Seizure Alert Dogs for Life: Part 3: Puppies aren't service dogs

Friday, April 1, 2011

Part 3: Puppies aren't service dogs

We have been seeing a lot of very young puppies, as young as 10 weeks of age, sold as seizure dogs, mainly Labrador Retrievers. A puppy is too young to be evaluated for temperament, skills and work drive and placed as a service dog until the dog is a minimum of 18 months old. The puppy is being raised by the new family without the skills of professional trainers. The new family is expected to house break, obedience train and begin seizure response training on their own. The puppies sold to these families are not properly trained service dogs as explained in this Houston newspaper article.

Lab puppies are adorable – cuddly, goofy, and playful. They are also more dog than some new owners bargained for.

Here is a typical hour in a Lab puppy’s life:

5:00 AM Wake up. Scan room for signs of movement. Wait 1/4 second for someone – anyone – to open the crate. Whine. Whine louder.

5:10 AM Get shushed by owner. Whine again, interspersed with pitiful yelps. More shushing. Sigh and go back to sleep.

5:30 AM Awake again, aware of full bladder. Alert the media! Full throttle howling accompanied by frantic scratching at crate door.

5:35 AM Finally! Acknowledgment by owner of sincere toileting needs. Bound out of crate. Leap at owner’s legs. Discover bare toes, lick tentatively, then sink needle sharp teeth into. Paw deliriously at delicate skin of owner’s legs. Grab bathrobe hem and tug. Race out the door, pause briefly to pee, race back in for more gleeful tussling.

5:45 AM Mad dash around living room and kitchen. Take another lap around. And another. Accelerate smoothly into final winning lap. Collapse against water bowl, tipping it over. Paddle through the water. Notice young human playmate in the kitchen. Greet her with full moist body slam. Nip all exposed soft flesh. Respond to ensuing shrieks with more nipping.

5:50 AM Careen against laundry basket, pilfer a sock, and brandish prize. Entice humans to chase with sassy barking. Evade capture by cleverly dodging and weaving.

5:55 AM Attempt to skid behind sofa backfires. Get scooped up by seriously unhappy owner. Unceremoniously deposited back into crate. Whine softly. Fall asleep immediately.

About Seizure response dogs:

Am I Ready for a Service Dog?
Are You a Good Service Dog Handler?
Don't Blame the Service dog!
Please Don't Pet Me...I am Working!
What is the Cost of a Seizure Dog?
Our Quality German Shepherds Means Everything
History of the Seizure Alert/Response Dog
Getting a Seizure Alert/Response Dog from us.

Rachel Baum contributed to this article.

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Disclaimer:

A Service Dog, no matter how well trained, is still an animal and therefore Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. cannot guarantee that the Service Dog will behave as intended. We will do our best to provide a Service Dog that complies with and is consistent with the contract but no person can predict how an animal will respond at any given time under any particular circumstances and Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. makes no representations to the contrary.

A Service Dog which will be trained to respond to epileptic seizures. We will train the Service Dog to respond in the situation when the intended beneficiary of the Service Dog falls and suffers a seizure, the Service Dog will be trained to bite a cell phone provided by Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. which cell phone may have a GPS attachment and preprogrammed message sending a message to the recipient designated to receive the emergency assistance call. (patent pending)

You must acknowledge that the Service Dog must be handled in a specific way so as to maintain its training and be able to perform its task as expected. Failure to adhere to the training program could result in the Service Dog not being responsive to a medical emergency.

VETERININARY CARE: Upon delivery of the Service Dog to you, Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. will provide you with a letter or other documents from a licensed Veterinarian dated shortly before delivery of the Service Dog stating the Service Dog is in good health. Upon delivery to you, you shall assume the responsibility and cost of having the Service Dog scheduled for a veterinary check up for the Service Dog within the first three days after delivery of the Service Dog to verify the Service Dog is being delivered in good health. You further agree that they will have an annual check up for the Service Dog by a veterinarian and keep current with all applicable shots and any necessary treatment. Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. warrants that a healthy Service Dog will be delivered to you based on representations made by veterinary professionals. Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. is not responsible for any illness, ailment, change in temperament, or injury suffered by the Service Dog after delivery to you and proof of good health provided by a veterinarian.

LICENSING: You shall advise Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. of any licensing issues with your State prior to the delivery of the Service Dog to you. Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. agrees to assist in the licensing of the Service Dog in your home State. You must agree to be solely responsible for the completion of necessary
paper work and any related fees. Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. warrants that the Service Animal will be properly licensed in the State in which the animal is trained and will be fully compliant with all State and
local laws in the animal’s home State.

After a Service Dog has been delivered to you, Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. does not and cannot warranty or guarantee that a particular Service Dog will bond with you. The only remedy available to you will be to consult with us about retraining or replacement of the Service Dog. If, at Seizure Alert Dogs for Life, Inc. discretion, subsequent retraining of the Service Dog is the solution, then doing so shall be at our own expense. If such retraining does not resolve the situation, Your only remedy will be to exchange the Service Dog for a new
Service Dog; which Service Dog will be purchased by you and trained at our expense.

At the time of signing the contract, due diligence will be conducted to make sure you can afford to care for the Service Dog and that your home is an appropriate environment which the Service Dog will be living and we will interview all individuals living at the home. We will not train for any person that has a diagnosis of Autism.

SERVICE DOGS ARE NOT PETS: You must acknowledge that you have been advised that a Service Dog is not a pet. The Service Dog is a working animal with specific responsibilities and expectations. If you change the relationship with the Service Dog to one where the Service Dog is a family pet and no longer is trained and maintained as a Service Dog, then you acknowledge that the Service Dog may lose its efficacy as a reliable Service Dog and no longer be able to perform its expected role.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. This federal law applies to all businesses open to the public, including restaurants, hotels, taxis and shuttles, grocery and department stores, hospitals and medical offices, theaters, health clubs, parks, and zoos.

Businesses may ask if an animal is a service animal or ask what tasks the animal has been trained to perform, but cannot require special ID cards for the animal or ask about the person's disability.
People with disabilities who use service animals cannot be charged extra fees, isolated from other patrons, or treated less favorably than other patrons. However, if a business such as a hotel normally charges guests for damage that they cause, a customer with a disability may be charged for damage caused by his or her service animal.
A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the animal is out of control and the animal's owner does not take effective action to control it (for example, a dog that barks repeatedly during a movie) or (2) the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
In these cases, the business should give the person with the disability the option to obtain goods and services without having the animal on the premises.
Businesses that sell or prepare food must allow service animals in public areas even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on the premises.
A business is not required to provide care or food for a service animal or provide a special location for it to relieve itself.
Allergies and fear of animals are generally not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people with service animals.
Violators of the ADA can be required to pay money damages and penalties.

If you have additional questions concerning the ADA and service animals, please call the Department's ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 (voice) or (800) 514-0383 (TTY) or visit the ADA Business Connection at www.ada.gov.

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