Marine Corps veteran Joseph “Lefty†Martinez teaches his service dog, Corporal, how to push the handicap door button at the DeVargas Center in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe. Martinez temporarily relocated from Salt Lake City to attend the owner self-training program at Assistance Dogs of the West for six months. Corporal opens doors and picks items up, among other tasks.
Assistance Dogs of the West instructor and trainer Mara Perrigo demonstrates Deep Pressure Therapy with 15-month-old Hemi. The dog applies pressure on the human body to reduce anxiety and lower the heart rate.
Assistance Dogs of the West instructor and trainer Mara Perrigo demonstrates Deep Pressure Therapy with 15-month-old Hemi. The dog applies pressure on the human body to reduce anxiety and lower the heart rate.
In my last column, I wrote about the high-level canine training at Assistance Dogs of the West, the nationally recognized service dog training agency based in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe. Before those elite students graduate, they must practice for the required Public Access Test.
It’s not uncommon to be seated next to an ADW dog in a restaurant and not know it, which is the point. ADW dogs are working — perhaps to detect a physiological change in their handler, alert them to take their meds or address another need not visible to you.
During training, the dogs join handlers as they dine in restaurants, tucked neatly under the table at their feet. They are trained not to misbehave or to pick up a piece of steak that falls within an inch of their nose. For their own safety, it’s imperative that they don’t nibble anything that falls to the floor (such as a pill).
They also have to practice their polite greetings in public spaces when the handler takes them into malls and shops, with plenty of distraction and sound, yet remain unfazed and in control.
I had the pleasure of watching an ADW training exercise at a local mall, led by esteemed trainer and dog whisperer Mara Perrigo, and two veterans and their shelter dogs.
While ADW breeds for specific traits that make for highly specialized personal or facility service dogs, individuals may interview with their own pets to see if they qualify for the owner self-training course. It encompasses all the same material of approximately 2,000 hours and 90 cues (commands), but in six months instead of the two years it normally takes for the in-house program.
Individuals meet once a week with an ADW trainer and then do self-training all the other days.
·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe veteran Ed Donovan suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, especially in crowds. His rescue, Archie, was in line to be put down. And Donovan was in line to stay home, uncomfortable participating in society. But their fated meeting (“Archie chose me,†he says) and dog training has led to a life change in which Donovan engages with the community by taking on tasks like shopping at the grocery store or going out with friends.
Archie can alert Donovan to physiological changes, such as an anxiety event, thus signaling when it’s time to exit a specific environment or engage in deep pressure therapy, in which the dog applies pressure to the human body, leaning into the legs or sitting on the handler’s feet, to reduce heart rates and calm the handler.
Fellow classmate and Marine Corps veteran Joseph “Lefty†Martinez temporarily moved from Utah for the six-month training with his dog, Corporal, who also chose him at the local shelter.
Martinez has had an arm amputation and spinal cord and lung injuries. In addition to calming Martinez’s anxiety, Corporal is trained to open doors and pick things up.
I watched both dogs, in awe, practice pushing the accessible door buttons when entering and exiting the mall, a reminder these doors are reserved for those who need them and not a convenience or toy for able-bodied adults and children.
The Americans with Disabilities Act allows for people with disabilities to access public spaces with a service dog, which is even considered a medical device, according to Perrigo.
Marine Corps veteran Joseph “Lefty†Martinez teaches his service dog, Corporal, how to push the handicap door button at the DeVargas Center in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe. Martinez temporarily relocated from Salt Lake City to attend the owner self-training program at Assistance Dogs of the West for six months. Corporal opens doors and picks items up, among other tasks.
Courtesy photo
The ADA does not mandate certification of service dogs or wearing a vest or any identifying labels (not everyone wants to announce the presence of a disability). In fact, there is no official certification for service dogs, not even from ADW. It doesn’t exist.
The reason: Not every person can afford a service dog or lives near a service dog training agency.
To level the playing field, an individual has the right to train their own service dog to perform duties specific to their disability to independently access public spaces, which is the point of the ADA, to create access.
As an employee of a publicly accessed space, and while obeying the law, you have the right to ask only two questions:
Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
A business or state or local government agency can ask someone to remove their service animal if:
The dog is not housebroken.
The dog is out of control, and the person cannot get the dog under control.
It’s a gray area considering how many pets are accompanying their humans, and it’s likely why you’ve seen an uptick of signs posted at local businesses saying, “Service dogs only.†By faking it, even with a well-trained pet, you create prejudice and put those legitimate service dogs and their disabled handlers at risk of being unwelcome.
It’s also why ADW consults with local businesses to educate staff on how to navigate this slippery slope.
When you do see an easily identifiable service dog in public and are curious, it’s appropriate to approach in a gentle manner and ask permission to pet it, as opposed to “coming in hot,†as Martinez doesn’t recommend.
Respect the answer, as the dog and handler may be in a training exercise or in the middle of a medical event, or it might not be a good time and place.
Don’t ask personal questions, like what kind of disability the person has. It’s different than the ADA question asking what task the dog performs.
What stood out for me during these interviews and observations was the remarkable intelligence of the canines and the positive reinforcement training techniques that are force-free. It reminded of an inspiring documentary I recently saw, The Cowboy and the Queen, which documents gentler equine training methods in contrast to the more common and aggressive techniques used to “break a horse.â€
Martinez, referring to his beloved dog Corporal, was moved by how “you get to see their highest potential.â€
I was moved, too — so much so that I went out and adopted a rescue pug found on the streets of El Paso. Perhaps I sensed I needed an oxytocin boost and calming mechanism in the form of a portable snoring device; so far it’s working, even if I can’t get him to pee outside.
While respecting our public spaces, may we all experience our pets’ highest potential, companionship and service, no matter their breeding or credentials.
Bizia Greene is an etiquette expert and owns the Etiquette School of ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe. Share your comments and conundrums at 505-988-2070 or hello@etiquettesantafe.com.