Today Isaac and I joined a friend for lunch at a local diner. Isaac went under the table and lay down for a nap, just like he is supposed to. In fact, he was sleeping so well, he did not notice when my friend accidentally dropped part of a french fry under the table. He was stretched out on his side, snoozing away, when all of a sudden he let out a kind of loud "woof."
I think he was dreaming. Occasionally he barks in his sleep. Usually it's at night, when he's sleeping really soundly, and usually his feet are also twitching when he does it, like he is running in his sleep. It's a weird sort of bark, not quite like how he barks when he is awake. Of course, when he is awake and barks, he never does it while he's lying on his side. He generally sits up or stands up to bark.
Anyway, he let out this "woof," and normally when he barks in his sleep it doesn't wake him up, but today it seemed he startled himself. He jumped to his feet, banging his head on the bottom of the table in the process. I rubbed his head, and then he put his head in my lap and seemed to want to snuggle. Well, putting his head in my lap is fine, but then he wanted to climb up in my lap, which is not fine in a restaurant, of course. I don't think he banged his head that hard, he seems to have a really hard head, but he seemed to want to be comforted for some reason.
I petted him for a few minutes, and talked to him, and then he lay down and went back to sleep. The funny thing is, even though he barked under the table, most of the people eating around us still didn't realize there was a dog under there. I'm not sure what they thought that "woof" was, but when we got up to leave, they were surprised to see a doggie come out from under the table. That's always kind of fun, when people are surprised to see there's been a dog at the table next to them all along.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Shopping with a Service Dog
For a long time after I got my service dog, I did not like to take him shopping. Oh, a quick trip to the grocery store was OK, as long as I had a list and knew where to find the items I wanted to buy. But pushing the cart and holding the leash was a bit of a challenge, and holding a shopping list, too, well, that was even harder.
I did OK picking up items from the shelves and tossing them in my cart, but I didn't like taking him shopping if I was going to an unfamiliar store where I would have to wonder around for a while to find what I was looking for or if I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for or if I needed to be able to take my time looking at things and reading labels and comparing items and stuff.
It was hard to keep an eye on Isaac and look at, say, coffee makers, comparing features and prices and everything. And I felt I had to keep a really close eye on him so he didn't decide to try to sniff the butt of some other customer also considering coffee makers, or try to jump up and kiss another customer walking by (who probably made kissy noises at him first), or closely examine (and sniff) the chocolate covered coffee beans that happened to be on a shelf right at nose level by the coffee makers, or decide to plop down and rest right in the middle of the aisle (all sprawled out so as to take up as much room as possible, thereby preventing any other shoppers from getting by), etc. Oh, he didn't do those things all the time, just often enough that I didn't really trust him not to. I felt he required very close supervision.
And I felt I needed at least three hands, because it took both of my hands to pick up a box large enough to hold a coffee maker in order to read all the fine print on it, but I also needed a hand to hold the leash. I asked some other people with service dogs on an online forum, back when I first got Isaac, how they managed to hold everything, and they said in situations like that they would just kind of drape the leash over their arm or something because their dog knew to heel whether they were tightly holding the leash or not. Well, my dog didn't. Or maybe he did, but I didn't trust him to do it. When I tried that, he was as likely as not to take the opportunity to drift away from me to sniff someone's butt or the chocolate covered coffee beans. Or to make a sudden move, jerking my arm and causing me to drop the coffee maker I was holding.
It was frustrating to me, it was stressful, it made me wonder if my dog wasn't trained like he should be, and it made me wonder if I was somehow not doing a good job as a service dog handler. It made shopping more difficult, which is the opposite of what a service dog is supposed to do.
Lately, I've realized that this has changed.
Oh, I still have to keep an eye on Isaac, but I can trust him a lot more. Occasionally he does try to sniff the butt of another customer or to sniff some candy that is conveniently located right at nose level. But not often. It's been a long time since he tried to jump up on someone in a store and kiss them on the lips, and that's even when they talk to him and make kissy noises and practically beg to be kissed. But mostly he stays right beside me. If he decides to lie down, he usually does it close to me, not in anyone's way.
Last fall, about 10 months after Isaac came to live with me, I went shopping for new gym shoes and winter boots. I did not take Isaac shoe shopping with me. I thought it would be too difficult, sitting down, taking off my shoes, trying on shoes and boots, standing up, walking around to see how they felt, then sitting back down and taking them off, etc., all while holding onto the leash and managing Isaac.
