make sure the dog is taken care of because then the humane folks want to make sure that the dogs not mistreated. So there’s training issues for who trains them, training issues for the veteran, how they use the animal, which kind of animals do you use and how are they trained, so we had to put all this together. While we were putting it all together, well the congressmen keep getting pushes from the advocate groups to why isn’t the VA providing service dogs yet. So it took – we had to research – there’s no research to support it so we had to hold them off while we did some research. So we did a couple of research projects to see what do dogs, do they really function the way they do, are they – what do they cost, what are they worth, what can they do, how long do they live and what are the vet bills going to be, what kind of harnessing do you have to pay for, all these kind of issues.
LAMB: By the way, how much do they cost?
DOWNS: It depends. You get them – non-profit gives you the dog. Other folks want to charge you 15, $20,000 and so it’s like – it’s all over the board. And who – and what are your standards for training and so that’s a big issue.
LAMB: Who pays in the end and how many service dogs …
DOWNS: Well I was supposed to figure all this out, see. This is what we do. The law is passed and now how do we make it work and so it took us about five years to come up with – getting the research project took a long time and research project and we had a group committee, meanwhile we’re getting a lot of pressure from certain congressmen who want this to be provided and so – but we can’t – we explained to the different congress folks why weren’t not making any quicker progress than we are and so they understand that. It’s a process.
LAMB: How long did it take to get the actual dog …
DOWNS: It’s taken about five years and we finally have a final draft in place and so what we’re going to do is we’ll provide service dogs on a case-by-case basis. We’ll accept dogs only from non-profit organization. And we’re developing standards – we have to develop the standards because there are no standards so we’re working with the service dog industry to develop standards in training and other …
LAMB: How much will VA pay of all this?
DOWNS: We’re not going to pay anything for the dog because we get the dog from non-profit. We will pay the veterinarian cost and we’ll pay for the harnessing. That’s what we do with the guide dogs.
LAMB: How many do you expect to have to provide?
DOWNS: Well that’s another thing. We don’t know. That is an unknown to us. We’re going to do it on a case-by-case basis because at this stage we have no idea which disability can use a service dog and those are unknowns for us.
LAMB: But just for case of this discussion, how much did it cost you to do those studies and how long did they take?
DOWNS: They cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to do the studies. Like I said it took – they were supposed to be 18 month studies. They turned into three-year studies because of the difficulties of putting together the research on it, the evaluation.
LAMB: Meanwhile are any of these veterans getting dogs?
DOWNS: No. No.
LAMB: And are the members of congress that pushed the hardest for it still in Congress?
DOWNS: Right.
LAMB: They’re still there?
DOWNS: They’re still there.
LAMB: Are they unhappy along the way because …
DOWNS: Well they’re unhappy, yes, because we haven’t been able to come up with the policy yet. We’re not providing the dogs and so there are some vets who want these dogs.
LAMB: What about the advocacy groups? Are they …
DOWNS: Advocacy groups want the dogs because they think the service dogs are good solution. So that’s part of that – what makes my job so interesting and so great is that we are responding – we have to respond to Congress. We have to respond to the veterans’ needs. We have to stay within the rules and how the government works. We have to be fiscally responsible, in other words pay attention to cost. We have to balance all of these in trying to meet the needs of all of these different constituencies; the veteran, the service dog industry, the Congress and then of course the budget people. We need to be able to give them information about how many of these dogs we’re going to provide and how much money would that cost. So this is an example of a sticky issue that came down the pike that you can’t ignore. It’s important. It has value to certain individuals and certain veterans.
LAMB: Speculate though? How many dogs do you think you’re going to have to deal with?
DOWNS: I even hate to say this, I can’t speculate. I don’t know.
LAMB: Will it be a thousand or will it be 500 or will it be 20,000?
DOWNS: I think it would 500 to 1,000. It won’t be 20,000. I don’t think so.
LAMB: Is it worth all this expense, all this time?
