Veterans

Jul 22, 2010

Waving The BS Flag

Al , , , Service Dogs

Every day I see dog stories that are…well, frankly, bull.

Nowhere do I see this problem more than with the almost constant daily barrage now of feelgood stories about dogs doing wonderful things for military people, both active duty and veterans, particularly those who are suffering with post-traumatic stress as their primary issue.  Problem is, when you look closer and you know what to look for, there’s a lotta bull in those stories.  Well-meaning bull, but bull nonetheless.

And it’s not simple true or false stuff you can just punch into Snopes and it’ll tell you which it is, either – there’s more to it than that and you’ve gotta learn what to look for.  That’s been my intent all along on this site – educate people and correct a lot of the misinformation that floats around.  I don’t care so much whether you agree with me (although that’d be great) or not – you make your own decisions – I just want you to be smart, know what to look for, and have the facts when you make them.

My constant dilemma is what do I just let go, what’s worth bringing up, and if I’m going to do that, how do I do it in an effective way that doesn’t just come across as one big continuous whine or “it’s all about me” arrogant.  Because of that, I’ve sat on most all of these stories, countless times where I’ve written something and then said, “Nah, why bother? People just wanna hear feelgood stuff. Leave it alone.”  Well, I’m at a point now where I don’t know if I can do that any longer, and I want to set the tone for that.

Some of that is due to the cumulative effect of all those stories on me over time, but mostly it’s because things are getting worse, with more and more people pushing the same shaky concepts day after day as if they were accepted fact and already working as advertised.  Or maybe they just don’t know any better.  My fear is the more that stuff sits out there unchallenged, the more it gets accepted, maybe even unconsciously, as “well, everybody knows THAT” fact (I already see that happening) with potentially disastrous results for both people and dogs.

Feeling good or wanting to do good are simply not enough.  We need to be absolutely sure that what we do is really helping and not actually making things worse and placing people or dogs at risk.

My plan is to start writing much shorter posts more often, stop sitting on stuff and just get it out there. The trick will be to not turn this into one big rant site (we have more than enough of those already) without going the other way and “chugging on over to namby-pamby land” like R. Lee Ermey says in that hilarious Geico commercial, either.

Guess I shouldn’t worry, though.  Never fails that every time I wrestle with something like this and then give in and say something, I’ll hear from at least one of my friends with a service dog who will tell me they’ve seen exactly the same thing and thank me for saying it.  That means the world to me – they live it 24/7/365,  I don’t, and they are ultimately why all of us involved in this world do what we do.

We’ll see how it goes.

May 26, 2010

So Tell Me Again – What Exactly Is Your Program For Training Service Dogs?

Al , , , Service Dogs

I went looking a couple days ago for a detailed description of the most well-promoted ‘service dogs for veterans’ organization’s training program – couldn’t find it, which really surprised me.

Funny thing is, I was actually trying to give them a break, not pick on them. I felt like I might’ve been too tough on their program lately and wanted to find something good that’d change my mind and give me more confidence in them.

I finally gave up after 15 or 20 minutes of hard looking on their website. Only thing I could find were some vague references about training dogs to meet every individual’s requirements and training them anywhere, and I had to look hard to find those.

Now, if this was some home-grown, DIY, rinky-dink website for a small organization, it still wouldn’t be OK, but I could maybe understand it a little. But it’s not – this is a very, very slick professionally done site from a very well funded organization who definitely knows how to promote itself and does so at every opportunity, which makes the omission even more glaring.

What I expected to see (and what you need to expect from any service dog organization as well) is something EXACTLY like this: Canine Companions for Independence’s Training And Placement page. Most importantly, because of the program content – it’s the gold standard against which you should compare all assistance dog organizations’ programs – but also because it’s a well-laid-out, detailed, one-page, start-to-finish description of the two-year process AND it’s pretty easy to find – just go to cci.org -> Programs  -> Training And Placement.

Make no mistake – training and placement are the core of any assistance dog program, and if you’re interested in a service dog for yourself, a family member, a friend, or someone you are professionally advising, that’s one of the very first, if not THE first, things you need to evaluate.

It’s like I told so many people at the Warrior Games a coupla weeks ago who got to see CCI grad Jason Morgan and his wonderful service dog Napal and were so impressed by them: that kind of match and a dog that great doesn’t happen by accident – it’s a two-year process and only about a third of the dogs make it all the way through.  And in spite of all that swell and wonderful feelgood stuff they might’ve heard about “the dog picking the human” (like in one well-publicized recent TV special), there’s a whole lotta focused and very specific effort involved to make a lifelong assistance dog team partnership like Jason and Napal’s.

