Please Be Kind. "No" Is For My Safety.

Rurik is always close by me.

Hi, Sweet Friends,

As the Holidays are in full swing and shoppers are out in droves to get those much prized "After Christmas Deals", a very important occurrence has hit the News. Please don't forget that with this busy Holiday Season, there are still people out there that have the same right to be there, un-harassed, just like the rest of us.

Rurik working out in town.

This article "Mother harasses Service Animal Handler" has become something that sparks my concern. It is personal. It is in your face. It can cause personal harm. It is not nice and it is a violation that can have a stiff costly penalty to the aggressor. 

Raider worked with me from 2004 to 2016.

 Service Animals are working for the person they are with/or they are in training.

There is not one moment where the Service Animal is allowed to "play" while working. The Service Animal is NOT a PET.

The Service Animal is a safety device that helps the one in need.

The Service Animal is personal, one owner used, trained for specific jobs that it will be performed, and again, a Service Animal is NOT a PET. 

Rurik working with his new harness.

Let me explain my position. I am permanently disabled. I have used My Service Animal, Raider, for 12 years of service, before he died of old age last December 29th.

I am working with my New Service Animal, Rurik, who is now 5 months old. We will be training out in town soon. When we go out, we are working we are not playing.

Yes, he is unusual, he is beautiful, and he is friendly, but while we are training and beyond, it is extremely important that he not be petted. He needs to be focused, attentive, and on task.

The best way to check if you can pet a Service Animal is to ask. The answer may be "YES", but most times it is "NO". No offense to you, it is for my safety that he be focused on me, on my disability, on my needs, and on his tasks. He is working 24/7. He is NOT a PET. 

Rurik is close by me all the time. His bed is just a foot away from my side of the bed.

I need Rurik to help me with many tasks indoors, out in town, and always when walking. He enables me to be more independent. I can rely on him to be there when I need him. For me, this is when walking, standing any length of time, and getting up and down from a sitting position.

Indoors, he helps me in the restroom, the kitchen, at a restaurant, with steps, picking up things, reaching for things, in the shower, getting dressed, and many other daily tasks. He is NOT a PET. 

Rurik's House.

If Rurik is sick or injured, then I have to revert to using a walker or a cane. He then goes into the crate, "Rurik's House", where he is protected and safe. My balance is not good, but during his "down" time, his health comes first. We work again as soon as he is well.

Rurik and I work as a team.

 Training is very intense. We work as a team and there are no exceptions. We start with a Basic Training Course that offers basic commands. Then we train on our own for the specific tasks that Rurik will perform. We work on these daily. Every day is different, but we still work on the basics to keep Rurik on task. 

I am hooked into Rurik's harness for stability. This is hard training and something each of my Service Dogs has taken to differently. Rurik does have downtime, but not when we are working. Rurik is hooked into the car seat with a special buckle that attaches to his harness.

 Out in Town, he helps me when walking, stabilizing me so that I don't fall. I have stability issues and some vision issues that cause me to fall.

Borzoi at a dog show.

 Rurik will get bigger than Raider was. I hook into his harness and we become one. He is not loose with just my hand on him.

Borzoi in obedience training.

Without the help of a Service Animal, I'm unsteady, I am not as independent, and I have to ask for help more than I'd like to. Crossing the street, I'm not fast enough, Rurik keeps me stable when I am nervous and hurried. He helps me navigate through people, around cars, crowded aisles, through carts, and stores. So you see, I use my Service Animal everywhere I go. 

Raider and I working at the Post Office to get our mail.

 I often say, "My Service Dog is my legs!" What I mean by this is that I get tired very fast and my pain causes me leg weakness. I can lean on Rurik and he leans back on me. Unlike a cane or walker, Rurik follows my movements helping me to remain stable. When I fall at home, he comes to me and helps me stand up. If I can't get up, he waits with me until help arrives. Some Service Animals go to find help if their person is injured or in trouble, as in this video, HERE, from "Today" news.

Some people are ignorant of the laws for a Service Animal. Many people are not nice, taunt my dog, complain loudly, and are just not informed. My Service Animal was always well behaved, he wore his "Service Animal Vest", and he was always harnessed to me. I wore a tag with all ID information on it for him as well. A cashier at Walmart yelled at me, "Get your dog out of the store!" She called the Security Guard who was very kind and knew the laws. He said that he would bring it up at the next meeting. Walmart had a "Service Animals Welcome" sign on the doors the next week. I have been yelled at and cussed out by customers who have told me that my dog wasn't allowed in the store if theirs wasn't. I have been followed and harassed by store managers who have tried to "catch me" doing something they think would prove I am not disabled. All of these are a violation of my rights that are punishable by law and in some states, a class 3 Misdemeanor. 

The ADA's stated Inquiries, Exclusions, Charges, and Other Specific Rules Related to Service Animals

• When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.
• Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. When a person who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or facility, for example, in a school classroom or at a homeless shelter, they both should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room or different rooms in the facility.
• A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal’s presence.
• Establishments that sell or prepare food must allow service animals in public areas even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on the premises.
• People with disabilities who use service animals cannot be isolated from other patrons, treated less favorably than other patrons, or charged fees that are not charged to other patrons without animals. In addition, if a business requires a deposit or fee to be paid by patrons with pets, it must waive the charge for service animals."

I wish everyone would understand how much a Service Animal helps a disabled person. Hopefully, my article will help inform others with Service Animals, as well as those who do not know the law.

 For more information on Service Animals, please read the information at this LINK from the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Thank you for reading this information. Please share with anyone you know who is disabled and using a Service Animal or is thinking of getting a Service Animal. 

God Bless,

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