[nagdu] Number of service dogs outpacing awareness

[Ginger Kutsch]

Number of service dogs outpacing awareness

Published: August 31, 2013  

Source:
http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/31/2797087/number-of-service-dogs-outpacing.
html 

 

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The increasing number of service dogs near the Fort
Campbell Army post has outpaced public awareness about the animals.

 

The Leaf-Chronicle (http://leafne.ws/12B0QWb) reports two problems have
surfaced when soldiers take the dogs out in public - lack of awareness about
laws and abuse of the laws that do exist.

 

The issue came to a head recently when a deacon at a Clarksville, Tenn.,
church recently asked a Fort Campbell soldier to tether his psychiatric
service dog or take it home. The deacon said he was confused about the
purpose of the dog.

 

Leah Patterson, who trains service dogs for soldiers returning from war with
post-traumatic stress disorder, says the animals can help with all sorts of
disorders that aren't immediately apparent, including traumatic brain
injury, epilepsy, diabetes and autism.

 

"A service dog is not just a well-trained, obedient dog," said Patterson,
explaining the Americans with Disabilities Act definition. "It has to be
able to do at least three tasks that help a person with whatever their
disability is."

 

At Patterson's business, Total Canine Care in Clarksville, combat veteran
J.D. Sagely, who suffers from PTSD, recently demonstrated with his dog,
Cinnamon, what a trained service dog should do and how it should act.

 

The dog is trained to wake him from nightmares, turn on the lights and
refocus his attention when his anxiety increases.

 

During a "temperament test," the dog shows no signs of aggression.

 

"A service dog," Patterson said, "is not a 'protection dog,' and it can't
respond like a protection dog."

 

Patterson said service dogs can be any breed and size, but dogs used for
therapy or emotional support don't qualify as service dogs under the ADA
definition.

 

She said service dogs are often confused with others, sometimes
intentionally, as people take advantage of loopholes in federal and state
regulations.

 

Patterson said ultimately, the only way to identify a service dog is its
training.

 

Kyria Henry of North Carolina-based Paws4vets says there aren't any federal
or state regulations to train service dogs, but there is a push for such
measures.

 

"Most reputable organizations at this point have decided to join ADI
(Assistance Dogs International) as a coalition for that 'proof-positive'
that we are meeting minimal standards," Henry said. "It's not a requirement,
but we are moving that way."