Pretty much without fail, that explanation got the classic big eyed, raised eyebrow expression of surprise from everyone I told, which confirms for me what I already knew – most people have no idea what it takes to really do it right. Which is perfectly understandable, but which also makes it all the more critical for organizations to clearly and honestly explain their training program in detail and put that explanation where you can easily find it.

They owe you that.

Mar 27, 2010

Wounded Warriors And Service Dogs Visit Congress To Discuss Legislation

Al , , , , , , Service Dogs

There’s a new CNN video up today about an AMVETS and Paws With a Cause sponsored Capitol Hill visit of veterans and their service dogs last week that’s getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so.



Definitely watch the video, but the real key here is WHY they were visiting – concerns over both existing/pending legislation and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ response – and you really need to read the two AMVETS blog posts associated with the visit to understand that.

“AMVETS, Paws With A Cause Take the Hill”

“AMVETS, Paws With A Cause Take the Hill (Part 2)”

As explained in the first post:

AMVETS Deputy National Legislative Director Christina Roof and Paws With A Cause National Marketing Manager Deb Davis joined the veterans, helping to explain shortfalls in current policy toward assistance dogs and pushing to close loopholes and improve access for veterans who could benefit from new programs.

The post then describes some of the major concerns Assistance Dogs International accredited and member organizations have with both the legislation and the VA response (which, in spite of the impression that may have been created elsewhere, is still being worked on and has not been finalized):

- Statutes and policies must be clear to veterans and implemented throughout the VA system with a clear point of contact. The current language found in Title 38 of the U.S. Code is too vague, failing to identify what VA’s actual responsibilities should be.

- When drafting responsible assistance dog placement and training legislation for veterans, a standard must be established based on proven assistance dog industry standards and practices exemplified by Assistance Dogs International, or ADI, and the International Guide Dog Federation, or IGDF. The bills currently before Congress are too vague and misuse certain industry terms interchangeably, such as guide dog, service dog, therapy dog, and assistance dog, making policy nearly impossible to properly implement.

- Decisive action must be taken in the short term, since thousands of veterans could potentially benefit from any new program, and AMVETS and Paws With A Cause are happy to work with legislators to make this happen. Though VA may have concerns over cost, the return on investment from veterans who take advantage of assistance dogs would have far-reaching effects as veterans re-enter the work force and live up to their full potential.

I can tell you that volunteers and staff from Canine Companions for Independence and other ADI member organizations as well as other veterans organizations are actively working those issues and have been making visits to Congress, both formal and informal, for some time.

You normally don’t see much, if anything, in the news about those visits, though, so it’s very nice to see this kind of publicity, and kudos to AMVETS and PAWS for making that happen.

Bottom line, as I’ve been saying for a long time, is that it’s not enough to just say we’re for service dogs for veterans, we have to make that happen in the right way.

Mar 1, 2010

“We Have Always Served Veterans”

Al , , , Service Dogs

Article today at NorthJersey.com (“Canine Corps“) about service dogs for veterans that’s really just so-so (I’ve seen many better, honestly), but there is one key quote in it:

“We have always served veterans … but it wasn’t until around late 2006 that we actually embarked on what we called the Veterans Initiative to make our services known and to target veterans returning home from the current conflict.”

- Clark Pappas, Director of Participant Programs at Canine Companions for Independence

That’s something I’m convinced most people, including veterans - especially veterans, in fact – aren’t aware of, and that we need to continually get across. (Clark is a super guy, BTW, and someone I’m proud to call a friend.)

Feb 26, 2010

Canine Companions for Independence New 35th Birthday Logo

Al , , Service Dogs

Canine Companions for Independence has a new logo (temporary, I think) celebrating their 35th birthday this year.

Canine Companions for Independence 35th Birthday Logo

Reaction among the CCI faithful has been mixed – the complaints are mostly about the size of the CCI logo in relation to the 35. Fair enough, but I still like it, and here’s why.

I am constantly talking about Canine Companions with people all across the spectrum, from just “the person on the street” all the way through those with a lot more specialized knowledge of and interest in dogs and/or veterans (e.g., military veterinarians). Across the board, the reality is that most don’t know about service dogs in general, much less Canine Companions for Independence in particular.  At best, they may know about guide dogs – dogs who assist the blind and visually impaired – and maybe some of the top organizations in that world – Guide Dogs for the Blind, The Seeing Eye, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, etc.

That’s in spite of the fact that CCI is, as best I know, the oldest and largest assistance dog organization in the US, if not the world. Been around 35 years, graduated over 3200+ assistance dog teams (including a record 240 in 2009), 1500+ active graduate teams – you get the picture.

