Why This Service Dog Stays Home

Like many people with disabilities, I have been in isolation since the outbreak began. Shortly after, an interesting topic came up among service dog handlers: Is it safe to use service dogs during this time?

The first step in my decision about whether my service dog would be doing public access work during the pandemic was research. I scoured the internet for trustworthy articles about the likelihood of the virus being spread from my dog’s fur to me. While most of my research found that you cannot contract COVID-19 from your pet, nothing mentioned transferring it from your pet’s fur. This is the key research I need that hasn’t been done. Fair enough. There are more important things to worry about.

This led to the next step in my decision-making process: using my brain. I had to adapt existing research and warnings to my situation. I used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation about washing clothes to make the connection that my dog’s fur is his clothing. Therefore, if he were to work in public, I would need to bathe him when I got home.

After assessing the risk, I took a realistic look at my situation. I have gone out in public three times since the pandemic started — twice to the doctor and once to the lab. Would it have been easier to bring my dog? Two of the three times, yes. Was it unmanageable? No. Would I realistically have the energy to bathe my standard poodle after every outing? Absolutely not.

Here is where I want to bring light to a very real part of being a service dog handler. Not every situation is safe for using a service dog. It is important to have other coping mechanisms in place in those cases.

This is also the part where you need to be honest with yourself about risk versus benefit. Due to the limited times I have been in public, the fact that those trips have been as short as possible, and that I had other means of support, I concluded that the benefits did not outweigh the risks.

If you do see a service dog working in public, please be extra sure you are giving that team space. If you see a handler without their service dog, please do not think that they do not need one. We are all doing our best to navigate these crazy times, and no two situations are the same.

The Impact ESA Make On People

A dog in the grocery store; a cat in the cabin of an airplane; a bird in a coffee shop – companion creatures labelled as Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are showing up more and more in places previously understood to be animal-free. It’s part of a growing trend which includes “certifying” animals to provide emotional assistance to a person with a diagnosable mental condition or emotional disorder.

Jeffrey Younggren, a forensic psychologist and clinical professor at The University of New Mexico’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, recognized the growing trend presents an ethical challenge for therapists asked to certify emotional support animals for their patients. “Emotional Support Animal Assessments: Toward a Standard and Comprehensive Model for Mental Health Professionals” outlines the ethical challenge and offers possible solutions to better serve both people who feel they need ESAs and those who must comply with the animals such as landlords and airlines.

In their third paper on this topic, published by the American Psychological Association, Younggren and his coauthors propose a four-prong standard assessment model for practitioners to follow when asked to provide a patient with an ESA certificate. These guidelines include:

1. Understanding, recognizing and applying the laws regulating ESAs.

2. A thorough valid assessment of the individual requesting an ESA certification.

3. An assessment of the animal in question to ensure it actually performs the valid functions of an ESA.

4. An assessment of the interaction between the animal and the individual to determine whether the animal’s presence has a demonstrably beneficial effect on that individual.

“In this model, you have to take the animal into consideration. Somebody has to certify that the animal is able to do what you’re asking it to do. And there are avenues by which animals can be evaluated regarding their capacity for these kinds of experiences,” Younggren adds.

For example, a patient with an anxiety problem can takes a pill to calm down, and the effects of the drug are measurable and backed by scientific testing and research. But Younggren says there is very little evidence to scientifically support that animals ameliorate a patient’s symptoms.

By making such guidelines and practices standard, the hope is that there will be fewer instances like the one recently, which resulted in a flight attendant needing stitches after being bitten by an emotional support animal.

According to Younggren, service animals must be trained to provide a function otherwise inaccessible to their owner. But ESAs are not held to that standard, which is partially what his new research aims to correct.

“Our research has nothing to do with service animals. Seeing eye dogs and therapy dogs are animals that help individuals manage their disabilities in certain situations – but that’s not what an ESA is. An ESA is an example of a well-intended idea that has metastasized and developed into a world of nonsense,” Younggren said.

Cassandra Boness, University of Missouri Ph.D. candidate and second author on the paper, says the model will better align ESA certifications with professional and legal practices, while also providing guidelines for mental health practitioners.

“One of our biggest goals is to disseminate this information in order to better educate mental health providers, as well as policy writers, about the need for ethical guidelines around ESAs,” Boness said.

