[nagdu] PTSD dogs (was Family Upset After Dog Removed From Eatery)

Sun Aug 25 15:34:19 UTC 2013

Tracy, 

Yes, you are correct. 

Our dogs can have some tasks related to PTSD and other mental health
disorders but those must be secondary to the physical disabilities the dog
assists with. 

Some of these tasks include: 

Let's go: This command allows someone having a PTSD episode or panic attack
to turn control of getting out of a place to the dog. It's based on the
guide command "Outside" or "Find Outside" but at a slightly more urgent
pace. 

Perimeter Blocking: This command, often called "Got your 6", as in the
6o'clock  position, means that the dog can be placed behind the person to
serve as a block so people don't come up quickly behind him/her, such as in
lines. 

Focused Grounding: This task involves the dog placing itself so it can touch
the handler and the handler then focuses on the dog's movements, not the
environment. This refocusing from a state of high alert in the handler to
simply watching the dog's head movements, scanning, etc., helps to calm
someone having a PTSD episode. You might find yourself using this tactic
when you're not sure of what's around and you put your hand on your dog's
head to read what it sees and how it's reacting. 

Nightmare Interruption: This task is used when someone has nightmares and
the dog jumps on the bed, pawing and licking the person to break the sleep
cycle and allow the person to wake up or change sleep modes to get more
rest. 

Light Switch: This task has the dog entering a dark room first and
triggering a light switch so the person doesn't have to enter a dark room. 

The standard service dog tasks of helping with balance and retrieval also
come into play when someone is having, or recovering from a PTSD episode and
is shaky or has temporarily lost vision or hearing to a degree. 

My favorite story about the Let's Go command involves an applicant I
interviewed. He said he didn't go out at all after one incident in a
convenience store when something fell and startled him. He bolted for the
door and knocked over an entire display of cans. He was so embarrassed he
never wanted to go in public again. 

I reassured him that the Let's Go command would help with this issue. He
received his dog and something similar happened in another store. He said he
was able to get out gracefully and once outside, he just fell to his knees
and hugged the dog. Yep, it made me cry and makes my job all the better when
I hear it. 

Now, all that said, I also hear from people who want PTSD dogs who are not
ready emotionally to handle a dog, or who equate them with personal
protection, as in the dog growls at people who come too close. That is never
acceptable behavior for a service dog of any kind but especially a PTSD dog.

Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com
http://www.twitter.com/jeninems

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
Sent: Sunday, August 25, 2013 10:22 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] PTSD dogs (was Family Upset After Dog Removed From Eatery)

I read somewhere, possibly here, that some PTSD service dogs are trained to
lead their person out of a situation that has triggered a stress attack. 
For example, if a person had an extreme anxiety attack in a store, the
person could hold onto his dog, close his eyes, and the dog would lead him
safely outside.  I think this is something the GDF vet dogs are trained to
do.  I thought it was pretty cool.
Tracy

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2013 3:23 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Family Upset After Dog Removed From Eatery