But about a week ago, I went to Meijer to buy vitamins. They are the only place near here that carries the brand of iron that I like. While I was there, I decided to look at sandals. I saw a pair I liked and decided to try them on. Isaac was with me and I didn't give it a second thought. He sat down and sniffed my feet while I put on the sandals, then walked around in a circle with me while I tried them out.
Today I went to JoAnn Fabrics to get some material to make throw pillows for my new couch. Um, I bought a new couch. It's not here yet. They didn't have the color I wanted in stock so they had to order it and it will take two to four weeks to get here. But I decided I needed throw pillows. I had no idea where the pillow forms were, so I had to wander through the store a while. Then I had to look at fabric and that took me a while. Isaac apparently got tired of standing, because he lay down to wait while I held bolts of calico up to one another to see what looked good together. He followed me over to where they cut the fabric for you and lay down again. You'd think the poor doggie was exhausted.
But my point is, he was good. Really good. And shopping with him was easy. We've turned this corner. It sure took a while, but it's good.
I did OK picking up items from the shelves and tossing them in my cart, but I didn't like taking him shopping if I was going to an unfamiliar store where I would have to wonder around for a while to find what I was looking for or if I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for or if I needed to be able to take my time looking at things and reading labels and comparing items and stuff.
It was hard to keep an eye on Isaac and look at, say, coffee makers, comparing features and prices and everything. And I felt I had to keep a really close eye on him so he didn't decide to try to sniff the butt of some other customer also considering coffee makers, or try to jump up and kiss another customer walking by (who probably made kissy noises at him first), or closely examine (and sniff) the chocolate covered coffee beans that happened to be on a shelf right at nose level by the coffee makers, or decide to plop down and rest right in the middle of the aisle (all sprawled out so as to take up as much room as possible, thereby preventing any other shoppers from getting by), etc. Oh, he didn't do those things all the time, just often enough that I didn't really trust him not to. I felt he required very close supervision.
And I felt I needed at least three hands, because it took both of my hands to pick up a box large enough to hold a coffee maker in order to read all the fine print on it, but I also needed a hand to hold the leash. I asked some other people with service dogs on an online forum, back when I first got Isaac, how they managed to hold everything, and they said in situations like that they would just kind of drape the leash over their arm or something because their dog knew to heel whether they were tightly holding the leash or not. Well, my dog didn't. Or maybe he did, but I didn't trust him to do it. When I tried that, he was as likely as not to take the opportunity to drift away from me to sniff someone's butt or the chocolate covered coffee beans. Or to make a sudden move, jerking my arm and causing me to drop the coffee maker I was holding.
It was frustrating to me, it was stressful, it made me wonder if my dog wasn't trained like he should be, and it made me wonder if I was somehow not doing a good job as a service dog handler. It made shopping more difficult, which is the opposite of what a service dog is supposed to do.
Lately, I've realized that this has changed.
Oh, I still have to keep an eye on Isaac, but I can trust him a lot more. Occasionally he does try to sniff the butt of another customer or to sniff some candy that is conveniently located right at nose level. But not often. It's been a long time since he tried to jump up on someone in a store and kiss them on the lips, and that's even when they talk to him and make kissy noises and practically beg to be kissed. But mostly he stays right beside me. If he decides to lie down, he usually does it close to me, not in anyone's way.
Last fall, about 10 months after Isaac came to live with me, I went shopping for new gym shoes and winter boots. I did not take Isaac shoe shopping with me. I thought it would be too difficult, sitting down, taking off my shoes, trying on shoes and boots, standing up, walking around to see how they felt, then sitting back down and taking them off, etc., all while holding onto the leash and managing Isaac.
But about a week ago, I went to Meijer to buy vitamins. They are the only place near here that carries the brand of iron that I like. While I was there, I decided to look at sandals. I saw a pair I liked and decided to try them on. Isaac was with me and I didn't give it a second thought. He sat down and sniffed my feet while I put on the sandals, then walked around in a circle with me while I tried them out.
Today I went to JoAnn Fabrics to get some material to make throw pillows for my new couch. Um, I bought a new couch. It's not here yet. They didn't have the color I wanted in stock so they had to order it and it will take two to four weeks to get here. But I decided I needed throw pillows. I had no idea where the pillow forms were, so I had to wander through the store a while. Then I had to look at fabric and that took me a while. Isaac apparently got tired of standing, because he lay down to wait while I held bolts of calico up to one another to see what looked good together. He followed me over to where they cut the fabric for you and lay down again. You'd think the poor doggie was exhausted.
