Just a quick note to say that we've made it into another newspaper. Not exactly how I'd have liked this time though! I submitted a comment to The Stroller of the Spartanburg Herald Journal this week about an experience we had at a local restaurant. The paper opted not to mention the restaurants name so I won't either as I agree with the gentlemen who writes the Stroller that this situation could apply at any restaurant anywhere. What happened was this...We went into the place and told them we had 5 people and a service dog and would need a table with a little extra space to accommodate the dog underneath. They graciously pulled two tables together and we were seated. Our waitress stops off at the table next to us, who apparently had also just been seated before us, to introduce herself and get them started. She immediately comes to us and quietly says, "Hi, I'm sorry but do you all have a dog with you?" We answer yes and she says I'm going to have to ask you to take it outside as the people next to you are really upset about it. I proceed to tell her it's a service dog and he's protected by federal law and she says, " Oh, I'm sorry, never mind, I'll handle it." I watch her go over to the couple and quietly and very politely tell them that we have a service dog with us and that we are protected by law and it would be illegal for them to ask us to leave or remove the dog. I hear her say to the lady, " I understand how you feel, but they have the right to have it with them." She says, I'll talk with my manager and see what I can do. She comes to us to get our drinks and we ask, is everything OK? She says oh yes, don't worry about it. I'm going to ask my manager if I can just move them. We even offered to be the ones to move even though we DON'T have to and the waitress said absolutely not, I'll handle it and if they are bothered by it, they can move. So a few minutes later a couple different waitresses come over and offer to move the couple, they refuse and then the regular waitress comes and offers again and they still refuse. So we all proceed to enjoy our meal and nothing more is said. Once the couple finally gets up to leave, the waitress comes back to us and says, I'm so glad they finally left, they were getting on my nerves! We all laugh and then begin asking the waitress more about what exactly was said. She said the lady told her she was "completely appalled" at the fact that anyone would bring a dog into a restaurant, regardless of what kind of dog it is. The waitress told us that she's worked in many restaurants and she knows the law and she knows that we have every right to have the dog there as long as it is a service dog. She even tells us that she knows that even if it's a service dog in training that they can't deny it. (Which is state law, but most of your general public doesn't realize that.) I was very impressed with how the wait staff handled everything and thanked them all for it. I wanted our experience to be heard so that hopefully more people would realize that we are not just taking a dog into a restaurant but taking a piece of medical equipment needed to mitigate my child's disability. They wouldn't have objected to him being in a wheelchair, they shouldn't object to him having his service dog!!
So to read my comment, simply pick up a Herald Journal while you are out today and turn to the Stroller section. Or go to this link http://www.goupstate.com/article/20091113/COLUMNISTS/911139980/1130?Title=-Appalled
They paraphrased what I said and they also left out the restaurant name but I think they helped get my point across.
Just a side note, I said I wouldn't tell what the restaurant was but I will say it was an Italian/Greek restaurant in Boiling Springs located in the Rocky Branch plaza!!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Week one at home. Some animal etiquette and education!
Our first week at home has been good! Jelly Bean and Noah are really bonding. Jelly Bean always seems to have one eye on Noah. Even when you think he's not paying attention, he really is. We have been several places this week already. Jelly Bean does great in public. He goes right under the tables at restaurants, stays on his 'place' in church, rides wonderfully in the van, and walks right with us in stores. We have not had one problem anywhere we have gone with him. We had one small situation with therapy saying something about them not being covered by infectious diseases and until they were we couldn't bring him there but I believe it was just confusion on the fact that Jelly Bean is a certified service dog and they thought he was a therapy dog. He did great at therapy with Noah. Although all the balls they have are very tempting to him!! Jelly Bean has even gone to several Fall festivals around here lately and has done well at all of them. We had one person try to feed him a hot dog at one place and I had to quickly let them know that you should NEVER feed some one's dog, especially a service dog. So I wanted to add here just a few things I've learned this past week or things that I've said a hundred times because everyone has questions!! I never mind answering questions, especially from kids, about Noah or about Jelly Bean. That's the only way people can be properly educated. So here are just a few things I want to share:
1. NO Jelly Bean does not bite!! (yes, people ask!) He is however still a dog and I can not guarantee that if you constantly aggravate him in some way or continuously hurt him that he won't protect himself. If someone poked you in the eye constantly or pulled your tail over and over, you would eventually snap too! "Do unto others as you'd have them do to you" applies here really well. If you wouldn't want someone to bug the crap out of you, don't do it to them!
