SC's and service animals

[hecubus]

Back on the service dog issue, I remember one occasion when I was at K-Mart in line at the pharmacy, and there was a woman with a service dog waiting as well. I began to chat with her, and she told me that she had the dog, not because she was blind, but rather the dog assisted her with her walking and balance. She told me that she has gotten some strange looks from people when she loads her dog into the back seat of her car, and proceeds to get in and drive away.

I asked if I could pet the dog, as he was sniffing around my wheelchair. The lady said it was fine, and her service dog darned near climbed right up into my lap (and it was no lap dog). A really sweet dog, and a little lesson for me. I never knew that there were balance service dogs.

One cute p.s. to this story. My dad had been waiting in the car in the parking lot for my mom and I to pick up my prescriptions. When we got in the car, he told us about a "blind woman who loaded her seeing-eye dog into the car, then got in and drove away." We filled him in on the actual circumstances and all had a really good laugh,

[aniwahya]

Service dogs can be trained for all kinds of things. I've been thinking of training a dog to help with meds and getting help during periods of incapacitation. They can sense changes that we don't notice, like when a seizure or other health "attack" is going to occur and warn people to get to a safe place before it hits.

The amount of independence a service animal can give people is incredible. I remember seeing a documentary on a type of narcolepsy that causes people to go into total paralysis when they experience strong emotion, like laughing or shock. They feel, hear and see everything that happens to them, but can't move at all for a period of time lasting from minutes to days. Apparently these attacks on averge strike eight times per day and usually begin coming on during teen years. I think a service animal would be just as much help to a person with this condition (caloproxy, i think is the name) if not more. A dog could possibly warn them of an incoming attack so they can sit or lay down (to avoid injuring themselves), could get help if needed and guard them so they are not at the complete mercy of whoever is around them during an attack. A service dog for someone with a disease like this is not a pet, it's a miracle that restores independence that the person might other wise never regain.

[Kitten in the box]

Damn I wish i was there with you. Just to see their reactions when your friend popped back off to them. They must have gotten PISSED when your friend came back with those comments. Hell when I was reading this I was even saying "Mind your own F*CKIN' business. Its a service animal!

Law states that service animals must be allowed in an establishment to give aid to thier partners as needed.

[tropicsgoddess]

There's a big difference between pets and service dogs. One wears a special service dog harness and vest while the other doesn't . How stupid does somebody have to be to not know that?!! Way to go on dishing out some ownage to those numbskulls!

[Canarr]

I remember seeing a documentary on a type of narcolepsy that causes people to go into total paralysis when they experience strong emotion, like laughing or shock. They feel, hear and see everything that happens to them, but can't move at all for a period of time lasting from minutes to days. Apparently these attacks on averge strike eight times per day and usually begin coming on during teen years. I think a service animal would be just as much help to a person with this condition (caloproxy, i think is the name)

It's cataplexy, and it's one of the effects of narcolepsy (my mom has it). How often and how severe these attacks are can vary wildly, depending on the individual. My mother can go months between attacks, even years, and they only last for a minute or so at the most. Even among the more severely afflicted people in her narcolepsy group, I've never heard of attacks that last more than a few minutes.

An average of eight times per day is pretty high, afaik. One of the more handicapped narcolepsy patients I know tends to have 1-3 attacks a day, depending on stimuli. Only for a few minutes, but that can already cause problems. She can't drive, has trouble on public transport, and has been known to kill entire displays in stores with her shopping cart, when she's pushing it the moment an attack hits.

I don't know if anyone's ever looked at service dogs for narcolepsy patients; might really be an opportunity there, if they can somehow detect these attacks in advance.

[Fungus]

In regards to the opening post, with virtually everyone having cell phones these days, it was probably best to call the police right away. These people are like flies and they should swatted quickly.

[wolfie]

I have seen a person at a hotel before getting mad . . .they had been told pet free hotel . . .in the end came down to severe allergy situation. They understood concept of Assistance Animal but felt should only be allowed in pet friendly hotels because of those with customers severe allergies shouldn't be put at risk.
I don't know how that one ended as my ride showed up.

That's a tough one, because it's a conflict of disabilities. Ban the assistance animals? You're discriminating against people with service dogs (illegal). Allow them? You're creating a life-threatening situation for people with allergies. Of course, the person with allergies should have been clear on their reason for wanting a pet-free hotel when booking.

It would help to have a code in the booking system that reports "service animal with this reservation", or "dog allergy with this reservation", and pops up an alert when someone tries to make a reservation when the incompatible code is already registered somewhere in the hotel (wouldn't be able to turn away a "second in line" guide dog, but could alert a "second in line" allergy that there would be a dog on the premises, so that they could book elsewhere - or prompt a followup phone call to a "first in line" allergy that someone with a guide dog had booked a room, and it would have been illegal to turn them away, do you want to rebook to one of our other properties in the area?)

As for the OPs friend (who seems to be "on the ball" with snappy comebacks), another one would be to "pull a Nelson" when someone complains about their dog - look around, and say "Dog? I can't see any dogs".

[Golden Phoenix]

[snip]
I remember seeing a documentary on a type of narcolepsy that causes people to go into total paralysis when they experience strong emotion, like laughing or shock. They feel, hear and see everything that happens to them, but can't move at all for a period of time lasting from minutes to days. Apparently these attacks on averge strike eight times per day and usually begin coming on during teen years.
[snip]

You might also be thinking of Myotonia, all the muscles in the body lock up when the person gets over excited or any kind of shock causing them to become unbalanced, and possibly even suffer a severe fall.

(There's some interesting stuff on youtube about Myotonic goats if you're interested)

Apparently totally painless but must be very distressing.

As for service animals, i have the utmost respect for them and their trainers, i can't even teach mine to sit. Heh.
Also, the numbskulls in the OP, they need to be blindfolded for a weeka nd see how they like it if someone goes off on them baout their service animal.