DOWNS: Well that’s always the crucial question, is it worth the expense? If the dog is able to perform what it’s supposed to do, then it would be worth it to the individual. And that’s where government is different than private industry. We, in the government, yes, we may spend more money to solve this particular problem but, over a period of time, we’ve increased the quality of life of the individual. We’ve put stability into the industry. We have responded to a law. So we’ve been able to stabilize what has been an unknown area and put some structure and form to it and begin to frame it. Now whether it’s worth it or not? When you’re dealing with the human body and a condition, is this arm worth $2,400 and is it worth it versus the MyoElectric arm, which is maybe worth $60,000, so which one of these is best for me? Cost wise, the bean counters will say, no, you go with this arm. Health wise, quality wise and just from a human standpoint of quality of life, you’ll go with MyoElectric. So that’s how you do this.
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… Since this is a wider audience, lemme give you what’s known in the CCI world as a “Kleenex alert” – as in you might wanna have a box of Kleenex or a handkerchief handy while reading this story.
—————————————————————————————————————–
Gold Rush Champions Newsletter Dec 2008 – Feb 2009
www.goldrushchampions.com
Wallis Brozman and Caspin
“I have dystonia, which causes abnormal, uncontrollable movements and twisted posturing of your body. Recently, dystonia has seemed like something I cannot escape. Then in February 2009, I was paired with Service Dog Caspin, and my life has changed in amazing ways. I feel like my dystonia matters less with Caspin by my side. I can focus on my goals and dreams, and he always seems to make the pain more bearable.
I have been back home in Davis for four days now, although it seems like I’ve had Caspin for so much longer than a couple of weeks. Already in these few short days, so much has changed for me. People smile at my dog, instead of looking at me with a mixture of pity and curiosity. They ask about Caspin, tell me how wonderful he is, instead of asking what’s wrong with me. I live alone, 3000 miles from my family. It was so hard to be alone sometimes. I feared for my safety, and I was incredibly lonely. I can feel safe now.
Just tonight, I found myself outside walking Caspin, and I had left my phone in the house. I had thought that there was no reason to bring it. I was wrong. The cool night air triggered a dystonic attack. I was stuck in the dark, completely rigid and in spasm. I began to panic. Why hadn’t I brought the phone; and would I have even been able to push a button if I had? Who would I call? In my panic, I looked to Caspin. He saw my anguish, my discomfort, and sought to comfort me. He put his head on my spasming legs, licked my tremoring hands, reassured me with a gentle lick on my cheek. I knew Caspin was ready to help in any way he could. Since this was supposed to be a night time bathroom run, I hadn’t thought to dress Caspin in his pulling harness. If only I had, I thought. He could have pulled me. He looked up at me and knew what to do. I grabbed his collar softly and whispered, “Caspin, pull”. Easily, like it was meant to be that way, Caspin pulled me lightly towards my door. He glanced at me every few steps as if making sure his pace wasn’t hurting me. As we reached the door, I unlatched the lock and told Caspin to push. He had never pushed open my door, but I knew he would tonight. We made it inside, and Caspin turned out the light. I had stopped spasming, but I was still rigid. I called Caspin onto my bed, and he sat there, licking my rigid arms, easing my muscles back into a more useful state. I was in my bed and I was safe.
I hate to think what would have happened to me “before”. Would someone have come to help me? Would I have sat there for hours until perhaps by some stroke of luck, the spasming stopped? Who knows. What I do know, is that Caspin was my lifesaver tonight. It has been four days since we left the CCI campus in Santa Rosa, and Caspin has already saved me.
I applied for a service dog from Canine Companions for Independence two years ago, almost to the day. I knew the benefits of having a service dog; I have volunteered with Dogs4Diabetics in Concord for over two years now. However, had someone told me that a dog would get me safely home one night, I never could have believed them. Had they told me that this black dog would be there to comfort me when I was in pain, or sad, or lonely I would never have imagined how true it would be. Caspin is always there to listen to me rant, or sob, and in two weeks he has witnessed both. He lends a non-judgmental ear when I need one, and a strong and comforting shoulder when I need to cry.
Caspin has provided me with so much more than a capable set of paws, eager to retrieve my dropped keys; more than just a strong dog to pull my wheelchair when I’m tired. He has even provided more than a sense of security far from home. Caspin is my constant companion, my loyal friend. It has been four days, and so much has happened. If in only four days, my life has changed this much, I cannot wait to see what will happen in the next four weeks, months, and years. It’s bound to be just as wonderful.”
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. More...
