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05-23-2005, 06:34 AM | #1 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Central NY state
Posts: 1,741
| Therapy dogs I've read that a few members' yorkies are therapy dogs. How does an dog become a therapy dog? Do you need to register them with an organization? Are there minimal skills qualifications? What is the legality of therapy dogs- are they legally able to go anywhere I go? If my dog were to become a therapy dog, could any business or restaurant turn me away because of the dog? What would you do if someone (another patron/diner/shopper, etc.) complained about the dog? I also think I remember someone saying that because their dog was a therapy dog that they were able to fly for free- is this true? Thanks! |
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05-23-2005, 06:38 AM | #2 |
My Precious Pup Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: New York City
Posts: 2,092
| I am going to do this for my dog. I found some great info on a previous thread. If you do a search for "airplanes" the threads will come up and there is a good deal of info about getting your dog registered as a "service dog" Hope it helps. |
05-23-2005, 06:46 AM | #3 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: House Of York
Posts: 1,079
| I have 2 therapy dogs. One I tested and registered with Delta Society the other with Therapy dog International. Testing comes in 2 part. If your dog can pass a Canine Good Citizen (CGC-obedience) then the first part is a breeze. The 2nd part is a temperment test. Business or restaurant will still turn your dogs away. By law they are not allowed to do it with SERVICE dogs not THERAPY dogs. People will get these 2 mixed up. You can take advantage of it but I think it is very dishonest to do so. Last edited by yorkieagility; 05-23-2005 at 06:48 AM. |
05-23-2005, 06:52 AM | #4 |
My Precious Pup Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: New York City
Posts: 2,092
| I wasn't aware there was a difference. Can you let us know what it is? Thanks. |
05-23-2005, 07:04 AM | #5 |
My Little Magwad Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Texas
Posts: 1,739
| Being a recent retired Health Official, I have worked with this situation many times. A Service Dog is entitled to go anywhere the owner goes. A Service Dog performs day to day tasks, that the owner cannot do. A Therapy Dog is basically a Cheer UP The Patient Dog, or perhaps a Encourage The Patient Dog. Children's Hospital, Nursing Homes, etc. This is why the obedience and temperment test are so important to pass. I think it's a great idea. Yorkies are so small and love to be loved anyway. As far as Airlines, the Service Dog may fly free, but not the owner. Not all airlines will do this. Check with your airlines before hand. You will have to prove that the animal is a Service Dog. The Therapy Dog is NOTconsidered a free flyer, restaurant, grocery store, etc. Service Dogs are normally large enough to handle daily tasks. Yorkies would have a hard time pulling a wheelchair, leading the blind, or opening doors. They are very good at opening our hearts though. |
05-23-2005, 07:25 AM | #6 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: House Of York
Posts: 1,079
| I know of a yorkie that is a service dog. The yorkie is less than 4 lbs. Her name is Cosette and is featured in one of the Yorkshire Terrier Magazine. One of her job is to speed dial 911 if her owner has a seizure or passes out. So there are yorkie out there that are service dogs. |
05-23-2005, 07:46 AM | #7 |
My Little Magwad Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Texas
Posts: 1,739
| Yorkieagility, That is wonderful to hear that her Yorkie can dial 911. Hopefully she won't have to. |
05-23-2005, 09:09 AM | #8 |
BANNED! Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 8,246
| Actually, Cosette has saved her owner's life 7 times I think.Yorkies make wonderful service dogs because they are small and they travel easily. Therapy dogs are different from service dogs and not allowed the same freedoms, but a lot of service dogs are also therapy dogs. It is not dishonest in the least to take advantage of the service dog laws. They exist because it is recognized that dogs can serve many needs for people. Yorkies make great "signal dogs". They can alert a diabetic of changes in body temperature and chemistry or of when it is time for insulin. They can alert a migraine sufferer of the same symptoms or act as alarm clock for when to take meds. They can help the hearing impaired by being trained to bark at certain noises the owner cannot hear. I know of one person who uses her yorkie for high pitched sounds like a forklift backing up in Costco for instance. Epileptics use yorkies too as do people with social anxiety and high blood pressure. I actually wish more people took advantage of the law because then the business owners would be more dog friendly and all disabled could fel more comfortable using these animals as "working" animals and feel ashamed or like they are "putting people out". Our yorkies are no more dirty, disruptive or noisy than the average toddler you see in a restaurant. No manager would think of asking the parents of a whining child to leave. In fact, a properly trained yorkie who is accustomed to public places, will behave perfectly in most situations. You can get a lot of info just by "googling" service dog. It is not required but you can get a laminated service dog card from the Service Animal Registry of America. You can train your own dog. My dogs are trained to bring me my cell phone and my purse in an emergency. It was easy to train. PM me if you wnat more info or have trouble. |
05-23-2005, 09:16 AM | #9 | |
BANNED! Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 8,246
| Quote:
I have even read stories where the disabled with service animals civilly arrested business managers who violated these rules and illegally asked the disabled person to leave. | |
05-25-2005, 11:45 AM | #10 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 517
| service dogs [QUOTE=SoCalyorkiLvr]Actually, Cosette has saved her owner's life 7 times I think.Yorkies make wonderful service dogs because they are small and they travel easily. Therapy dogs are different from service dogs and not allowed the same freedoms, but a lot of service dogs are also therapy dogs. It is not dishonest in the least to take advantage of the service dog laws. They exist because it is recognized that dogs can serve many needs for people. Yorkies make great "signal dogs". They can alert a diabetic of changes in body temperature and chemistry or of when it is time for insulin. They can alert a migraine sufferer of the same symptoms or act as alarm clock for when to take meds. They can help the hearing impaired by being trained to bark at certain noises the owner cannot hear. I know of one person who uses her yorkie for high pitched sounds like a forklift backing up in Costco for instance. Epileptics use yorkies too as do people with social anxiety and high blood pressure. I actually wish more people took advantage of the law because then the business owners would be more dog friendly and all disabled could fel more comfortable using these animals as "working" animals and feel ashamed or like they are "putting people out". Our yorkies are no more dirty, disruptive or noisy than the average toddler you see in a restaurant. No manager would think of asking the parents of a whining child to leave. In fact, a properly trained yorkie who is accustomed to public places, will behave perfectly in most situations.QUOTE] SoCalyorkiLvr, We were talking about this earlier on the "airplane" thread that I started...you will be pleased to know that I have passed on the abundant info you gave me to some of my other-breed-owning friends. One of them is currently in the process of registering her sheltie, Willow. |
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