In addition, Boness said her hope is that this paper will encourage others to pursue research on the impacts of ESAs on patients, so that there is a more scientific pool of data to cite.

“Mental health professionals who lack full awareness of the law will likely fail to recognize that writing such letters constitutes a disability determination that becomes a part of the individual’s clinical records,” the paper states.

Currently, in order to receive waivers for housing or travel purposes where animals are banned, the law requires patients must have a mental or emotional condition diagnosable by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). If patients are given certifications for an ESA, it means they, and the therapist signing the certification, are declaring the patient to be psychologically disabled with significant impairment in functioning.

“[The guidelines] will require that those individuals who certify these animals must conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the individual to determine that they have a disability under the DSM-5,” Younggren concluded. “That disability has to substantially interfere with the patient’s ability to function, which is what the ADA requires. And the presence of the animal has to ameliorate the condition, which means you have to see the person with the animal.”

Should this proposal influence an industry standard, Younggren says it will become more difficult for people to receive certification, but on the whole safer for society.

Companion Canines

Caroline Delaney finds out how rescue charities are coping after Covid-19 pressed paws on adoptions

When Dave Fleming got ‘matched’ with his dream dog from a rescue charity he was thrilled.

There was just one hitch though — the logistics of getting Bumble on the 150k journey to his ‘forever home’ with Covid-19 restrictions limiting non-essential travel to 2, and then 5k.

Bumble was being well looked after in Kerry but Dave was keen to get him settled as a key family member and was also aware that all the enforced free time would be great to use for walks.

So Dave, an Abbey actor who’s currently in lockdown at his partner’s family’s farm in Laois, put out an appeal on Twitter.

He asked if there were any essential workers travelling that particular route who would be willing to help out. His post was shared hundreds of times and he spoke to a few good samaritans.

Now Bumble is home and enjoying being walked and praised and being top dog.

“He’s a very handsome dog alright and he has settled right in here. We’re delighted with him,” says Dave.

Bumble is a collie mix and Dave believes he may have been up for adoption due to not making the grade as a sheepdog: “We quickly realised that he has eyesight problems — cataracts.

“He’s able to find his way around alright so it’s not a huge problem. He hadn’t been mistreated as he has a very easy-going temperament so we reckon he was just rounding up the wrong things!”

A bright new ‘vest’ alerting passers-by to Bumble’s sight difficulties will help people understand any clumsiness.

Even in ‘normal times’ the process of matching dogs with owners can take some time if prospective owners are keen for a pet of a particular breed or age.

Agencies rehoming pets have to interview owners and assess their home for any dangers or escape routes that a new owner might not have spotted.

The Cork Society for the Prevent of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA) had to close its door for the past two months but is now aiming to restart viewings by appointment only from June 3.

Manager, Vincent Cashman, said: “This, of course, will depend on how things are working regarding the Covid-19 outbreak and governmental advice and will be subject to change if we deem it necessary.

“This is a big change for our normal way of operating — as many of you know, you could just walk in for viewings previously but we need the full cooperation of you the public for this to work.”

However, his big concern is that people who bought a dog on a whim due to being home from work or to help keep children entertained during lockdown will not want to keep it once they return to work and children’s sports and school activities resume

“We have only had eight dog surrenders over the past two months. Normally we would have that many in a week. And other animals too such as cats, goats, rabbits and even Giant African snails.

“But we do fear that it may suit some people to have a dog around now and that they won’t keep it once this is over. I need to say this: you don’t need a dog to just go for a walk. You don’t need ‘an excuse’.”

Unusually, the CSPCA doesn’t have any cats for rehoming at the moment: “That’s probably because people are selling then online to whoever instead.”

The new pet adoption arrangement plans include bringing the dog to meet the prospective new owner in the exercise run.

Home inspections or will be carried out on a limited basis — if the garden is accessible through a side gate for example.

“All this is totally dependent on the latest safety guidelines and everything can change depending on expert advice,” warns Vincent.

The CSPCA also plans to rely on recommendations from trusted volunteers who could vouch for an owner.

He is concerned that people are paying exorbitant prices to dog ‘dealers’ online. “There is no care put into their breeding.

“Problems are being bred into them.