> OK, that makes sense. I really wasn't completely sure what tasks 
> specifically were performed. Vets have been having a lot of trouble with 
> this. I had read about this in books more than anything else and thought 
> that this was pretty much what they do, but I really just needed to be 
> clear about it.
>
> CL
>
> On Aug 24, 2013, at 2:19 PM, "National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <blind411 at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>> Some of the tasks service dogs that assist with PTSD are trained to
>> perform include intentionally making physical contact with the person,
>> alerting a person to the presence of someone else the individual may not 
>> be
>> aware of, and standing between a person, object, or sound that triggers 
>> the
>> stress response. As mentioned, these are actual tasks the dog has been
>> trained to perform that mitigates the disability.
>>
>> On the other hand, it is rather rare that a person with depression
>> or an anxiety disorder would be considered disabled under the definition 
>> of
>> the ADA. Only disabled individuals are protected by the provisions of the
>> Act; therefore, the prime factor necessary for such protections is 
>> missing,
>> invalidating any other claim for protection. Should a person bring a 
>> claim
>> of disdcrimination under the ADA, the first element that would need to be
>> proven is that the individual is a person with a disability. If this 
>> cannot
>> be proven, the individual is not protected by the provisions of the Act.
>>
>> Fraternally yours,
>> Marion
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael 
>> Hingson
>> Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2013 2:11 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Family Upset After Dog Removed From Eatery
>>
>> The difference is that Vet Dogs are specially trained to perform a 
>> service
>> and "emotional support dogs" are not.
>>
>>
>> Best,
>>
>>
>> Michael Hingson
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray
>> Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2013 10:50 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Family Upset After Dog Removed From Eatery
>>
>> How are emotional support dogs different from dogs who help vets with 
>> post
>> traumatic stress syndrome? Is it because the dog can help such a person
>> refocus if they get into an episode. I am sure I am using all wrong
>> terminology here.
>>
>> CL
>>
>> On Aug 24, 2013, at 8:35 AM, "Ginger Kutsch" <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com> 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Family Upset After Dog Removed From Eatery
>>>
>>> by Jeff Rusack,
>>>
>>> August 23, 2013 8:13 PM
>>>
>>> Source:
>>> http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29327&It
>>> emid=5
>>> 7
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> One Sioux Falls' family is crying foul after they say they were
>>> discriminated against for having an emotional support dog at a fast
>>> food restaurant, Thursday.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Mocha may have brown fur but she seems to be in a grey area.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thursday afternoon when Alan Steele and his mother Edwina decided to
>>> dine in at a Sioux Falls Taco Bell, they were told to do something
>>> that surprised them.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "We were asked if we were going to eat in. I said, 'yes, we are.' And
>>> he goes, 'I'm sorry. I can't allow you to do that,'" said Alan Steele.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The Americans with Disabilities Act allows any service animal into
>>> just about any business.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "On the back it says that she is a part of the American Disabled Act
>>> of 1990," pointed out Steele.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Mocha is titled as an emotional support dog. Mocha's owner, Edwina
>>> Steele suffers from depression and anxiety and can't take
>>> prescriptions due to a heart condition, as they tried to explain to
>>> the
>> Taco Bell staff.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "She is a service animal, emotional support. And he goes, 'that
>>> doesn't matter,'" added Steele.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Just because a dog has a vest on doesn't mean the dog is protected,"
>>> said Steve Slavik, the CEO of Big Paws Canine, a company that trains
>>> dogs for Veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "What a service dog is and how it is defined, is a dog that is trained
>>> to perform work or perform a task for an individual with a
>>> disability," quoted Slavik from the American with Disabilities Act.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> And the Steele's may be out of luck when trying to bring Mocha with
>>> them
>> to
>>> businesses with pet policies.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Dogs that wouldn't be protected are emotional support dogs and
>>> companion dogs. They are still considered pets and they are not
>>> defined in the protection of the ADA," added Slavik.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> But, asking someone about their dog, when it comes to determining if
>>> they are indeed a service animal, can be tricky.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Businesses are only allowed to ask two questions when it comes to
>>> service dogs.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Is the service animal required? And what work has the dog been trained
>>> to perform?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Businesses cannot ask what the owners disability is or for the owner
>>> to provide documentation.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "If the dog is barking or being destructive to merchandise or going to
>>> the restroom on the floor, those types of things, even if it's a
>>> full-fledged
>>> 1,000 of hours training service dog, a service dog can be denied 
>>> access,"
>>> added Slavik.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The Steeles say there was no indication of any misbehavior at the Taco
>>> Bell, Thursday and they still hope for an apology from the restaurant.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "I would like for people to ask and understand before they criticize
>>> or discriminate against her," added Steele.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> There's no doubt Mocha is a lovable pup. But, service dog experts say
>>> an emotional support dog has no protection when it comes to the
>>> Americans with Disabilities Act.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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