Saturday, October 29, 2011

A Day In the Service Dog / Advocate Life . . .

It's late Friday morning and we're rushing to Joanne's eye exam. She got to bed last night a bit late and overslept and we heard this morning that we're due for 6-10" of snow which will make our weekend plans to camp far less appealing -- so she's a bit distracted and tense and a lot hurried.

We rush into the building.  She doesn't do the okay-Maeve-you're-going-to-work-now ritual of having me sit before we go in and again as soon as we get in.  I figure this means I'm okay to socialize. The doctor comes out the moment we get into the waiting room and we notice each other right away.  I'm sure he wants to meet me so I head for him. Joanne is not on the same page. She notices that he appears to be descended from a ethnic group that may not be in favor of service dogs and she interprets the look on his face to be disapproving.  I disagree. We have a taut leash moment. Within moments he's not only asking about me, but also about details of Joanne's disability. She's not happy.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Why Professional Training or Certification of Service Dogs Should not be Required under ADA

Note from Maeve: Legal stuff is just ridiculous human nonsense, and I can't be bothered to think much about it, so I'm letting Joanne write this blog post. Take is away Joanne!


Here's what the Department of Justice (which enforces the ADA) recently published on this subject: http://www.servicepoodle.com/useful-links-1/ada-and-certification-of-service-dogs

Below are Joanne's comments:

1. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law intended to give our society a shove towards inclusion of the disabled. It was not intended to cater to the preferences of the non-disabled public, of people who make money providing goods or services to the disabled, or of businesses and state/local government, but instead to challenge them to change their physical premises and change their behavior and practices in every way that is reasonable.  It also gives persons with disabilities wide discretion in what assistive measures they will use and how they will use them.  There is no requirement, for example, that legally blind people use a cane with a white tip in order that businesses will be able to distinguish them from people who just need glasses and therefore are not disabled.  One could demand to use the chair lift on a bus even if seated in a homemade wheelchair. There are no significant restrictions on what walkers, oxygen machines, etc., must do, look like, or be in order to be covered under the ADA.  A service dog is the equivalent of an assistive device under the ADA. Consistent with this, the Department of Justice has established minimal requirements for service dogs: they must be trained to do something specific to the handler's disability, they must be housebroken, they must not menace people, and they must be or be brought back quickly under the handler's control.

In the 60's business owners complained they would lose business, have fights break out, etc., if they were forced to allow blacks into their establishment and provide services to them exactly where and how they provided services to others.  Customers often preferred that black people not sit next to them or use the same bathroom for fear of infection.  Some were willing to accept light-skinned blacks dressed and acting in conservative ways, but felt some young dark black men with afros were an obvious physical danger to whites.  None of that was relevant, in a legal sense, after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The objectons to allowing people served by service dogs free and easy public access are quite similar. The misguided predjudices and preferences of the majority and of businesses and governments are the reason civil rights laws (including the ADA) were and are necessary.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

If You're Not Happy With Your Life, Change is Essential

I took my human, Joanne, to an open mic last night.  One of my favorite performers, The Levins, introduced a new song there.  Joanne really liked it and we both thought the lyrics would be appropriate for most of my fans.  I think the biggest problem with you humans is that you seem to have an awfully hard time moving and changing direction.  Take a look at these lyrics:


Trust
by The Levins

I read a quote of Eleanor's at the cafe
"Do something that scares you everyday."

Sunday, January 16, 2011

How Joanne and Maeve Met and Became Advocates

Usually I'm the voice of our team.  After all I'm a lot younger and prettier than Joanne and people pay more attention to young, pretty girls.  Sometimes, though, I feel I ought to let Joanne speak in her own voice.  It's good for her self-esteem.  

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Anyone Seriously Interested in Training Their Own Psychiatric Service Dog?

PLEASE FORWARD AND SHARE THIS POST: Are you or someone you know seriously interested in obtaining and training a psychiatric service dog?  A contact of ours has identified a couple of four-month-old black standard poodle puppies who are good candidates to do this work.  Since finding a puppy with better than average chance of success is one of the hardest parts of obtaining and training a service dog, this is a great opportunity for the right person.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Emotional Support--Not Small Potatoes

We recently received a message from one of my fans that illustrates beautifully how important an ESA can be: 
In 1996 I had a serious brain aneurysm. I spent a lot of recovery time at my parents house. My parents had agreed to raise a Jack Russell terrier which was originally a birthday present to me from my sister. . . .

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Psychiatric Service Dogs for High School Students

Joanne's been corresponding with a Connecticut high school student who has been training a psychiatric service dog for her own use. The dog is working well in public and is trained to do specific things to help with the young woman's disability. She sounds like she might be better trained than me.  Now she's approaching the hurdle of getting the school to accept her dog's presence in the classroom.

Maeve is a psychiatric service dog for Joanne Shortell and mental health advocate for all people with psychiatric disabilities. Maeve's goal is to become the Johnny Appleseed of emotional support animals and psychiatric service dogs.

Copyright Joanne Shortell 2010-2011