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<body><div>Forwarded on behalf of nagdu.</div>
<div>This doesn't apply to Ohio, but it does show the steps other states are taking in regards to this issue.</div><div><br /></div><div id="signature_old" style="clear:both"><div dir="ltr"><div>Shane Popplestone</div><div>President of the Ohio Association of blind students</div><div>Co-chair of the ohio newsline committee</div><div>member of the Grater Akron Chapter</div><div>member of Ohio Association of Guide Dog users</div><div><a href="mailto:spopplestone.nfb@gmail.com">spopplestone.nfb@gmail.com</a></div><div>234-716-2208</div><div>You can live the life you want!</div></div></div><div style="clear:both"><br /></div>
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<div>------ Forwarded Message ------</div>
<div>From "Sarah Calhoun via NAGDU" <<a href="mailto:nagdu@nfbnet.org">nagdu@nfbnet.org</a>></div>
<div>To "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <<a href="mailto:nagdu@nfbnet.org">nagdu@nfbnet.org</a>></div>
<div>Cc "Sarah Calhoun" <<a href="mailto:sc-tico@att.net">sc-tico@att.net</a>></div>
<div>Date 9/15/2023 7:51:03 PM</div>
<div>Subject [NAGDU] Texas residents with fake service dogs will be fined $1k under HB 4164</div></div><div><br /></div>
<div id="x47c446679e3c493" class="plain">
<div class="plain_line">Texas residents with fake service dogs will be fined $1k under HB 4164</div>
<div class="plain_line">Impersonating a service dog is detrimental to community, manager says.</div>
<div class="plain_line">By Zachary Taylor WrightSep 13, 2023</div>
<div class="plain_line">September officially kicked off</div>
<div class="plain_line">Service Dog Awareness month.</div>
<div class="plain_line">Coincidentally, a new Texas House bill has taken effect which raised punishments for those faking their</div>
<div class="plain_line">whiskered friend’s capabilities</div>
<div class="plain_line">— something a local training company says hurts the cause.</div>
<div class="plain_line">HB 4164, which passed both chambers and took effect on September 1, makes the false representation of animals as service animals a crime punishable by</div>
<div class="plain_line">$1,000 and up to 30 hours of community service. Both locals and legislators alike are saying the misrepresentation of service dogs has increased challenges</div>
<div class="plain_line">for those really in need.</div>
<div class="plain_line">“HB 5206 (a companion bill) should help restore the reputation that trained service dogs have earned and limit negative interactions that service dogs</div>
<div class="plain_line">experience,” Texas Rep. Vikki Goodwin (R-47) told the Texas Council for Development Disabilities.</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">Ada Brown, representing Service Dogs Inc., testified</div>
<div class="plain_line">in support of a legislative change to deter the impersonation of service dogs because they put her trained service animal in jeopardy, according to TCDD.</div>
<div class="plain_line">“If (my hearing dog) gets hurt, I’m out of commission,” Brown testified. “I can’t hear fire trucks or alarms. I can’t hear my children call my name. I</div>
<div class="plain_line">hear nothing without hearing aids.”</div>
<div class="plain_line">For those looking for help training a future service dog, there are plenty of facilities in San Antonio. One of them, Dog Training Elite, offers both in-home</div>
<div class="plain_line">and in-facility training.</div>
<div class="plain_line">Breaking the training into three phases, Dog Training Elite Facilities Manager Tammy Cheatham said all the training efforts start with obedience, “because</div>
<div class="plain_line">that’s the one that’s welcome out in public on a regular basis.”</div>
<div class="plain_line">Next, trainers take the soon-to-be service dog on a field trip to recreate real-life scenarios a person with disabilities might find themselves with the</div>
<div class="plain_line">pup. They go to malls, restaurants, and parks to acclimatize their four-legged friend to crowds without being apprehensive or reactive.</div>
<div class="plain_line">Finally, they teach the trainees task-specific actions which can vary wildly depending on what disability they’re helping with, Cheatham said.</div>
<div class="plain_line">She said there are mobility support dogs who can open doors, turn lights off and on or even do forward momentum pulls. These same dogs are taught something</div>
<div class="plain_line">called force fetch.</div>
<div class="plain_line">Jamie Leon sits with his son, Joshua, and his service dog, Shadow. Leon, who served as an Army medic for 15 years, was given Shadow to help with his PTSD.</div>
<div class="plain_line">“If you drop the leash, the dog can bring it back. If you leave your medication in a certain place, the dog can bring it to you,” Cheatham explained.</div>
<div class="plain_line">For those facing mental health struggles, there’s a multitude of services these trained dogs can do, including grounding activities, repetitive touch and</div>
<div class="plain_line">circling to help alleviate stressors or distract from triggers.</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">When asked how those who impersonate service animals are impacting the community in need, Cheatham didn’t shy away from a strong point of view.</div>
<div class="plain_line">“It’s wrong. What they’ve (impersonators) done is complicate the entire process for people who really benefit and have a need for a service</div>
<div class="plain_line">dog,” Cheatham said. “To have someone come up and say, ‘Is that a real service dog? Did you get your vest on Amazon? People are cruel. And people who have</div>
<div class="plain_line">a real need for service dogs don’t deserve that.”</div>
<div class="plain_line">Cheatham said the constant doubt and suspicions over service dogs caused by those pretending has led to cruelty, judgement and increased red-tape for those</div>
<div class="plain_line">who actually rely on their service animals day-in-day-out.</div>
<div class="plain_line">She urged those who encounter a service dog in public to be mindful and consider the person holding the leash. She even recalled one customer who she first</div>
<div class="plain_line">met walking on a cane as a result of her multiple sclerosis. The next time she saw the customer after training, she was walking without a physical support.</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">“Service dogs save lives,” she said. “They help reduce suicidal ideation. They help people reintegrate into society, and they provide a sense of comfort</div>
<div class="plain_line">as well as the task they do which absolutely change lives. Be respectful and try to understand that some people have needs that you can’t see. They are</div>
<div class="plain_line">just as important as those who have needs that you can see.”</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">Ending on a poignant note, Cheatham continued, “In all honesty, you wouldn’t walk up to a person in a wheelchair or someone who has one leg and say, ‘Wow,</div>
<div class="plain_line">how did that happen.’” She recommend you not ask someone with a service dog that question either.</div>
<div class="plain_line">article end</div>
<div class="plain_line">Sep 13, 2023By Zachary Taylor Wright</div>
<div class="plain_line">Source: <a href="https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/service-dogs-house-bill-18360674.php?fbclid=IwAR2sCFegXRigL6ok4rD_iHSprKYeyftdwbqr7EHwdOadFwxisClkSK-MCJs">https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/service-dogs-house-bill-18360674.php?fbclid=IwAR2sCFegXRigL6ok4rD_iHSprKYeyftdwbqr7EHwdOadFwxisClkSK-MCJs</a></div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
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