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If anyone lives near Bowling Green or Nashville, that has a Service Animal of any type, and has any interest in allowing a photojournalist to document the reality of your life, for as short as a few hours, or potentially a longer project, please send me a pm.
If anyone lives near Bowling Green or Nashville, that has a Service Animal of any type, and has any interest in allowing a photojournalist to document the reality of your life, for as short as a few hours, or potentially a longer project, please send me a pm.
Litlove, I don't live anywhere near you, but it is exciting to see that someone would take the time to do this. Service dogs are valuable to their owners, and sometimes their value extends to the community. For this reason, you may expect some hesitation in response to your request. I would consent to an article only with certain conditions, for the following reasons.
My dog has great intuition about people. When at home, he reacts very differently to people he believes are not to be trusted in my home, and I know not to answer the door. When we are out and about, he guards me against speaking with people who he senses are suspicious. Two examples:
Once when we were in a store a certain man approached us and Teddy quietly alerted me. I saw the man ask what was wrong with him, that there must be something wrong with my dog that he didn't at least look at him. Teddy shied behind me, something he never does with "nice" people, and mumbled softly, and I just smiled. Had I spoken, I would have told him Teddy was just being a good judge of character. I quietly left, but made sure to take a note of what the man looked like.
Another time we were in a bank and at the teller window, and suddenly Teddy alerted with an angry bark and stood attentively watching the lobby. I told the teller she might want to alert someone because something was not right and my dog was upset. Teddy would not calm down until we left the bank, and kept looking back at the lobby as we left. I didn't wait around to find out what happened, but everyone there saw what he had done, so if anyone wanted to try anything at that time, I'm sure they thought twice about it. We will never know, but I trust my dog, and am glad he was there with me. He has not done this since.
As a hearing assist dog, Teddy's role is quite different from a seizure dog or a guide dog, but I didn't expect he would service others to the extent that he has. I remember as a puppy the time he also detected the improperly wired smoke detector, something that potentially saved the lives of everyone in my home. I am very proud of him and his special abilities, but he is my dog, and is primarily here to serve me. Inviting someone into my home opens me up to letting the public see where my weaknesses are, and how I depend on him in my own home environment, which is quite different than in public. I would never want anything to happen to him or myself because I chose to consent to an article about his work. If someone ever were to read about Teddy in the media, he would not see my home, and I may choose to do this anonymously. He should also should read that it is a federal offense to steal, kill, or hurt a service dog. (Conversely, he should also read that to attempt to pass one's own dog as a service dog when he is not is not only a moral offense to us, but a federal and American Disabilities Act (ADA) offense. There may also be civil and city fines and penalties if their dog does any damage.)
Service animals are a part of everyday life for us, and those of you who don't own one. If you don't have one, you know someone who does. You will see them in the grocery store and the hospital, at the mall and at the Y. You may not understand them, but you should know you are supposed to respect them, and never treat them as someone's pet. They are not to be approached and petted without permission, nor provoked or fed. It would be a wonderful thing if all of our cities would take the time to do a public service piece on service dogs of all kinds and breeds to help educate the public so there would not be these doubts and frustrations. If they can do this in a responsible manner and so there is no danger to those of us with service dogs, I say, let's do it!
Olivia-Virginia: It is actually a referral for my son, who is an award winning college photographer.
And with any sensitive issue he explains the type of exposure his work can potentially bring, especially if it turns into a project. It makes it more difficult to find someone, but the exposure that can potentially be brought to the journalism community inparticular, can be wonderful. (The biggest audience is other journalism students, and journalists.)
A few years back, one very young photojournalist was able to get access to a man living with a Real Doll, (prior to the movie Lars and the Real Girl) and in the captions printed his name and location, which concerned my son and I at the time. I felt it was the responsibility of his professors to have advised him that the man's identity should have been protected. It was shot in profile, and it didn't need to become public who he was... Anyway, it did receive national exposure, and even though the pics weren't published in a local paper, word spread in his home town, and some felt his behavior was deviant... The man committed suicide a few years later, and the young journalist lost his reputation and left the field. A tragedy all around.
