|
Commonly
Asked Questions
How will you ever give that
dog up after it is trained?
I won't be giving my dog up. Freely is training to mitigate my disabilities.
It's okay. Some people don't realize that people can train their
own service dog. In the future you may notice that if a dog is not
wearing a cape identified by a program, it may be being trained
by the person with the disability or by a private trainer.
What
is a Service Dog / Assistance Dog?
A Service Dog is individually trained to mitigate a person's disabilities.
How
can I get an Assistance Dog?
A service/assistance dog may be obtained through a program or you
may train your own service dog providing it is an appropriate candidate
for service work. It is important to first be aware if you have
a disability under the guidelines of the ADA. If you'd like to talk
more about this, I'd be happy to talk with you when we have more
time.
Why
do YOU need a Service Dog? YOU don't look disabled?
Not all disabilities are visible. It may be personal to a person
and they may not wish to share what their disability is. It would
be equally as rude to ask a person in a wheelchair why they are
using the wheelchair. Try to be considerate and respectful of people.
If you are generally interested in Service Dogs, AND if they wish
to share, you may want to ask what kinds of ways their dog helps
them. Remember, some people may or may not want to answer these
types of questions. And sometimes a person may just be shopping
and not have time!
You
can't really train your own service dog, can you?
Sure you can!
What
Program are you from?
We aren't from a program.
Can
I pet your dog?
Generally speaking, no. Some people do allow this at some times.
ALWAYS ask first!
Sometimes we may ask if you want to help us train 'VISIT' for appropriate
visiting.
How
long have you had vision problems?
Not all service/assistance dogs are guide dogs. We are often directed
by verbal cues as to where items are because people assume me to
be visually impaired. It took me a while to catch on to the fact
that people thought Freely was a guide dog. Now I do try to take
a second and educate a bit that she provides me with other assistance
and that I am not visually impaired.
Common Statements People Make
There's
a guide dog. LOOK! A dog! That dog can't be in here!
Dogs aren't allowed here.
Things
People Do and Say That Help
Ask
before petting
Explain to their children "that is a working/helper dog"
"we don't pet working/helper dogs"
Ask how they can help
Ask if training is hard
Say "excuse me" if they need to go around or?
Ask if I have time to answer a question
Your dog is beautiful and very well trained
Things
People Do That Hinder
Talk
to Freely ~ Pet Freely without asking ~
Ask Freely's name and then start calling her by name across store
Yell to, Whistle at, Bark at Freely
Tell Freely "that's ok" if she is doing something I am
trying to redirect
Tell their children they can pet the dog
Talk to the dog and ignore the person
I've
Never Heard of a Psychiatric Service Dog, what do they do?
Here are some examples of how Freely assists:
Reminding to take medications
Assisting when disoriented
Alerts to manic episodes
Assists during depression
Assists during mood swings
Interupts obsessive behaviors and thoughts
Emotional support
Provide a focus during a trigger (PTSD)
And much more!
Read
more about Psychiatric Service Dogs
At Psychiatric Service Dog Society
For
Your Information:
Assistance/Service
Dogs for people with Brain Disorders is now an acceptable term for
Psychiatric Service Dogs
|
