Service Dogs
Service dogs are very special dogs and are specially trained to provide a variety of services for people with disabilities. They can be any breed or size, however, there seems to be a lot of mis-conceptions about them, their duties, where and where not they are allowed to go. The ADA has spelled out exactly what service dogs are and are not. Specifically, "therapy dogs" are NOT service dogs and are not allowed everywhere that service dogs are. Many people have therapy dogs, but therapy dogs are not held to the same behavior standards that service dogs are. Service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks whereas therapy dogs are not. Service dogs must have, and adhere to, what I call "doggie manners" in public.
I own a service dog; I lost my hearing during the war with Grenada and I actually have been denied entry into a few establishments with him.
Meet my service dog, Harley. He alerts me to certain sounds I cannot hear, such as my cell phone, the house phone and the microwave. He is so smart that he has actually alerted me when I have put something on the stove, then walked back to my computer and completely forgotten about it. He also alerts me to people near me when we are in public. He loves to go places and when his service vest is on, he's all business, but at home, he is the most playful, gentle, loving and intelligent dog I have ever known, and I have owned many dogs in my fifty plus years.
Harley is a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and he is a pleasure to take with me everywhere I go; everyone we meet just loves him and he remembers each store that gives him cookies. He especially loves girls and is so gentle around babies. He does have one problem though - he cannot control his licker! When he was a pup, he would walk around the house licking everything, including the hardware on the drawers of the bed we had. It drove us crazy! He's a little better about it now and will stop when told. He loves to cuddle in the mornings, especially during winter since he doesn't have much fur. He likes to wear his "fleece" and has a bad habit of rolling around in the bed covers, so a made bed is not in my home. I gave up when he seemed to know whenever I would go behind him and re-make it, because he would go back and mess it up again. He's super smart and catches on very quickly. He doesn't "shake" like most dogs do with their paw. I taught him to shake his whole body before we come in the house when it's raining outside and he will hold still while I wipe off his paws with a towel.
He's also the most spoiled dog I've ever had, and recently, I've had to limit the amount of "cookies" he gets each day to help him with his waistline. My husband calls him the "pot-licker" since he does the pre-washing on the plates before they go into the dishwasher. I've never let any dog get on my furniture in my whole life. My husband, however, changed that even amid my protests. I finally gave in because Harley is mostly an indoor dog and truly likes to be clean. He's not a big fan of the bath, but for him, that's better than being called, "a smelly boy." He's full of personality and I wouldn't give him up for the world. Just look at those eyes! My heart be still! :)