Maybe it’s because I’m so focused on this area, but that lack of knowledge used to surprise me; I’ve experienced it so often now, it doesn’t surprise me anymore. I’ve just reconciled myself to the fact that it will always be a continuing battle to educate everybody about service dogs and CCI.

Because of that, I’m always looking for anything that helps that process, I think this logo does that, and that’s why I like it.

Feb 16, 2010

Schriever Air Force Base Takes Note Of Its Namesake Assistance Dog In Training

Al , , , Service Dogs

Nice official Air Force follow-up story today about one of the dogs in the KSDS military litter I mentioned last month (“KSDS Names Future Assistance Dog Litter After Military Installations “).

Schriever Air Force Base here in Colorado Springs has a new article both online and in the printed edition of their base newspaper this week about – who else? – their namesake dog, Schriever:

KSDS assistance dog in training, Schriever.

(Click on the image for a nice giant high-resolution version.)

“Assistance-dog training school honors Schriever with namesake“

You can also download the PDF version of the paper here – article is on page 6: 

http://csmng.com/wp-files/schriever-sentinel-weekly-pdfs/sentinel_2010-02-18.pdf

I still think this was a great idea, and the local angle for those of us in a big military city like Colorado Springs is an added bonus.

Jan 17, 2010

KSDS Names Future Assistance Dog Litter After Military Installations

Al , , , Service Dogs

On a happier note than my last two posts…

KSDS, a great small ADI-accredited assistance dog organization in Kansas founded 20 years ago, has a tradition of naming its puppy litters for specific themes.  Most recent one was a military theme – they named all the dogs for military bases – what a fantastic idea!

That’s Miramar pictured above – here are all nine names:

  • Barstow  —  Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, CA
  • Beale  —  Beale Air Force Base, CA
  • Hood  —  Fort Hood, TX
  • Meade  —  Fort Meade, MD
  • Miramar  —  Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA
  • Oceana  —  Naval Air Station Oceana, VA
  • Riley  —  Fort Riley, KS
  • Schriever  —  Schriever Air Force Base, CO
  • Whidbey  —  Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA

You can see pictures of all the dogs in the litter here (BTW, the bandanas look way too close to an actual US flag for me, a common problem with lots of well-meaning stuff and a pet peeve of mine, but that doesn’t really detract from an otherwise tremendous idea.):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=143581&id=59272557571

NAS Whidbey Island has already written about their namesake dog Whidbey in Thursday’s base newspaper:



“Future service dog named ‘Whidbey’“

Big points to KSDS for having this wonderful idea.

Nov 25, 2009

Fighting Hard To Stay Positive

Al , , Service Dogs

I hafta tell you I’m really having a hard time staying positive lately, to the point of sometimes thinking about bagging my whole involvement with service dogs, especially getting them to veterans.

Almost every day I see questionable things from supposedly responsible organizations and people in the service dog world, particularly where veterans are involved. Like the veteran working his dog with no leash I just saw in a slick fundraising video from a service dog place that focuses solely on veterans (watched it four or five times and I still couldn’t believe it).

Or the veteran in a news story a month or so ago about how he and his dog are being discriminated against by a bus line who shows off a worthless registration card from one of those flaky places that sell ‘em and says something about how he even has documentation for his dog (probably just didn’t know better, but he – and the reporter – should).

Or a recent news video where a veteran with serious post-traumatic stress issues intentionally places both himself and the dog who’s supposed to help him with those issues into a stressful situation, the irony of which wasn’t lost on me (and, yeah, sure, you can take the dog pretty much anywhere, but should you?).  And so on…

What makes it even worse is not only do most people not pick up on this stuff, they usually actually think it’s great and get behind it!  Between the news media, people with thousands of Facebook friends or Twitter followers,  continuous mindless retweeting, etc., I start feeling like one little ol’ guy nobody’s paying attention to who’s constantly swimming upstream against a strong current.

I’m torn – I’m really very tempted to start calling people out on this stuff, but I also don’t wanna “go negative” and end up spending my life arguing with people – there’s no future in that.  So, for now, I’m just gonna continue to try to show you the way things are supposed to be, hope you pick up on that, and that you notice when things aren’t. That could change at any time, but I’ll try.

It all comes down to something one of my fellow Group Sergeant Majors taught me when we were on the Air Force Academy staff many years ago and that’s stuck with me. We were talking about some incident out in ‘”the real Air Force” where some sleazoid messed up bigtime, and I half-jokingly said, “You know, instead of handpicking only the best people for the staff, maybe we oughtta start bringing in some slugs so cadets can see what they’re like, too.” My compatriot said, “Nah, Al, trust me – they’ll see ‘em soon enough. We just need to keep setting the standard and example so cadets know how things are supposed to be and count on them to get it.”