2. Yes, there will be times that you can pet him, but first ask so that you can make sure he isn't needing to focus on his job at that particular moment. Let the adult handling him give him a command to sit or lay down before you begin petting him! **Please note: this does not apply to all service dogs! It is completely up to the handler as to if OR when you may pet their service dog. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS ASK FIRST!!** Parents, please teach your children to always ask before petting any animal! I have had parents walk up behind us with a toddler or small child more than once and allow them to just begin petting Jelly Bean. This is something that should never happen! 1. because you should never pet a dog from behind, you may startle them, 2. because he may need to focus on his job at that time, and 3. I don't know how your child is going to respond to Jelly Bean or vise versa. I need to be prepared in case your child pulls his hair, his tail, or tries to hit him and I need to be able to respond if for some reason Jelly Bean is uncomfortable with the meeting. And DON'T be offended when I correct your child for being to rough with Jelly Bean. He can't speak for himself, someone has to speak for him. Remember it's all about educating!
3. NEVER feed another person's animals, but especially not a service dog. Some animals are on special diets and the item you want to give them may not be appropriate for them to eat. Jelly Bean is a perfect example of that: He has a sensitive stomach and gets an upset tummy very easily. I don't like cleaning up doggie diarrhea (and it's not easy or fun to clean up, I might add) so please don't feed him, his tummy (and his mommy) will thank you!
4. If you need to walk by Jelly Bean, please just walk by. If you need to, step over him. He's used to it, he was trained for that! There are just some places that I can't get him completely out of the way of everyone needing to come by, regardless of how hard I try. Just do your thing and keep moving! If he was a child, a wheelchair, or anything else you would just go by, so just go by already!
5. There are people who are scared of dogs. I get that! If you are afraid of him, don't get near him. He will not bother you! He was trained to ignore you! I'm not going to make him come near you. If you don't like him, he probably won't like you either!
Which brings me to the next point...
6. He was trained to ignore you!! It's not personal! He will not mind you, he doesn't respect you. Please don't correct him if you have not be trained on how to do so and if you are not the one controlling him at that time. Many people have tried to tell him to sit, lay down or to do some type of trick that they know he was trained to do. He won't do it for you. And unless you know how to give the command, please don't! And if I tell him to do or not to do something, please don't say, oh it's OK, he's fine. Because it's not. If he is told not to do something, there's a reason. And if he's told to do something, there is a reason for that also! And once again, it's nothing personal towards you either way.
7. He won't do tricks when he has his harness on. He has been trained that when his harness is on, it's time to work. When you put your uniform on or you clock in at your job, you are expected to work, not roll around or do tricks. It's the same with Jelly Bean. He has a job to do and he needs to do it and he needs to be able to be focused on his job.
I don't say any of these things to sound rude to anyone! Please don't take any of it that way! Nothing said here is directed at anyone in particular, I promise! It's all about educating others. These are all things we have dealt with since having Jelly Bean. These are things we have learned ourselves and things that we could only wish that everyone else knew! Unfortunately, that is not ever going to be the case! So we will constantly try educate people where ever we go. Many of the things said above do not just apply to service dogs, they apply to any animal. They are things that, in my opinion, should be taught to everyone. Which is why I hope that once you read this, you will remember it and practice it yourself. Teach it to your own children. Tell your friends!
Overall, this has been one of the best things ever for our family! Jelly Bean has proven to be a positive influence for Noah already. Every penny that was raised, every hour that was spent fundraising, every late night, every flyer, every visit made to ask for donations, every rejection received, every prayer, every everything that went into this journey has been worth it all! I wouldn't change a bit of it for the world! I couldn't ask for a better dog for Noah. I couldn't ask for a better organization to have worked with. 4 Paws for Ability is awesome! Jelly Bean is awesome! And our family is better because of it!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
1. NO Jelly Bean does not bite!! (yes, people ask!) He is however still a dog and I can not guarantee that if you constantly aggravate him in some way or continuously hurt him that he won't protect himself. If someone poked you in the eye constantly or pulled your tail over and over, you would eventually snap too! "Do unto others as you'd have them do to you" applies here really well. If you wouldn't want someone to bug the crap out of you, don't do it to them!
