International Assistance Dog Week (IADW), August 2-8, 2016. Theme: Fake Assistance Dogs Cause Legitimate Harm!

It will soon be International Assistance Dog Week (IADW) (August 7-13, 2016).  (Bonus:  there are coupons for dog gear on their web page!  Click on the link to get up to 25% on Kurgo lifetime guaranteed dog gear plus others!!!)  Assistance Dogs International (ADI) will be working with their affiliates worldwide to help curb fraudulent service dogs.  Speaking of "worldwide......."

.....Australia and Canada have tougher standards for identifying service dogs in public than the United States.  The US law for service dogs, found in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are vague and easily abused by people who want to take their pets or emotional support dogs into restaurants, stores, etc.  Many of them probably don't think about the harm they are doing to people with well trained, and often certified, service dogs.  I'm not going to expound on the problem as there is a plethora of articles on the internet about people abusing service dog access.

Perhaps it is a form of discrimination to require legitimate service dogs be certified and that a record of the certification be available since that will zero in on people with disabilities.  Well, I don't think it would be that much of a sacrifice if it stopped the ignorant people from bringing their untrained dogs into stores who then misbehave in a variety of manners.  I don't think it is any more of a hassle than producing a driver's license during a traffic stop, showing identification to prove age in a bar and a hundred other instances where a person is required to prove their eligibility for various things such as driving, drinking, getting on an airplane and verifying your identity when using your credit card.  

Rambo's JLAD coat.

I swear this is in English!

I am fortunate that Rambo's training organization, The Joys of Living Assistance Dogs (JLAD), is certified by Assistance Dogs International (ADI).  Rambo is required to pass an ADI public access test then, assuming he passes, is issued an identification card with a photo of us together, the organization's information and the fact that Rambo is ADI certified.  They also provided Rambo with a working dog vest with a clear window to display his certification card.  (No, I'm not publishing a hi-res photo of his JLAD/ADI card for anyone to duplicate.  Get your own the hard way!)  His vest is also custom embroidered with the JLAD logo.  You can't buy this vest from some scrupulous web site.  It is only available to JLAD graduates.  The design of the vest makes it very obvious to those who choose to actually read the information on it that this vest comes from a legitimate training organization However,  the "Do Not Pet" warning is apparently written in Swahili and totally unintelligible to the average American!

I am proud to say that, more than anything else, Rambo's exceptional behavior in public also serves to separate him from the fraudulent service dogs.  I frequently receive compliments about how well behaved Rambo is when we are out and about.  I also get nice comments from people when they see that Rambo is well cared for.  From his grooming to the hearing protection he wears and the boots that keep his feet from burning on hot pavement, people tell me that they are glad to see me taking the extra steps to protect Rambo from the elements.  

Rambo rockin' his JLAD vest and safety harness on the California coast.

My point to all this is that I think it is time for this country to amend the ADA and require service dogs be certified by ADI through their public access test.  I doubt most dog owners would take the time or even be able to train their dogs sufficiently to pass the ADI test.  Rambo received thousands of hours of training from a multitude of trainers to be able to pass the test and I constantly keep him on his toes with continued training.  In fact, he has to go back to JLAD next year to pass another public access test to keep his ADI certification current.  I'm totally for that!

I think there should be tougher penalties for fraudulent service dog owners.

I think there should be a law forbidding the sale of generic service dog vests and other service dog identification.  The sale of such items should be allowed only to certified service dog teams after providing proof of passing the ADI public access test.  

Most of all there needs to be a massive federal information campaign about fraudulent service dogs.  There should be an employer's guide to dealing with dogs that enter their premises.

Here is an example of how just a little bit of education can go a long way:  A month or so ago, Rambo and I visited the restaurant at the Full Sail brewery in Hood River, OR.  When we walked up to the dining room hostess, she asked me what kind of service dog that Rambo was.  I told her that he was primarily a PTSD service dog but he provides other services as well.  The young lady looked perplexed then excused herself while she went to ask someone else what she should do.  She came back and showed us to our seat.  I was grateful that this did not turn into an access issue.  After we were seated I pulled out a little card I carry that outlines the ADA service dog provisions, explaining what a business can and cannot do or say.  It is meant to be educational tool so I gave one of the cards to the hostess.  I told her that she seemed hesitant because she was unsure of what to do.  My favorite line to use in this case is, "since your management has not educated you on how to deal with service dog teams, take a look over this card when you get a chance and you will be armed with the information you need.  When you are done with it, please pass it on to your manager."

We went back a few weeks later and this time the hostess (a different person) looked down at a card that was posted on her lectern and she read off the two questions that the ADA allows and, satisfied with my answers, guided us to our table.  Very well done!

I don't know for certain that my giving that card (see below) to the first hostess is what actually triggered giving the hostesses at least the proper script to keep them legal but I have to commend Full Sail for taking the proper steps in a positive direction.

Here is the front and back of the cards that I carry with me:

I will get off my soapbox now and let you read about International Assistance Dog Week (IADW), August 2-8 and what ADI and affiliated training organizations are doing worldwide to protect legitimate assistance dog public access (Click links below!):

Fake Assistance Dogs Cause Legitimate Harm

International Assistance Dog Week (IADW), August 2-8, 2016

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Rambo is a JLAD Dog!  He comes from The Joys of Living Assistance Dogs (JLAD) in Salem, Oregon. They are an Assistance Dogs International (ADI) accredited organization that is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising and training assistance dogs and placing them in positions of service, including veteran's with PTSD.

Joy St. Peter, Founder and Director

(503) 551-4572
Mail: The Joys of Living Assistance Dogs
PO Box 12023
Salem OR  97309
E-Mail info@joydogs.org

The Joys of Living Assistance (JLAD) web site

The JLAD Facebook page

The Joys of Living Assistance Dogs