SPECIAL

POINTS OF

Service Dogs: The Basics

INTEREST:

What is a
service dog?

Service V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1 1 0 / 2 7 / 1 7

Animal vs.

What is a service dog?

Emotional
support dog

ADA Laws
According to the Americans with Service Dogs train from the mo-
Common
Disabilities Act (ADA) a service ment they can finally be away
Service Dog dog is a dog that is individually from their mom. It can take up to
Misconcep- trained to do work or preform two years just to learn the skills
tions tasks for a person with a disabil- needed for public access. Then
ity. they have advanced training and
regular refreshing to keep their
skills sharp. Training never ends
Service dogs have been trained to
for these heroes.
work with one specific type of per-
son and what they have been
INSIDE THIS
trained to do depends on the type Service dogs save lives and have
ISSUE:
of disability the individual has. become an integral part of their
handlers lives. They provide un-
ADA Laws 2
conditional support, love, and a
Many disabilities can use the aid of
Public Access
source of optimism for their han-
2 a service dog including physical
dlers. Often increasing their inde- are given public access. (Check
disabilities, visual or hearing impair-
Show me the 2 pendence and quality of life. out pg. 2 for more information)
ments, autism, medical conditions
paperwork They go everywhere with their
or not? like seizures or diabetes and diag-
handler and do what they do
nosed psychiatric disorders like Since these dogs play such an
Common
best. To their handlers these
3 PTSD. important role in people living
Misconceptions dogs are irreplaceable.
with disabilities, all service dogs
about Service
Animals

Dont Distract,
Service Dogs are
Life-saving
3
Emotional support animal vs. A service dog
There are many differences be- are not granted public access; The difference between these two
What do service 3 tween a service dog and an emo- later in this newsletter we go distinct animals has caused many
dogs do? tional support animal, even into what this means. issues. Most people do not know
Sparkys Service though people use the term in- the difference and improperly
4
Dogs
terchangeably. An individuals trained support animals can leave a
doctor can prescribe an emo- Emotional support animals do bad reputation on the service dog
tional support animal. Yet, these provide comfort and relief to community.
animals are not trained in specific owners with psychiatric disabili-
ties so this does not mitigate Overall, both animals have an
tasks for their handler. There- important job, just much different
fore, these animals are not pro- their importance in individuals
lives. from each other.
tected under the Americans with
Disabilities Act. This means they
 PAGE 2

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Laws

Service Dog holding
their leash
According to the ADA:
privately owned businesses
that serve the public, such as
restaurants, hotels, retail
stores, taxicabs, theaters,
concert halls, and sports facili-
ties, are prohibited from dis-
criminating against individuals
with disabilities. The ADA
requires these businesses to
allow people with disabilities
to bring their service animals
onto business premises in
whatever areas customers are
generally allowed.
In situations where it is not obvi-
ous it is a service animal, staff
may ask only two specific ques-
tions:
1. Is the dog a service animal
required because of a disabil-
ity?
2. What work or task has the
dog been trained to per-
form?
Staff are not allowed to request
any documentation for the dog,
require that the dog demonstrate
its task, or inquire about the na-
ture of the person's disability.
These laws helps those with disa-
bilities to not be discriminated
against. Those living with a disa-
bility just need extra support that
their service animal provides.
Their service animal is a necessity
not a want.
If you have any more questions
about laws regarding service dogs
you can visit this ADA frequently
asked question website.
https://www.ada.gov/archive/
qasrvc.htm

There is no such Public Access is not as complicated
as it seems from first glance. It
thing as service simply is where the handler and
dog paperwork their service dog can go together.
This is their access to the public.
and to ask
someone for it is A service dog is allowed to go
anywhere in public that their han-
rude and
dler can go. This includes but not
limited to restaurants, amusement
disrespectful
parks, movie theaters, malls, and
grocery stores. It is ILLEGAL to
deny access to a service dog team.
Public access
Service dogs are trained to be polite
The only exception to this rule is
and in public. Service dogs must take a
religious establishments, some gov-
test to confirm they can enter and
ernment buildings and places the
exit a building safely, will not wander
public is not normally allowed.
off, come when called and ignore
food, distractions and loud noises.
You also cannot charge a service dog
team more for a service or accom-
It can take up to two years of training
modation. For example, a service dog
for service dogs to learn these skills.
team does not have to stay in a pet-
After all they represent the entire
friendly room in a hotel or pay extra
service dog community and must mas-
for the service dog in an apartment.
ter these skills in order to serve their
handler properly.

Show me the paperwork...Or Not?