2. Yes, there will be times that you can pet him, but first ask so that you can make sure he isn't needing to focus on his job at that particular moment. Let the adult handling him give him a command to sit or lay down before you begin petting him! **Please note: this does not apply to all service dogs! It is completely up to the handler as to if OR when you may pet their service dog. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS ASK FIRST!!** Parents, please teach your children to always ask before petting any animal! I have had parents walk up behind us with a toddler or small child more than once and allow them to just begin petting Jelly Bean. This is something that should never happen! 1. because you should never pet a dog from behind, you may startle them, 2. because he may need to focus on his job at that time, and 3. I don't know how your child is going to respond to Jelly Bean or vise versa. I need to be prepared in case your child pulls his hair, his tail, or tries to hit him and I need to be able to respond if for some reason Jelly Bean is uncomfortable with the meeting. And DON'T be offended when I correct your child for being to rough with Jelly Bean. He can't speak for himself, someone has to speak for him. Remember it's all about educating!
3. NEVER feed another person's animals, but especially not a service dog. Some animals are on special diets and the item you want to give them may not be appropriate for them to eat. Jelly Bean is a perfect example of that: He has a sensitive stomach and gets an upset tummy very easily. I don't like cleaning up doggie diarrhea (and it's not easy or fun to clean up, I might add) so please don't feed him, his tummy (and his mommy) will thank you!
4. If you need to walk by Jelly Bean, please just walk by. If you need to, step over him. He's used to it, he was trained for that! There are just some places that I can't get him completely out of the way of everyone needing to come by, regardless of how hard I try. Just do your thing and keep moving! If he was a child, a wheelchair, or anything else you would just go by, so just go by already!
5. There are people who are scared of dogs. I get that! If you are afraid of him, don't get near him. He will not bother you! He was trained to ignore you! I'm not going to make him come near you. If you don't like him, he probably won't like you either!
Which brings me to the next point...
6. He was trained to ignore you!! It's not personal! He will not mind you, he doesn't respect you. Please don't correct him if you have not be trained on how to do so and if you are not the one controlling him at that time. Many people have tried to tell him to sit, lay down or to do some type of trick that they know he was trained to do. He won't do it for you. And unless you know how to give the command, please don't! And if I tell him to do or not to do something, please don't say, oh it's OK, he's fine. Because it's not. If he is told not to do something, there's a reason. And if he's told to do something, there is a reason for that also! And once again, it's nothing personal towards you either way.
7. He won't do tricks when he has his harness on. He has been trained that when his harness is on, it's time to work. When you put your uniform on or you clock in at your job, you are expected to work, not roll around or do tricks. It's the same with Jelly Bean. He has a job to do and he needs to do it and he needs to be able to be focused on his job.
I don't say any of these things to sound rude to anyone! Please don't take any of it that way! Nothing said here is directed at anyone in particular, I promise! It's all about educating others. These are all things we have dealt with since having Jelly Bean. These are things we have learned ourselves and things that we could only wish that everyone else knew! Unfortunately, that is not ever going to be the case! So we will constantly try educate people where ever we go. Many of the things said above do not just apply to service dogs, they apply to any animal. They are things that, in my opinion, should be taught to everyone. Which is why I hope that once you read this, you will remember it and practice it yourself. Teach it to your own children. Tell your friends!
Overall, this has been one of the best things ever for our family! Jelly Bean has proven to be a positive influence for Noah already. Every penny that was raised, every hour that was spent fundraising, every late night, every flyer, every visit made to ask for donations, every rejection received, every prayer, every everything that went into this journey has been worth it all! I wouldn't change a bit of it for the world! I couldn't ask for a better dog for Noah. I couldn't ask for a better organization to have worked with. 4 Paws for Ability is awesome! Jelly Bean is awesome! And our family is better because of it!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
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