I think we have seen the start of the service dog dilemma, as in the past, 20 or so years ago, I remember going to Disney with my daughter who has cp, at that time she was in a w/c. I remember how we where treated, this was when the charactors just happened to walk around and greet people, I remember after a day or two I gave up trying to get the w/c closer, and would just stand back and let her see but not attempt to get close. My other dd would run up she was 2 1/2 or so and once it was her turn she would pull the character over to my dd, after once or twice of this I remember the cast members would just make it a point to come over and greet her and tell the other kids to wait a moment. I also remember there was no line at POTC and splash or space. We saw no more than three or four w/c's. then BOOM, Disney goes out buys w/c's and now we have tons and tons of post complaining about w/c's getting up front access, which is not true and people using w/c's that don't need them.
As I said I have a case load of 375 children with autism in an agency that serves over 2000 children and well over 100000 adults, and honestly not one person has a service dog for autism. I have meet one hearing dog in my life (if you count them all maybe three), my cousin is deaf and has had what I would call a service dog but he does not call it that, he gets his dogs from the pound, he trains them, they alert him to a door bell, but also sit in the car and alerts him to fire, police and other sirens. To me that is a service dog, he lives in a big city back east. I have a husband who also has a certified service dog that the va gave him, he paid something for it. He has a vest and all, my ex has not brought that dog into public places, he sits in the car and stuff. My ex has PTSD. I myself am blind and I have and know of may guide dogs. I am in the face of the disabled community daily with autism and blindness, I go to the va constantly, even though I am divorced it is the weirdest divorce we live eight doors apart and spend a lot of time still together, I just can not live with him, need my own quiet retreat away from him
( don't all married women). I have seen very few service dogs in my line of work in comparison to how many clients I have served over the years.
I also know for a fact how expensive it is for a certified service dog, for autism here, the two schools that will work in our state (they are not in our state), will charge $10,000 for the dog, $5,000 has to come from the family and the other $5,000 can be from a friend or a fund raiser. There is a two year wait list at lie ask and you do not have any guarentee that the dog will work for you, no refunds, one dog that is it. You have to think about the life of a dog, working life is about 6 to 8 years, I have no parent that is willing to pay that much for a dog and not get a guarantee.
I have been to school to get my dog where people have been 6, 8 even 10 times. A blind person to get a cute little dog gives up one full month of vacation or sick leave ever 6 years or so to get a new dog and retire the old dog. One full month away from family and friends, one full month in a dorm room, one full month eating food that is like cafeteria food, and not what you want, one full month of literally being video taped and watched every second except when in your bedroom. It is a grooming experience.
My ex to get his dog, was placed in a va home for two years. He had to get to a point he could handle himself before the dog, he was giving the dog about three months before he was released. And still he does not use his dog in public, he says and is correct that he can not handle her in public, he can handle himself knowing she is close and he can go back to her soon, so he have never brought her into public, except parks. The school worked with him on it, but he is adamant not to do it, and since there is a huge change in him, he has a responsibility that he has to get up and move than his dog is a life saver, and even if he treats her as a companion she is truly needed by him.
I know of one dog that has been trained by the owner, or I should say was trained for the owner, he is blind and he hired someone to buy and train his dog from a puppy,he said he paid about $15,000 for the training of the puppy for two years and his dog is just like any other guide dog.
Why do I say all this, because those of us who need a service animal, either pay the price of a well trained dog, or pay the price in our time out of life to get our well trained dogs. I know there are exceptions, like my cousin, but he is not bringing his dog into public, his dog is used and is by definition a service animal, but used in his home or in his car, he has never brought his dog to work or out on the town. I know and want to protect the rights of those who train there own dogs, to do a service, but I also want to protect the safety of pets. A pet, companion dog, therapy dog, does not belong in Disney. Do you know, at least in my state that a police officer with a canine has to go away to training for 3 months, again give up his life and family for three months.
Even the best well trained, well behaved service dog with a long relationship with his owner, and a long history of working together, will have a hard time at Disney. You are virtually taking a toddler, who can not speak, and has no protection on there feet to a place to walk and be distracted for many days. How many of you will take the shoes off your toddler, throw away their carriage and take away their voice and walk them thru Disney for 10 days, anyone. How many of you think this is cruel and unusual punishment for a toddler. I think personally it is the same punishment for a dog. Those of us who have service dogs plan for weeks and months about the dog care while there.
I go in may, in the last two weeks I have spoken to the school my dog comes from three times about my plan, and what they think. I have set up kennel care for every day I am there even if we do not need it, and I explained to them that we may not, but I have to know it is there if we do. I had to budget that into my expenses. I also had to budget into the expense of the taxi over to drop her off and pick her up daily, just incase I do need the main kennels. I have had to make arrangements with the plane, she has flown several times, but not for 7 hours, we have one stop, only 30 minutes, the airline has to have someone at that end to get us off the plane, gets us to a potty place and get us back on the plane in 30 minutes, it all has to be worked out before we go. I also have to figure out eating, I can not feed her before she goes on the plane, upset stomach and all, you have to think she is on the floor squeezed in under a seat, not comfortable for her for 7 hours. But if I don't feed her she will be trying to get food from the floor, so if a toddler is around it can be a lot more hassle so I have to try to make it work for toddlers and dog. I have to think of how to carry a water dish and bottled water while in the park, heavy after a while and I can't give her park water, just like a human don't want her sick on vacation. I have to figure out how to get ten days of dog food to the hotel, heavy if I have to carry it. All of this is just the planning for the dog. I also have to tell the hotel, and ask for what I may need there and let them know where she will sleep and all so they can clean properly.
Point is most service animal owners do everything they can to protect there dog. We don't hide them in our purse. We don't buy a vest on line. We don't wipe out our card and say he is a service dog because we want to protect the rights of those who do not have school trained dogs. We work out and budget for all expenses. We talk to the school. And then we go to Disney and many use the kennels at least some of the day.
I can tell you from personal knowledge that these is not that many true service animals in Disney, by the law or by ADA definition. There are a lot of unservice dogs their. Now that their is a kennel at the exits of all big rides. There will b many many more u service dogs. Just like w/c in asking and getting our rights, we as a class action, we also opened the door for more and more unservice dogs to be in the park. Anyone can lie to get a w/c and any one can lie to get a service dog in. So I will constantly advocate for pets, companions and therapy dogs as well as not needed service dogs to not go to the park. My ex does not need his service dog at the park so she stays home. I believe sue said her dd service dog stays home also. I had to budget $2,000 for my service dog to go on our trip in may, if not needed fine I get a bonus, If needed it is there and my dog is safe.
Disclaimer, I am not saying every service dog needs thousands of dollars worth of training, or all need a school. I am truly trying to protect those rights. To me and I could be wrong, I think in my mind if a person in a w/c needs a dog to pick up things or open doors, or pull a w/c, I would think they could train them themselves and it would not cost a lot. Those are things dogs have been doing a long time, pickup newspapers, pulling carts.
I am saying, if someone who for 30 years has worked in the disabled community has not really run into service dogs daily or even monthly, then I can make a claim that Disney should not have more than a few service dogs a week. Dlr, maybe a few more, but many of those dogs will be there for a day not a vacation because, they have at least one school that has lots of puppy trainers right near them.