Dispatch’s Emotional Support Dog

Bella is a 6-year-old British bulldog that was found abandoned in a car after her previous owner fled the scene of a crash. The city of Webster’s dispatch center adopted Bella as an emotional support dog in late 2019.

Most days at the City of Webster’s dispatch center are chaotic, according to Assistant Chief of Police Pete Bacon. The center takes calls from fire departments, emergency medical service stations and police departments across the region 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, which often takes a toll on the mental health of the telecommunications officers (TCOs).

“There are times when there are phones ringing off the wall constantly,” Bacon said. “It’s a pressure-cooker environment.”

The center is run by 14 TCOs that are the city’s first line of defense in emergency situations. Bacon said after Hurricane Harvey inundated the call center in 2018, it was decided the TCOs would benefit from more mental health services, such as an emotional support dog.

Since Harvey, the city has been searching for ways to help alleviate the stresses TCOs deal with on a day-to-day basis. At the end of 2019, officers found the perfect answer when the city adopted a deaf, 6-year-old British bulldog named Bella.

“Bella is a calm and affectionate bulldog. She is deaf, which is a good thing since the call center can be pretty chaotic,” TCO Tiffany Swanson said in a Facebook post from the city. “You can’t stay upset when you’re petting a dog.”

“She [Trover] is a behind-the-scenes hero, she doesn’t get enough credit for what she does,” Bacon said. “She recognized that that dog was the right fit for us and she was right.”

Bella lives at the dispatch center and is cared for by the 14 TCO’s and police officers that routinely drop in to visit her. Dog beds are spread throughout the call center and she has her own spot in the employee lounge where she spends her time snoozing and snacking. A local veterinarian visits Bella once a week for free and has helped the dog recover from her kennel cough and an ear infection that she was diagnosed with when she first came to the center.

Since news of Bella’s adoption spread, Bacon said she has basically become famous. Bella is even attracting potential employees that Bacon said have reached out and said they wanted to apply simply because of the adorable bulldog they know would make their job much more enjoyable.

“The social media feedback we have had has been overwhelmingly positive,” Bacon said. “Just the fact that we have Bella [also makes] a difference for us in recruiting.”

Bacon said adding Bella to the center has been a win-win for everyone involved. The officers enjoy her company during stressful situations and Bella has been given a new lease on life.

“She is just very sweet and loving and calm,” Bacon said. “She loves to visit with people and her favorite game is to chase the officer’s flashlights on the ground. She is a very gentle soul.”

Life Is Better With A Animal

Dog Comforts Protesters

A woman brought her dog to the Peaceful demonstration at the Governor’s Mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota Monday, where the dog helped comfort many grieving people during the sit-in.

Approximately 2,000 people gathered for Monday’s peaceful protest, calling for more aggressive charges the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day.

The owner shared photos of her dog, EnVee, at the demonstration, showing protesters petting and hugging EnVee.

In one photo, EnVee is licking the face of a sobbing protester. EnVee’s owner told FOX 9 EnVee is not even a service dog…”she’s just a lover.”

A Veteran’s Service Dog

Port Charlotte Navy veteran Thomas Andrews says his dog, Chief, helps him get through the day.

“I’m one hundred percent on disability. I’ve got PTSD through the military so he’s actually a comfort dog to me,” he said.

So when his usually playful pup stopped moving around over the weekend, fear set in.

“He wasn’t walking, wasn’t doing nothing,” Andrews said. “I got rather nervous. As a veteran, I get paid [disability] once a month…I didn’t have any money at that time. I started calling around a bunch of vets to see if they would let me make payments on a vet bill and just about all of them I called said, ‘No, absolutely no.’”

That was until he called Burnt Store Animal Hospital.

“Dr. Justin Kerr didn’t even hesitate. He said, ‘Come on in,’” Andrews said.

That’s because Kerr is passionate about helping his heroes and their pets.

“My grandfather was in World War II on the D-Day beaches. They do so much to enable our best lives that we can just do anything we possibly can to give back at any point in time,” he said. “If I can help out a person and their pet, specifically one that’s put the ultimate sacrifice out there for us, then I’m happy to do so.”

Now, Andrews is happy to watch Chief recovering from his knee injury, thanks to a compassionate clinic.