Contrary to popular belief,
service dogs are not registered
within any sort of database.
There is no such thing as ser-
This is NOT a requirement. vice dog paperwork and to ask
These IDs are often FAKE! someone for it is rude and dis-
respectful. Denying a service
dog public access is ILLEGAL
under the ADA and there does
not need to be any proof of a
disability or training. As you
learned earlier you can ask a
handler two questions end of
story. Yet, businesses do re-
serve the right to say no to a
handler team ONLY if the dog is
disruptive or behaving poorly.
Denying a service dog team
access because of the service
dog itself, is insulting not only to
the years of training the service dog has
acquired but to the handlers needs with
their disability.
Remember, handlers are allowed to
have their dogs without paperwork un-
der ADA laws. Be polite and dont ask
for something that is not required. Edu-
cate yourself on ADA laws and ask the
correct questions.

SERVICE DOGS: THE BASICS

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3

Common Misconceptions about Service Animals

All service dogs help the visually
impaired.
False. Not all dogs are guide dogs.
Most are skilled in many fields like:
Behavior Disruption Dogs can be
trained to alert to scratching, hitting
ect. Behaviors that could harm
someone with a disability.
Emergency Medical Response Some
service dogs can detect seizures,
blood sugar drops, heart rate
increase, and more before a machine
can.
This is just a small example, Service
Dogs are trained to do many jobs!
All service dogs must wear a
vest.
False. Most handlers have the ser-
vice dog wear a vest to alleviate
problems. Such as unwanted petting
or distractions, but it is not
required.
That service dog is laying down
so it cant really be working.
Service dogs may not always look
like theyre working but many are
trained in all sorts of different tasks.
Just because it doesnt look like
they are working doesnt mean they
arent. Dont forget dogs need a
rest every once and a while too, so
sitting down isnt frowned upon.
Service dogs never have time
to have fun and be a dog.
Many service dogs have lots of
downtime and plenty of time to
play. Plus, they know they do an
important job and get to go every-
where with the person the love.
Only certain dog breeds can be
Service Dogs.
Nope. Service dogs can come in all
shapes and sizes. Golden Retriever
to Chihuahua, as long as they help
someone with a disability they can Remember a
be a service animal. Most often
bigger breeds are used, but that service dog is
does not dismiss the small ones in
the bunch. like a piece of
medical

Dont Distract, Service Dogs are life-saving

equipment,

you wouldnt

A public service announcement: The #1 thing to remember is that a
PLEASE DONT DISTRACT OUR service dog is NOT a pet but a life-
DOGS! saving animal. Their job is to alert
and save people from situations
This includes: that could be deadly otherwise.
Making kissy noises Such as a blood sugar drop, seizure,
or fainting spell.
Trying to catch their attention
Offering them food A service dog is like a piece of
medical equipment you wouldnt
Trying to pet them
take someones wheelchair away.
take someones
When you distract a service dog wheelchair
you could be seriously harming the
person living with the disability. away.
The best thing to do when you see
a service dog is leave them alone.
They have a very important job to
do and getting in the way of that
job can really hurt someone else.
Think of others first, dont distract.

What do service dogs do?

Service dogs are amazing and will
learn more than 100 commands
before they are done training. Most
service dogs will learn skills specific
to their handler; but these are
some basics.
Sit
Down
Stay
Heel Walk right next to their
handler, never pulling
Leash where they will pick up
and hand the leash to their
handler
Close Service dogs learn to
close doors, cabinets and even
refrigerators
Open Service dogs can open
doors and hit ADA buttons
Go to the bathroom Most
service dogs will learn to go to
the bathroom on command.
This is so they will never have
an accident inside or at a time
or place that is not appropri-
ate. This also stops them from
marking their territory.
I wrote this newsletter because the public is truly not in- Tori Bate
formed of what a service animal is and what support they Email: vbate@asu.edu

provide. I wanted something that helped people under-

stand the importance of a service animal.

I also wanted to break some of the common misconcep-

tions that people have about service animals. There is no
specific look or breed that a service dog must follow.
Hopefully you learned a little something and can help
spread the positive message about service dogs in general.

Tori Bate Publisher Application

EDT 180A
Sparkys Service Dog Logo
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Service Dog Holding Leash
Service Dog ID

Sparkys Service Dogs

Did this newsletter spark your
interest in the wonderful world of
Service dogs? Would you like to
meet some Service Dogs and see
what theyre learning? Sparkys
Service Dogs is a Club on the
Tempe Campus that is dedicated
to training future service dogs.
They meet the first Monday of
every month.
This club is really fantastic for any-
one interested in learning more
about Service dogs.
Activities you can participate in:
Puppy Petting Session
Handler Training Class
Where you can learn how to
teach Service Dogs in Train-
ing skills that they will need.
Tabling Raising awareness of
Service Dogs and their job
Puppy Birthday Parties
And so much more.

To learn about the next club meet-

ing visit them on Facebook at:
Sparkys Service Dogs at ASU