[NAGDU] National TV and on-line on demand: Australia's laws failing to keep up with the rise of assistance animals

Wed Jun 12 04:00:09 UTC 2019

Hi Tracy and others. I can't speak for Australia, but I can tell you how it works here in NZ.
I moved here six years ago with my then 6-yo black Lab, Lizzie from The Seeing Eye.
In February, I trained with my current dog, Eclipse, at TSE. 
NZ does have a small school which is a member of the International Guide Dog Federation. 
Any guide dog, whether it be owner trained or from a standard school has to be certified to work in NZ by the NZ guide dog school. 
This also allows follow-up from an NZ guide dog trainer as follow-up from a US school isn't possible. 
My understanding this is the case for all other service dogs. They have to be certified by whatever school here in NZ would train that sort of dog.
>From what I have heard, emotional support animals just aren't really recognized here.
Thankfully, we don't have the issue of fake service animals yet, and I'm hoping our strict certification is the reason why.
Eclipse wears a medallion from the NZ school, but I have never been challenged on her legitimacy as a service animal. 
I do have to have a follow-up annually with a guide dog instructor here, and I can get assistance with learning new routes or with training issues. 
They have been very accepting of my decision to continue to train with dogs from the US, and I don't feel I have been treated any different.
Cheers
Bonnie and Eclipse 
I know of one owner trainer here, and that person did have to have their dog certified by the guide dog school.  

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, 12 June 2019 12:48 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] National TV and on-line on demand: Australia's laws failing to keep up with the rise of assistance animals

It's my understanding that, at least for guide dogs, it's different in Australia, the UK, and lots of other countries, than it is here in the US.  There's only one guide dog school there, with several branches.  I'm not sure owner-trained dogs are "legal".  It seems to me that the guide dog school clamps down hard on any competition.  So, for guide dogs, the school would issue an ID, and that would be that.  
I'd really like to know if my understanding is correct.  
Tracy

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tara Briggs via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2019 8:37 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Tara Briggs
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] National TV and on-line on demand: Australia's laws failing to keep up with the rise of assistance animals

Thank you for sharing this Paul. I am beginning to wonder if this is a good idea. For those who haven’t read the article, it basically argues for some type of certification essentially saying you need to have a drivers license type of ID card to have a service dog. I guess In an ideal world, businesses would kick out the wild pets. But I think that most businesses are too scared to do that. My two concerns are these I want owner trainers who have well-trained and well behaved service dogs to have the same rights of access as anybody else. And there are dogs that are trained by fantastic schools that turn into heathens once their owners get them home. How do we handle that?
Tara 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 11, 2019, at 6:21 AM, Paul Harpur via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Tonight there was an hour long analysis of the practices and laws on 
> disability assistance animals in Australia.  The wording of the laws 
> mirror the Fair Housing Act and you can see similar issues and 
> different proposals for reform: 
> https://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/australia-s-laws-failing-to-keep-u
> p-with-the-rise-of-assistance-animals
> 
> 
> Dr Paul Harpur
> BBus (HRm), LLB (Hons) LLM, PhD, solicitor of the High Court of 
> Australia (non-practicing) Fulbright Future Scholar<https://www.fulbright.org.au/current-scholars/>/International Distinguished Fellow<https://www.google.com.au/search?source=hp&ei=dosPXJDEFdO89QOTu47IDw&q=burton+blatt+institute+harpur&btnK=Google+Search&oq=burton+blatt+institute+harpur&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i160l2.1230.4556..4826...0.0..1.294.6039.0j15j14......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..0j35i39j0i131j0i22i30j0i22i10i30.B7g_g7X_Ck4>, Burton Blatt Institute, SU, New York.
> Senior Lecturer
> 
> TC Beirne School of Law
> The University of Queensland
> Brisbane Qld 4072 Australia
> 
> T +61 7 3365 8864 M +61 417 635 609
> E p.harpur at law.uq.edu.au<mailto:p.harpur at law.uq.edu.au> TCB 
> Profile<https://law.uq.edu.au/paul-harpur>/Google Citation Page 
> <https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=6Y47my0AAAAJ&hl=en>
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