“I’m just thankful,” he said.

Burnt Store Animal Hospital also offers standing discounts for all veterans and active duty, along with first responders in our area. Kerr says they want to thank those who enable us to live our best lives through their service.

Celebrating Pet Therapy

When experienced pet handler Linda Dunn moved to Jacksonville, she approached numerous hospitals about starting a pet therapy program. When she shared this vision with Wolfson Children’s Hospital leaders, they saw it as an innovative way to improve patients’ experiences. Dunn promptly joined the Wolfson Children’s Auxiliary, established the program, and made the hospital’s first pet therapy visit in May 1995 with her Labrador retriever, Jenni.

In May 2020, the Wolfson Children’s Hospital Pet Therapy Program celebrated its 25th anniversary. In that time, pet therapy dogs and handlers have visited thousands of patients and families to provide emotional support during their hospitalization. To commemorate Pet Therapy’s contribution to Jacksonville’s children and families, Mayor Lenny Curry proclaimed May 15, 2020, to be Wolfson Children’s Hospital Pet Therapy Day.

Today, the auxiliary has a roster of 13 certified pet therapy teams, each made up of one handler and one dog, with one more duo in training.

“Our Pet Therapy Program is a unique and important part of how we care for our patients,” said Michael D. Aubin, FACHE, president of Wolfson Children’s Hospital. “These remarkable dogs and owners reduce anxiety for and bring comfort to our patients, their families and our team members the moment they walk in the door. The bonds our patients and therapy pets form are evidence of how important the program becomes to them during their stay.”

Pet therapy is an evidence-based way to support children’s healing, no matter the reason the children are in the hospital. Studies show that spending time with a certified therapy dog triggers the release of endorphins, which eases pain and discomfort, lowers blood pressure, and reduces levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. When patients need to practice their motor skills or learn to walk again, providers can call on therapy dogs to motivate them to practice walking, petting, and reaching to tug or toss toys. Wolfson’s pet therapy teams not only visit patients, but also provide support to nurses, physicians, and other providers during special events, like Nurses Week. Baptist Health also offers pet therapy visits at two of its locations thanks to 15 handler and dog volunteer pairs.

Pet Therapy Chair and volunteer handler Jeanne Shober said she and her dog Bear have seen the benefits of pet therapy firsthand.

“Nearly every child we visit has a beloved pet at home that they miss terribly,” Shober said. “Sharing our dogs with the children, their parents and the staff helps to bring smiles and a touch of happiness to their day. Sharing our pets is also rewarding to the handlers and their dogs. It’s such a privilege for us to be a part of this wonderful hospital.”

Lifesaving Dog

Craig Hodgkins and his medical service dog Foxy have been together just a few days, but the Pittsburgh man said he already feels like it’s been a life-changing experience.

And a life-saving one.

“This was my last hope … She looks in my eyes and I feel relief,” he said.

Thursday at Memorial Park in Grove City, Foxy, a long-haired German shepherd, leaned up against Hodgkins. The dog studied the man’s face, and sensed emotion.

That’s what Foxy was trained to do.

Hodgkins was one of five people who received a service dog this week through Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, a nonprofit agency based in Williston, Fla.

The organization, founded about 10 years ago, has paired more than 350 dogs with veterans, first responders, and people with disabilities.

Service dogs are sponsored by businesses and other organizations, so there is no cost to the recipients, said Joanne Werner, a traveling trainer.

The trainers had planned to bring the dogs and their new humans together in March in Florida, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to make other arrangements, so the group came to Mercer County.

The trainers introduced the dogs to their humans this week at the Avenue of 444 Flags in Hermitage and the pairs have been together ever since.

Over the past several days, the dogs and their recipients have undergone training, learned about each other, and visited businesses so they both could get a feel for what it’s like to be in public together.

The recipients said their dogs are great matches and they couldn’t wait to to head home with their new best friends.

“He’s a lot like me … I’m very, very happy,” said Ryan Yoder of Harrisburg about Rikki, his service dog.

He’s been calling the 1-year-old German shepherd “Rik,” and said he feels like they already share a special bond.

Yoder, who served in the Marine Corps for four years, is veterans coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

He learned about Guardian Angels through his state post and learned that medical service dogs can provide assistance to veterans, especially those living with disabilities and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Yoder said he was excited to meet his new buddy, and looks forward to bringing Rik home to meet his wife and kids.

