[nagdu] Service or menace? Pit bulls skirt law by being used as service dogs

[Ginger Kutsch]

Posted on Sun, Jul. 11, 2010 
Service or menace? Pit bulls skirt law by being used as service
dogs
BY LAURA ISENSEE
lisensee at MiamiHerald.com
 

CHRIS CUTRO / FREELANCE
Patient Luis Medina at Hialeah Hospital gets a visit from Ruby, a
pit bull therapy dog. With them, left, is Dr. Reinaldo Carvajal.
Brian Guadagno is rarely alone -- whether he dines out, shops for
groceries or flies on a plane. His dog Doc stays by his side.
The 5-year-old, 35-pound service dog is a Staffordshire bull
terrier -- a breed that, like pit bulls, is banned in Miami-Dade
County.
 
Guadagno, 32, said Doc helps him contend with a lifelong learning
disability that makes it hard for him to focus.
 
``We've never spent time apart,'' said Guadagno, who said he no
longer needs medication.
 
A pit bull may seem an unlikely savior, given its reputation for
powerful jaws, lock-down bites and aggression.
 
But Doc and Guadagno are among a small but growing group of pit
bulls and their owners who are exempt from Miami-Dade's pit-bull
ban, enacted in 1989 after an 8-year-old girl was mauled by a
neighbor's pit bull.
 
Within the past year, Miami-Dade Animal Services has registered
about half a dozen pit bulls as service animals for people with
disabilities, in what investigator supervisor Kathy Labrada
called an emerging trend.
 
Under federal rules, any guide or signal dog that is individually
trained to assist someone with a physical or mental disability
qualifies as a service animal.
 
Federal law trumps Miami-Dade's ordinance, Labrada said.
 
``We're seeing a trend in an increase of citizens that claim to
have a disability and their pit bull is their service animal.
That is a loophole that people have found,'' she said.
 
Labrada said it is a challenge to verify that a dog is a service
animal because federal rules do not require any special
certification for the animal. In addition, the Americans With
Disabilities Act restricts the county from asking specific
questions about medical conditions, she said.
 
Anyone can train a service animal under the federal guidelines.
International standards recommend a minimum of 120 hours over six
months for service animals, which can easily cost tens of
thousands of dollars.
 
``There are certainly concerns that some individuals may claim an
animal as a service animal when, in fact, it isn't,'' Labrada
said.
 
Toni Eames, president of International Association of Assistance
Dog Partners, said she had heard of pit bulls as service dogs,
but had not encountered one or a program that trains them.
 
``There's a lot of fraud and there's a lot of legitimacy,'' said
Eames, who is blind and has a golden retriever as a guide dog.
``The training has to be the standard.''
 
In Miami-Dade, pit bull owners can face a $500 fine and possible
court action to force the animal's removal. The dogs are still
deemed dangerous.
 
``They were bred to bait and fight bulls,'' Labrada said. ``If
and when they bite, the potential for damage is extreme.''
 
Miami-Dade's ban covers American pit bull terriers, American
Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers or any dog
that matches most of those breeds' traits.
 
Other U.S. cities, such as Denver and Cincinnati, have banned pit
bulls. Broward County does not have a ban, though at least two
cities there -- Sunrise and Tamarac -- require pit bulls to be
registered. Broward resident Larry Steinhauser, 57, said he would
campaign for a countywide pit bull ban -- though Florida now
prohibits laws against specific breeds. (Miami-Dade's ban was
grandfathered in when the state law was passed.) A pit bull once
lunged at him while he walked his dog. He also witnessed another
pit bull attack, he said.
 
``I've never seen one that isn't aggressive,'' said Steinhauser.
``I feel they're a danger to society.''
 
Many love and defend the bully breed. One was the lovable mascot
of the Little Rascals children's movie shorts of the 1930s, and
the dogs later became the inspiration for local rapper Pitbull's
fierce stage name.
 
On the national stage, celebrity chef Rachael Ray, who owns a pit
bull named Isaboo, has advocated for the dogs. (Isaboo made
tabloid headlines this year for reportedly biting the ear off
another pooch.)
 
In Miami-Dade, Dahlia Canes directs a group fighting to overturn
the ban. The group -- Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific
Legislation -- was scheduled to join other advocates in
Tallahassee for a rally Sunday.
 
Canes said many owners in Miami-Dade keep their dogs under the
radar -- walking them very early or very late and finding
veterinarians who won't report them.
 
``These dogs are extremely loyal and loving. The ban should be
removed yesterday,'' Canes said.
 
Canes pointed to Ruby, a pit bull who recently visited Hialeah
Hospital. Her owner, Pat Bettendorf, of Minnesota, found Ruby as
an abandoned puppy and now considers her his service dog,
assisting him when he experiences anxiety attacks.
 

Dr. Reinaldo Carvajal, who directs the geriatric unit at Hialeah
Hospital, said therapy dogs can help patients, and said the pit
bulls' reputation is not deserved.
 
``It's due to the fact that some people have used them for
activities such as animal fighting,'' Carvajal said.
 
Pit bulls that strictly provide therapy still face Miami-Dade's
ban. While they may support emotional well-being, they do not
perform a service, Labrada said.
 
Not all agree that pit bulls make the best service animals.
 
``Service dogs need to be above reproach,'' said Janet Severt,
founder of New Horizons Service Dogs in Orange City, north of
Orlando, and who trains service animals. ``They need to be able
to handle anything life throws at them.''
 
That could be the sudden boom of a car backfiring to a child
pulling the dog's hair.
 
At New Horizons, Severt trains Labrador and golden retrievers as
service animals, primarily for people with mobility problems or
in wheelchairs, like herself.
 
She said the retrievers -- originally bred as a gentleman's
hunting dog -- are eager to please. She said she disagrees with
the ban, but would not train a pit bull.
 
``My problem with pit bulls is if they're in a fight they can do
a lot of damage,'' said Severt.
 
Guadagno's companion Doc didn't start as a service animal. He
said Doc has more than 100 hours of training and was certified in
2007 by the International Therapy and Service Animal Association.
Guadagno registered the dog with the county last year.
 

Sometimes Doc stands on his hind legs and gives Guadagno a
friendly pat with his paws -- a hug -- to keep his attention from
drifting.
 
``It's really grounding,'' said Guadagno.
 
Miami Herald staff writer Melissa Montoya contributed to this
report.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/11/v-print/1726095/service-or-
menace-pit-bulls-skirt.html