Little Dogs Are NOT Fashion Accesories

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

:: clicks Muffin’s and Cerri’s links:

:: swoons ::

Looks like Sally’s outnumbered. But wait! She’s calling in reinforcements.

Hmmmmm… Maybe we need to up the ante.

Back on topic: Elenfair, would one solution to the abuse of service dog status be to seek legislation requiring not only certification and registration, but also some sort of clearly identifying harness, back cloth, whatever for the dog? A Seeing Eye dog, for example, wears gear that pretty much everybody recognizes instantly. Perhaps the gear would have to be sold only through prescription or some other mechanism to prevent the braindead fashionistas from slapping it on Fifi – maybe with a service registration ID number prominently displayed.

Add a provision to the law allowing stores to request proof of registration might be necessary.

[Elenfair]

@EddyTeddyFreddy

Back on topic: Elenfair, would one solution to the abuse of service dog status be to seek legislation requiring not only certification and registration, but also some sort of clearly identifying harness, back cloth, whatever for the dog? A Seeing Eye dog, for example, wears gear that pretty much everybody recognizes instantly. Perhaps the gear would have to be sold only through prescription or some other mechanism to prevent the braindead fashionistas from slapping it on Fifi – maybe with a service registration ID number prominently displayed.

Add a provision to the law allowing stores to request proof of registration might be necessary.

Some of us are pushing for certification/registration. Any legitimate service team, even if it’s a self-training situation, should NOT be afraid of certification requirements. I’d be glad to support such a program/concept and help people get their dogs certified, ID’d and recognized.

Right now, though, you can go anywhere online and buy a service dog vest, harnesses, you name it and slap it on Fifi. In the old days, you needed to go through a school to do that. It kept the number of imposters down.

[Lissa]

@Khan

If some fashion-conscious moron goes in to get her “dog” certified as a service animal, it seems that the only remotely legitimate purpose would be for the aforementioned mental health issues like separation anxiety–fifi would be useless for anything else.

Not necessarily. Any sized dog can be trained to alert when their owner is about to go into diabetic shock, or pass out (as I am wont to do.) I seriously considered getting Sirius trained to do this task for me because I often pass out without warning, and it could be dangerous in some situations.

However, none of the service dog training schools would train a privately owned dog. They suggested I train him myself, but I didn’t because it seemed somewhat illegitimate to me.

[Jackmannii]

@Birdmonster

It’s DEFINATELY an LA thing.

More proof that exclusivity ain’t what it used to be.

"Make no bones about it, dogs are the newest faces at the mall. Several Columbus (Ohio)-area shopping outlets welcome, or at least keep quiet about, dogs and their doting owners.

‘We’re always concerned for the comfort and convenience of our customers," said Don Bentz, general manager of Polaris Fashion Place. "If they want to bring their dogs, we’re more than happy to let them do that.’"

[Khan]

I’ve been thinking more about this subject. Joking about these girls being “crazy bitches” aside, that anyone would try to get themselve classified as mentally ill so they can cart their thing-that-should-not-be with them while they exercise their rights as a citizen of Abercrombie nation…well, that’s pretty goddamned histrionic, isn’t it? You can add that to the profile of neurotic, insecure, self-centered, materialistic, name it.

Two more issues I’d like to address:

A napkin-wrapped crap on a deli counter?! My contempt for using humanity’s best friend as a fashion accessory notwithstanding, that’s a motherfucking public health hazard! Have some sense, you bleach blonde, baked to a golden brown dipshit!:mad:

And taking a dog of ANY breed into a FUCKING NIGHTCLUB?! I’m sure that, more than any of us included among H. sapiens, coot widdle booboo appreciates the TOTALLY DOPE sound system at Tropicanica Paradisimo more than any of us. Why not mace the wretched creature? While their sense of smell is many times more acute than ours, I’m sure their hearing is pretty damned strong too. Holy shit, bringing a dog into that kind of environment is outright abuse!

Stupid, inconsiderate, DANGEROUS whores. Jesus fucking christ!!:mad::mad::mad:

[hawksgirl]

@Elenfair

Right now, though, you can go anywhere online and buy a service dog vest, harnesses, you name it and slap it on Fifi. In the old days, you needed to go through a school to do that. It kept the number of imposters down.

As a soon-to-be Guide Dog raiser, I was hoping that this wasn’t true. Boy was I wrong . :eek:

Sheesh. :rolleyes:

[BluePitbull]

@hawksgirl

As a soon-to-be Guide Dog raiser, I was hoping that this wasn’t true. Boy was I wrong . :eek:

Sheesh. :rolleyes:

You are a guide dog raiser? What breed of dog?

[hawksgirl]

I’m applying tonight actually, for my first doggie!! The group that I will raise with (Guide Dogs for the Blind) uses mostly Labs, with a few Golden Retrievers and fewer German Shepards.
They said that everyone’s first dog is always a lab because they are easier to train for the stuff that we do.

Hopefully I will get mine in a few weeks, after my finals are done with. I can’t wait!