Rik is trained to help with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Yoder credited the organization and Carol Borden, Guardian Angels founder and chief executive officer, for its work.

Guardian Angels is sending the recipients home with supplies, including dog food, and prevention treatments for fleas, ticks and heartworm.

Hodgkins served 21 years in the Marines. He said 5-year-old Foxy is calm and reassuring, which helps with balance and anxiety issues.

Hodgkins said he has always loved dogs – he’s had several Great Danes. But after a doctor recommended a service dog, he said Foxy came into his life at just the right time.

He was in a “low place,” and having Foxy has made him feel comfortable for the first time in many years.

Jim Grossman of Hermitage, who served in the Marines, heard about the organization from his counselor.

He said he was a little uncertain about the idea at first, but he’s now glad he decided to apply.

“He’s very calming to me. We just seem to click,” said Grossman, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5286 in Farrell, as he looked at 4-year-old Judd.

Grossman said Judd is already helping him sleep better.

Alexis Taggart of Philadelphia, who served in the Army from 2011 to 2016, spent quite a bit of time researching service dogs.

The Guardian Angels application process is long and includes a background check, but she said the wait was worth it.

“I cried my eyes out,” she said of her first meeting with Doc, a female German shepherd who is almost 2.

They have a really strong bond, and Doc helps her with panic attacks – like she has a sixth sense, said Taggart, who is studying to earn a doctorate degree in psychology.

Jay Cox of Charlotte, N.C., is retired, having worked in diplomatic security for the U.S. Department of State and as a police officer in Maryland.

Cox worked in special weapons and tactics, and as a detective, investigating homicides, kidnapping and serial murder – what he called “the absolute worst of society.”

And it affected him, he said.

Cox was seriously injured in the line of duty. During a hostage situation, another officer detonated a flash-bang grenade near Cox’s head, which left him with a traumatic brain injury.

Someone recommended a service dog, and his daughter Carly Cox, whom he calls a “hero,” helped him with the application. Cox said he prospect of getting a dog gave him something to look forward to.

“This is the first thing I’ve been excited about,” he said.

He’s excited to go home to his wife with Whaler, a German shepherd who helps him with PTSD.

The dog is intense and strong-willed, and he has already helped Cox deal with nightmares by jumping into bed at night and redirecting his attention.

“He broke that loop. I couldn’t believe it,” Cox said.

Sponsors of the dog were PNC for Whaler, Yellow Ribbon Fund for Rik, Armstrong for Judd, and the Colcom Foundation for Foxy and Doc.

Training a medical service dog can take up to two years, and the organization looks for dogs with low or medium energy and are willing to learn and work, Werner said.

The organization itself owns the dogs, and the recipients sign a contract that imposes conditions including getting the dog established with a veterinarian and securing pet insurance.

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs checks in on the dogs to make sure things are going well. The organization plans to open a second facility, in Moon Township, Werner said.

She also works with inmates at the State Correctional Institution at Mercer in Findley Township. The inmates are veterans, and she teaches them how to train the service dogs.

A lot of thought goes into pairing dogs with recipients, and that first meeting is always a tearjerker.

“It’s amazing … It’s very humbling and rewarding,” Werner said of her job.

Attorney’s Office Gets ESA

An emotional-support dog is joining the staff at the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Barrett joined the office in late December and is its first emotional-support animal, the office said in a news release.

“Having an emotional-support animal like Barrett in our office will provide much-needed stress and anxiety relief to our staff members, as well as the witnesses and victims we work with during cases,” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement.

According to the county attorney’s office: Barrett is a golden doodle; he is 75% standard poodle and 25% golden retriever.

Barrett is in “sensory” training to introduce him to the sounds, smells and sights of the office.

His full-time work starts in a year.

He is expected to work five half-days a week.

“His full-time engagement will follow a rigorous training schedule that will outfit him with the skills needed to support Hennepin County Attorney’s Office employees, witnesses and victims,” the office said.

Barrett was acquired as a joint decision of the special litigation division and victim witness advocates because research supports the benefits of emotional-support animals, the news release said.

Barrett lives with an employee of the office.