But my point is, he was good. Really good. And shopping with him was easy. We've turned this corner. It sure took a while, but it's good.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Red Light Update
I wrote a week or so ago about using a string of red Christmas lights as a nightlight of sorts, because red lights are supposed to have less impact on the production of melatonin than other colors of light. And so far, I think it is helping.
I had a kind of hard time the first night because it wasn't quite as much light as I like and it made me feel a little anxious. But after that first night, it seems like enough light. And since I seem to be sleeping better, I'm liking them better.
There was one night this past week that I feel like I woke up a lot, but I think at least part of that had to do with Cayenne. She had a kind of restless night and was acting sort of strange and I was worried about her and she woke me up some climbing around on my legs.
Other than that, though, I think I am sleeping better.
Right now I have the string of lights draped over my bookshelf. I think I want to do something a bit more, I don't know, decorative and less haphazard-looking with them, but I haven't decided quite what yet. And I'm sort of getting used to the way they look on the bookshelf.
This isn't the best picture, but here they are.
I had a kind of hard time the first night because it wasn't quite as much light as I like and it made me feel a little anxious. But after that first night, it seems like enough light. And since I seem to be sleeping better, I'm liking them better.
There was one night this past week that I feel like I woke up a lot, but I think at least part of that had to do with Cayenne. She had a kind of restless night and was acting sort of strange and I was worried about her and she woke me up some climbing around on my legs.
Other than that, though, I think I am sleeping better.
Right now I have the string of lights draped over my bookshelf. I think I want to do something a bit more, I don't know, decorative and less haphazard-looking with them, but I haven't decided quite what yet. And I'm sort of getting used to the way they look on the bookshelf.
This isn't the best picture, but here they are.
Can a Therapist Write a Letter, Making Your Pet a Service Dog?
I have a friend, not a close friend but a friend, who is a therapist. A couple days ago she asked me a question. She said she sometimes has clients that ask her to please write them a letter saying they need their pet to be a service dog so they can take their dog into public places. They say their dog helps their depression or anxiety, so they want their dog to be a service dog. She was wondering if a dog is really a service dog if it just makes someone feel better or feel less anxious or less depressed.
It's a great question. The answer is no, if all the dog does is provide comfort or emotional support, it's not a service dog. It might be an emotional support animal, but it's not a service dog.
A service dog must be trained to perform specific tasks that mitigate a person's disability. And the person must be disabled in order to have a service dog. Not everyone that suffers from anxiety, depression or other psychological problems is disabled by their condition.
An emotional support animal is a pet (doesn't have to be a dog) belonging to a person with a psychiatric disability (like anxiety or depression) that is recommended by their doctor, therapist or other healthcare provider as part of their treatment plan. Again, the person must be disabled, and not everyone with anxiety or depression is disabled by their condition.
Service dogs have to be trained to perform specific tasks to mitigate a person's disability but emotional support animals don't need any special training.
Service dogs are allowed to go most places with their handlers, including restaurants and stores. Emotional support animals are not. In most cases, landlords must allow people to have emotional support animals, even if they do not normally allow pets (some landlords are exempt from this law, however), and people are allowed to fly within the U.S. with an emotional support animal in the cabin of the plane. Same goes with service dogs. You cannot take an emotional support animal to a restaurant, grocery store, hotel that does not allow pets, doctor's office, movie theater, etc. though, unless you get permission from the manager (and in some cases, the manager cannot legally give permission; health codes prevent them from allowing an emotional support animal in a restaurant, for instance).
You don't need a letter from your therapist to take your service dog into public places. In fact, it is illegal for business owners to ask to see such a letter. If you are disabled and your dog is trained to perform tasks that mitigate your disability, then you are allowed to take your service dog with you.
If you are not disabled, though, or if your dog is not trained to perform actual tasks that mitigate your disability, even if you have a letter from your therapist, you are not legally allowed to take your dog into public places where pets are not permitted. A letter from your therapist does not override the law.
If you have an emotional support animal, you may be required to provide a letter from your therapist or other healthcare provider in order to fly with your emotional support animal or in order to live in no pets housing with your emotional support animal.
Here are links to some articles with more information about emotional support animals:
Where Can You Take Your Emotional Support Animal?
