Since Grand Chapter of OES is working with these critters, This is a fitting article. Please take note:
Hailey was hurt recently when her service dog, Flynn the Aussie, got distracted. Actually, someone distracted him. Flynn missed a critical window. “Seizure alert service dogs generally have a timeframe between when
they alert to when the seizure actually happens,” said Hailey.
But on this particular day at her father’s workplace, Hailey was busy
and didn’t immediately ask a well-meaning person who stopped to pet
Flynn not to do so. Precious minutes went by.
“I am used to him giving me 10 minute warnings, so when he alerted
that’s what I thought I had,” explained Hailey. “Out of nowhere I
remember the world going black. I woke up with Flynn on top of my legs
and my father cradling my head. On the whole left side of my face there
was a terrible sting that made me tear up.”
Hailey took out her phone to check out how bad it was and saw the rug
burns on her cheek and forehead. She looked down and saw the blood
where her face skidded along the carpet.
“It hurt for air to even touch it,” said Hailey, who is not one to
complain. “I live with chronic pain and I have a very high pain
tolerance.”
“Please do not pet, call, or do anything to distract service dogs
without explicit permission from the handler,” said Hailey. “Next time,
instead of a rug burn somebody could get seriously hurt or die.”
“To get a service dog you must be disabled to the point where you can no
longer function at a normal quality of life without the assistance of
service dogs,” said Hailey. “It takes around two years of intense
training and thousands of dollars (if you owner train) to actually be
able to call your dog a service dog. A service dog can go anywhere its
handler goes, with the exception of a sterile environment such as an
operating room or burn unit, a religious building — such as a church, or
some federal buildings.”
“To call him a “velcro dog” is an understatement,” said Hailey. “If he
senses a seizure he will usually jump up or paw at me about ten minutes
before one happens. This allows me to get somewhere safe, call for help,
and take medication. If I fall he can retrieve my medication or phone.
He can even bark if I am unconscious to alert somebody.”
In Michigan we spend approximately 15 Thousand dollars to train and ready a service dog to go "On the Job".
Think about this the next time you reach out to pet a working canine.