[Lissa]

@hawksgirl

I’m applying tonight actually, for my first doggie!! The group that I will raise with (Guide Dogs for the Blind) uses mostly Labs, with a few Golden Retrievers and fewer German Shepards.
They said that everyone’s first dog is always a lab because they are easier to train for the stuff that we do.

Hopefully I will get mine in a few weeks, after my finals are done with. I can’t wait!

The prison in which my husband works has a service dog program. The dogs are adopted from the local shelter and trained by the inmates. Those who show potential are then sent on to the dog academy. (Those who flunk are adopted by the community.)

It’s been a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

[BluePitbull]

@Lissa

The prison in which my husband works has a service dog program. The dogs are adopted from the local shelter and trained by the inmates. Those who show potential are then sent on to the dog academy. (Those who flunk are adopted by the community.)

It’s been a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

Wow, so I assume only people convicted foir stealing or weed would be able to apply. I can’t see a murderer or a cocaine addict being a good guide dog raiser.
Do they actually do a good job?

[BluePitbull]

@BluePitbull

Wow, so I assume only people convicted foir stealing or weed would be able to apply. I can’t see a murderer or a cocaine addict being a good guide dog raiser.
Do they actually do a good job?

I mean prisoners in that program.

So what are the qualifications for being a guide dog raiser, Hawksgirl?

[Lissa]

@BluePitbull

Wow, so I assume only people convicted foir stealing or weed would be able to apply. I can’t see a murderer or a cocaine addict being a good guide dog raiser.

Their crime (unless it was torturing animals, of course) doesn’t matter. They’re given the opprotunity based on how they’ve behaved in prison.

It’s a great incentive for good behavior. My Hubby told me about one man who was a violent, nasty character, always getting into fights and causing trouble. A guy in his dorm got a dog, and he stopped my Hubby on The Yard and asked him how he could get one.

Hubby told him that he was sorry, but only people who didn’t have “tickets” could be in the program. The man insisted that he really wanted a dog, so Hubby made a deal with him-- if the guy would stay out of trouble for six months, he’d see to it that the guy was given a dog.

Hubby was very happy to see that it worked. The inmate was as good as gold for those six months, and Hubby never heard a peep out of him. On the day the six months were up, Hubby called the inmate to his office and handed him a fat litte puppy. Hubby says he’s never seen any change more remarkable. This young man, a violent gang member, was rolling around on the floor, giggling as the puppy licked his face.

Hubby kept an eye on him, of course, but really didn’t need to. The guy stopped him in the hallways constantly to show Hubby the new tricks that the puppy had learned.

The climate change in the whole prison has been remarkable. It’s been a huge success.

Do they actually do a good job?

They do an excellent job. Some of the dogs do so well that they go on to the service dog training academy, but the ones who don’t make the cut are adopted by the public. The dogs are well-trained: along with obedience, they usuallly have a repitoire of tricks they can do, and they’re very well socialized. Almost all of them are adopted, either by prison staff or by the public. As soon as one leaves, another puppy comes in from the pound.

There’s only been one problem in the six years the program has been running. One inmate had a dog for over three years because it didn’t make the service dog cut, and no one adopted it. (Poor thing was as ugly as sin, but a great dog.) Unfortunately, it started getting protective of the inmate, growling when people approached his bunk.

Hubby called in the inmate and said that he was sorry, but this couldn’t be permitted. He’d gotten a complaint. If the dog bit someone, that would be the end of the dog program for the whole prison. No one was willing to adopt the dog, so unfortunately, it would have to go to the pound. Hubby was very unhappy about it himself, but he had to follow the rules.

The inmate begged and protested, but finally gave in. He asked Hubby if he could have one more week with the dog before it was taken away, and Hubby agreed.

A couple of days later, a large group of inmates came to Hubby’s office, and said they wanted to speak to him about the dog. Hubby told me later that he thought of brushing them off because he thought they were just going to plea that the dog be allowed to stay, (he’d already gotten a petition to that effect) but he decided to hear them out.

He started by telling them that he was really sorry, but he had to follow the rules. One of the inmates spoke up and said that’s not why they wanted to talk to him. They had teamed up and found someone on the outside to adopt the dog, but the woman had financial trouble and they wanted to send her money for the dog’s adoption fees and food. They needed his permission to add her to their approved lists since they didn’t have time to go through the usual channels. Hubby granted it immediately. Every inmate in the dorm donated towards “the cause.” It was really touching to see them all come together like that.

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

Lissa, has this program been going on long enough to provide some reliable statistics about recidivism of dog-trainer versus non-dog-trainer ex-inmates?

[Oy]

@BluePitbull

Wow, so I assume only people convicted foir stealing or weed would be able to apply. I can’t see a murderer or a cocaine addict being a good guide dog raiser.
Do they actually do a good job?

I think you’re making the mistake of assuming that cocaine addicts or murderers are completely different from the people you know. And that’s not really true. You don’t have to be a sociopath or a psychopath to commit a serious crime. And people raised in very poor neighborhoods, while they may differ in clothing and speech mannerisms, still share far more of the overlying culture than not.