THANK YOU for highlighting the specific concerns you'd have in this situation! I'll certainly forward the info. It is entirely possible to photograph in a way to protect a subject's identity, or shoot outside their home, etc. Whatever parameters that would be agreed upon, would be respected because the last thing he would ever want, is to endanger someone in a vulnerable position...
There is no anti-service dog issues here, there are service dog scam issues. Then there are those who think carrying fifi into Safeway, stuffing them in the shopping cart is ok. It is not. Having seen someone carry their beloved dog into a Safeway, put them in the cart and then watch as the dog starts doing what dogs do often makes you want to throw up. A dog dragging their hind end on the shopping cart, a place where people will put their food is disgusting and intolerable. Appropriately, the store manager was summoned and the people asked to take their dog outside.
The same is true when you are eating some place and the "service dog" crawls over and licks your arm. Nice.
The legitimate use of service dogs is valuable and should not be restricted unless absolutely necessary. The same can't be said of people who think every little issue requires a service dog. For crying out loud, does every activity require the presence of a dog in order for the person to obtain or use the goods and services of businesses?
Everyone knows a lot of disabilities are not obvious to causal observation. The real issue, and it is becoming more of a problem every day, are those who abuse the need for service dogs and therefore cast doubt and concern toward all who use them.
no LEGITIMATE service dog user would put their dog in the cart and thus the manager has the right to tell them to get out...
no LEGITIMATE srvice dog is going to go over and licksomeones arm in a resturaunt and so the manager can tell them to leave...ECT.
YES there are scammers...YES its going to happen...
but anyone whos scamming and not being smart (ie misbehving dogs, putting dog in the cart (if using small breed service dog that nees to be off the ground it should be in its OWN carrier, id have no problem with a person then putting the carier with the dog in it in the cart (shoppingplaces with carts re dangerous for smallbreed service dogs, people have rammed ME with carts beforeand im no little person) but otherwise
and scammers who are smart enoguh to train their dog as to be completly inconspicous, well yes there still not good people for scamming but its then up to the manager to do their homework and ask the legitimate acess uestions and make a judgment call form their. simple.
as for the "does every activity require the use of a service dog and the anse is YES if its a legitimiate serice dog the point is to allow that person to do every NORMAL activity you do...and thus yes its presence is nessicary even if you think it shouldnt be...
you have no idea how hard it might be for that person to leave the house due to sever ptsd, you have no idea if that person is going to drop and have a seizure any second due to epilepsy, you have no idea if that service animal is going to be needed at ANY given moment to retrive help, get medication, break ocd repitition, provide balance support ect...
so YES that sevice animal IS reured for EVERY activity...and its suggested that even if you have human accompanyment to take your service anima dogs are much more ttune to thier pople than eany human could be.
NOONE is arguing that there are scammers and that scammers are scumbags...
but to say only certain disabilitys should be allowed to have service dogs or only cetin places should a service dog be "nessicary" is also just as discriminatory...
why shoudl 1 disability or 1 activity be any more serious/nessicary/whtever than another.
Unless dogs cause actual problems they should be allowed in any business establishment as long as the owner doesn't object and he shouldn't.
Now I love my dogs, but unless they have a reason to be there (ie service dogs) there is no reason in the world a pet of any kind needs to be in a grocery store.
Sorry Lady rides in a cart at times. I don't risk her life walking in stores where people have actually hit my scooter with their carts People in a hurry don't watch where they are going. I do carry wipes. Which is more that mom with nasty kids!
Sorry Lady rides in a cart at times. I don't risk her life walking in stores where people have actually hit my scooter with their carts People in a hurry don't watch where they are going. I do carry wipes. Which is more that mom with nasty kids!
It's up to the store owner/manager to allow this. Service animals are allowed to go into stores with carts, but they don't have the right to actually be in a cart so they can get kicked out for that reason.
The same goes for the behavior someone described (dog going up and harassing people). Any dog, service or no can be kicked out for that reason.
Just pointing out small dogs in carts Don't mean they are pets. They can be a seizure alert or hearing dog.
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I quietly left, but made sure to take a note of what the man looked like.