Keeping an Emotional Support Animal in an Apartment that Doesn't Allow Pets
Flying with an Emotional Support Animal
It's a great question. The answer is no, if all the dog does is provide comfort or emotional support, it's not a service dog. It might be an emotional support animal, but it's not a service dog.
A service dog must be trained to perform specific tasks that mitigate a person's disability. And the person must be disabled in order to have a service dog. Not everyone that suffers from anxiety, depression or other psychological problems is disabled by their condition.
An emotional support animal is a pet (doesn't have to be a dog) belonging to a person with a psychiatric disability (like anxiety or depression) that is recommended by their doctor, therapist or other healthcare provider as part of their treatment plan. Again, the person must be disabled, and not everyone with anxiety or depression is disabled by their condition.
Service dogs have to be trained to perform specific tasks to mitigate a person's disability but emotional support animals don't need any special training.
Service dogs are allowed to go most places with their handlers, including restaurants and stores. Emotional support animals are not. In most cases, landlords must allow people to have emotional support animals, even if they do not normally allow pets (some landlords are exempt from this law, however), and people are allowed to fly within the U.S. with an emotional support animal in the cabin of the plane. Same goes with service dogs. You cannot take an emotional support animal to a restaurant, grocery store, hotel that does not allow pets, doctor's office, movie theater, etc. though, unless you get permission from the manager (and in some cases, the manager cannot legally give permission; health codes prevent them from allowing an emotional support animal in a restaurant, for instance).
You don't need a letter from your therapist to take your service dog into public places. In fact, it is illegal for business owners to ask to see such a letter. If you are disabled and your dog is trained to perform tasks that mitigate your disability, then you are allowed to take your service dog with you.
If you are not disabled, though, or if your dog is not trained to perform actual tasks that mitigate your disability, even if you have a letter from your therapist, you are not legally allowed to take your dog into public places where pets are not permitted. A letter from your therapist does not override the law.
If you have an emotional support animal, you may be required to provide a letter from your therapist or other healthcare provider in order to fly with your emotional support animal or in order to live in no pets housing with your emotional support animal.
Here are links to some articles with more information about emotional support animals:
Where Can You Take Your Emotional Support Animal?
Keeping an Emotional Support Animal in an Apartment that Doesn't Allow Pets
Flying with an Emotional Support Animal
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Finally Fixed My Coffee Table
When I moved here, almost a year ago, the glass tabletop of my coffee table got a crack in one corner. A few days later, Isaac dropped his Kong on it and a large shard of glass broke off. I ended up taping a piece of cardboard over it, which was supposed to be a temporary fix, until I could do something more attractive with it.
I ended up buying a piece of plywood and having it cut to fit, only when I got home, I discovered the guy at Lowe's didn't quite cut it right. It still didn't totally fit. Only, like an idiot, I didn't discover that right away. I just assumed it was right and would fit, so I went ahead and decorated it.
What I did was cut out leaf shapes from scrapbook paper in nice nature prints and then arrange those on the plywood. I decoupaged it and it looked pretty neat.
Until, that is, I moved the glass panel and tried to put my nice new decoupaged panel in and discovered it was still too big. Bummer.
So I had to get it cut a little bit more. But of course I don't have a saw or anything like that. So I asked a friend to do it for me and said there was no rush. Well, it's a good thing there was no rush, because that was months and months ago.
But I got it back today. And it fits.
Isaac inspected it carefully for me and finally gave his approval.
Of course, by the time I put all my junk on it, you can't see as much of the design on it anyway. But it's better than cracked glass with a piece of cardboard taped over one corner of it.
I ended up buying a piece of plywood and having it cut to fit, only when I got home, I discovered the guy at Lowe's didn't quite cut it right. It still didn't totally fit. Only, like an idiot, I didn't discover that right away. I just assumed it was right and would fit, so I went ahead and decorated it.
What I did was cut out leaf shapes from scrapbook paper in nice nature prints and then arrange those on the plywood. I decoupaged it and it looked pretty neat.
Until, that is, I moved the glass panel and tried to put my nice new decoupaged panel in and discovered it was still too big. Bummer.
So I had to get it cut a little bit more. But of course I don't have a saw or anything like that. So I asked a friend to do it for me and said there was no rush. Well, it's a good thing there was no rush, because that was months and months ago.
But I got it back today. And it fits.
Of course, by the time I put all my junk on it, you can't see as much of the design on it anyway. But it's better than cracked glass with a piece of cardboard taped over one corner of it.
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