Hey, I understand – the vast majority of people see a veteran, a dog, put the two together, and automatically say, “Wow, that must be a great thing.”, even though it may very well not be.  It’s not so much that I wanna give people the answers – I just want ‘em to start asking the questions.

Ah, I’m not really planning on going anywhere. There’s too many good things going on, like the two fantastic service dog placements with seriously wounded OIF veterans that Canine Companions for Independence just made in the last couple weeks.  More about those later.

Nov 20, 2009

“I Coulda Had A V8″ – Don’t Let That Happen To You With Service Dogs

Al , Service Dogs

One of the biggest reasons I harp so hard on getting the best service dog you possibly can and point out things/places that aren’t so great is that I don’t ever want you to be this guy:

smack-forehead


Where you get a dog that turns out to be a great companion but a not-so-great service dog, you see one later that really IS that great, and you realize, “Man, if I’d have only applied to a better organization, paid more attention, and done some more research, I could’ve had one of those.”

Or you support an organization or individual you later find out really isn’t up to the standard, or is training and placing dogs into situations you’re not comfortable with now that you know better (e.g., the dog is being asked to do things that may very well be beyond the capabilities of the dog – or any dog).

Look, there’s a ton of fun, laughs, and wonderful things that happen in the service dog world, no question.  Make no mistake, though – once you get past all the “feelgood” stuff (like most of what you read online or see on the news now), it’s serious business, and you have to look beyond the surface stuff and pay close attention.

Don’t let it happen to you – I’ll do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t.

Nov 10, 2009

Why Haven’t We Heard More About This Well-Known Veteran’s Service Dog Discrimination Case?

Al , , , , , Service Dogs

Haven’t had a lot to say lately, largely because I haven’t seen a lotta good things to write about, or even bad things that have enough substance to make them worth commenting on.

There is one story, though, that, while not a good one, definitely got my attention and I wanna talk about because no one else seems to be. It’s been 11 days since I first saw it on October 30th, and there’s still no reaction on major news services, Twitter, or blogs, which, given that I routinely see all three erupt over much, much less serious service dog incidents than this one, really strikes me as odd.

Here’s the story, buried in the Courthouse News Service – read it for yourself:

“Iraq Vet Says McDonald’s Workers Beat Him“

Luis Montalvan, Sen Al Franken, and dog Tuesday.

Luis Montalvan, Sen Al Franken, and Tuesday.

So let’s review:

  • Highly visible OEF/OIF wounded warrior – ‘poster guy’ for Puppies Behind Bars, been to the inauguration, Sen Franken says this is the guy who inspired him to write his recently passed service dog legislation, been featured on many news stories, including this one in the Wall Street Journal in July that got loads of attention: “‘Sit! Stay! Snuggle!’: An Iraq Vet Finds His Dog Tuesday”
  • Biggest fast food chain on the planet, McDonald’s.
  • Happened right in New York City (Brooklyn).
  • Physical attack with garbage can lids that resulted in a significant injury.

Add all that up, and it’s clearly a huge story. And that’s true whether it turns out to be accurate or not, which is the point I want to make here.

Obviously, it’s a major story if it’s true, and, if so, my gut reaction is somebody needs to get hammered, bigtime. My standard ‘I’m not an attorney’ disclaimer applies, but those are some very serious accusations, and I don’t think you have to be a lawyer to see a big bucks civil action settlement, a lotta bad press for McDonald’s, and maybe additional criminal charges coming.

What’s not so obvious is that it’s still a huge story even if things didn’t happen this way – the story doesn’t just go away. There are a lotta serious questions that would need to be answered including, depending on the circumstances, ones about this particular dog placement, the screening and training process associated with that placement, and the overall concept in general of placements specifically for those with post-traumatic stress as their primary issue.

Let me be very clear – as a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant who has nothing but the utmost respect for all these young servicemembers today who have to deal with lots more stuff than I ever did, I’m the last guy in the world to say anything disrespectful about them, and I am not doing that here. That does not, however, remove the need to ask some hard questions and be extremely careful, particularly where we are placing assistance dogs into the mix.

Let me also be very clear that I’m not saying that things didn’t happen exactly the way Luis Montalvan says they happened. I wasn’t there and have no inside information or any other reason to believe they didn’t.

What I AM saying is, either way, this story deserves a lot more of all of our attention than it’s getting and cannot be ignored the way it seems to be getting ignored. If it’s true, I expect some serious action to be taken, and if it isn’t, I also expect some serious action – it doesn’t just vanish in one of those Emily Litella “never mind” moments I’ve written about.

Please keep your eye on this one – I know I will be.

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