I personally live in a poor neighborhood, with about as mixed crowd of inhabitants as you can imagine - Latino, black, white, old, young, etc. It’s not quite ghetto - most of the people around here are more what you’d call working poor. As a single, middle-aged, very blonde, educated woman living alone, I stick out a little. But the people there, if you exclude their grammar and their tastes in entertainment and dress, are pretty much just like me, except that the Latino folks are bi-lingual, which I am not.

I know there’s some gang activity in the neighborhood, although I don’t know which kids specifically are involved. But I know for a fact that I know gang members. And guess what: they are indistinguisable from the other kids. They love dogs (or not - some kids are scared of my Great Dane), they’re nice (or not) to their moms and do what they tell them, they look after their younger siblings, they even play baseball or go fishing. But among them is probably a future murderer and/or crack dealer. That won’t change the fact that he loves dogs or baseball.

[Guinastasia]

When we were at the hospital the other day, waiting for my grandmother while she was in recovery (angioplasty), there was a woman in the lobby with a beautiful golden retriever named Angel. Apparently, the dog was there for pet therapy, and this was her first time. She was sooooo pretty, and just so sweet and well-behaved.

[hawksgirl]

@BluePitbull

So what are the qualifications for being a guide dog raiser, Hawksgirl?

For Guide Dogs for the Blind all you have to do is attend at least three meetings or outings, then you can apply to be a puppy-sitter. You get to watch other people’s dogs if they go somehwere that they cant take them or they want a break. After you’ve done that for a while (no specified amount, just until a new pup is available) you can apply to be a puppy raiser. You still have to attend monthly meetings and outings, report any problems or issues to the leaders, and obey all the rules in the handbook as far as what is and is not allowed.
Guide Dogs can be pretty strict for some things. It goes so far as approved toys, having to get advisor approval before seeing a vet and so forth.
We get to keep them until they are about 18months old, then they go back to the Guide Dogs campus in San Rafeal for formal training, and hopefully they will graduate.

I filled out my application, and can’t wait for the Summer of Puppy!

[Lissa]

@EddyTeddyFreddy

Lissa, has this program been going on long enough to provide some reliable statistics about recidivism of dog-trainer versus non-dog-trainer ex-inmates?

It’s been going on for about six years at Hubby’s prison, and I know many other prisons around the country are doing the same thing. I don’t know if any studies have been done, but it sure would be interesting.

I’ll ask him tonight how many of the trainers he knows have come back to prison.

[BluePitbull]

@Oy!

I think you’re making the mistake of assuming that cocaine addicts or murderers are completely different from the people you know. … That won’t change the fact that he loves dogs or baseball.

I understand. Sorry for making an over-generalization.

Lissa: I assume that a family setting would be a better place to socialize than a jailhouse since you get the dog use to a greater variety of people of differenta ge and sex. But if the Guide dog Program is working well in the prison system than I can’t say anything bad about it.
And that post you did was heartwarming.

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

@Lissa

It’s been going on for about six years at Hubby’s prison, and I know many other prisons around the country are doing the same thing. I don’t know if any studies have been done, but it sure would be interesting.

I’ll ask him tonight how many of the trainers he knows have come back to prison.

Great! Maybe he’d also know the same sort of information for the Warm Springs Correctional Facility Wild Horse Training Program in Carson City, Nevada, or the similar program being run in California?

[Lissa]

@BluePitbull

Lissa: I assume that a family setting would be a better place to socialize than a jailhouse since you get the dog use to a greater variety of people of differenta ge and sex. But if the Guide dog Program is working well in the prison system than I can’t say anything bad about it.
And that post you did was heartwarming.

Well, remember that a prison which houses males isn’t entirely free of females. Almost 50% of the staff at the prison is female, and the dogs see vets and project co-ordinators. My husband often takes his criminology students in to tour the prison, and there are other groups who are constantly touring the place.

Also, in the prison setting, they meet people of all races and ages. (Even children of visitors.) In all, I would say that the different kinds of people might be broader than what a lot of family-raised dogs experience, unless the family itself has a lot of variety in its members and friends. The dogs also get used to constant noise and crowds, something that family-raised dogs don’t experience as often. They also get used to moving their residence, because inmates switch dorms on occasion. (The complex itself is enormous-- a small city in of itself. 2,800 inmates live there with constant turn-over, and there are various industries.)

@EddyTeddyFreddy

Lissa, has this program been going on long enough to provide some reliable statistics about recidivism of dog-trainer versus non-dog-trainer ex-inmates?

I just spoke to him about this and wanted to give you your answer.

He says, as I suspected, that there haven’t been any studies done, but he doesn’t think it would have much of an impact on recidivism.

Ex-inmates have a hard time re-integrating into society. No one wants to hire them, and most people don’t even want to live around them. The only jobs they can often get (even with training and education in the prison) are minimum wage, dead-end jobs with little or no chance of advancement. Lucrative crime can seem a better option.

Secondly, many inmates come from criminal surroundings, meaning that their families and friends are involved in criminal activities. Many ex-inmates no longer have to comply with parole restrictions as to with whom they can associate, so they go right back into bad environments which can encourage a return to criminal behavior.

In short, the dog program may teach them many valuable skills, but they might not be enough to keep them from re-offending.