Internship Project: Service Animals

HDFS 5910 - Hannah McIncrow

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About My Internship Site: Camp Twin Lakes

• Camp Twin Lakes (CTL) provides fully adaptive, medically supportive, and deeply impactful camp experiences to more than 10,000 children and young adults.
• Our goal is to develop mindful and confident children through intentional play.
• Each week of the summer our Camp Partners bring new campers, counselors, and a medical support staff.
• This summer I had the chance to work with 14 partner camps, some of them being Camp Sunshine, Camp Kudzu, Camp Braveheart, and Camp Horizon.

Meet Bijou, CTL’s newest staff member

What is a service animal?

• Defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as, “a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.”
• For example, a person with diabetes may have a dog that is trained to alert him when his blood sugar reaches high or low levels
• * A service-animal-in-training is not protected by the ADA.

How can Bijou help our campers at Camp Twin Lakes?

• Camp Carpe Diem, an overnight camp for children with medically controlled epilepsy and other seizure disorders.
• Seizure dogs or seizure predicting dogs are trained to bark or alert families when a child has a seizure.
• They are trained to lie next to someone having a seizure to prevent injury.
• Some dogs learn to put their body between the seizing individual and the floor to break the fall at the start of a seizure.

• Camp Sunshine, for children and teens with pediatric cancer.
• How can service dogs help?
• Tactile sensation. Petting an animal releases endorphins, which reduces stress.
• Distraction. Paying attention to a dog can help patients forget about their pain, such as when they are getting chemotherapy.
• Recovery, such as if a cancer patient has a limb amputated, they may need assistance using a wheelchair or prosthetic.

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Camp Walk ‘N’ Roll

• Camp Walk ‘N’ Roll, a camp for kids with muscular dystrophy.
• Muscular Dystrophy is a group of muscular diseases that results in increasing weakening and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time.
• The most common for is Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which typically affects young boys.
• Currently, the average life expectancy for people with Duchenne is 27 years, but is improving as equipment and technology progresses.

• How can service dogs help kids with muscular dystrophy?
• Wheelchair Assistance, such as pulling wheelchairs to help them up ramps and onto sidewalks.
• Anxiety relief. Petting dogs is known to release endorphins and reduce stress.
• Lowers blood pressure and heart rate.

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***Learn how Eric Cook is able to live independently in his own home, with the help of his service dog: https://www.mda.org/quest/article/your-service

Camp Kudzu

• Camp Kudzu, for children and teens living with Type I Diabetes.
• In Type 1 Diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, a hormone we need to get glucose into our cells.
• There is currently no cure, but it can be treated with constance self-management and good medical care.

• How can service dogs help children with diabetes?
• Diabetic Alert Dogs are trained to alert diabetic owners in advance of low or high blood sugar events before it becomes dangerous.
• Medical response dogs are trained to respond to signs that an owner may be experiencing low blood sugar levels, once they have become symptomatic.
• Low or high blood sugar levels release chemicals in the body that have a distinct odor that is undetectable by humans.

September 15, 2010

• The ADA became protected under title II (State and local government services) and title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) in the Federal Register.
• Generally, title II and III entities must permit service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas where the public are allowed to go.

Are emotional support animals considered service animals under the ADA?

• No, here’s why:
• They have not been trained to perform a specific job or task so they do not qualify as a service animals.
• However, some State or local governments have laws that allow people to take them into public places.

What questions can a covered entity’s employees ask to determine if a dog is a service animal?

• Staff may only ask two specific questions to the service animal’s owner:
• 1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
• 2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform

• Staff are not allowed to:
• 1) request any documentation for the dog
• 2) require that the dog demonstrate its task
• 3) inquire about the nature of the persons disability

*** The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.

Why are states cracking down on ‘fake’ service dogs?

• Chris Slavin was in an elevator a couple of years ago with Earle, her yellow lab service dog.
• The doors opened and in walked a women with a poodle in her purse. The poodle immediately attacked Early, leaving him bleeding on the floor.
• The woman first said her dog was a service dog, then saying he wasn’t a service dog but an emotional support dog. Finally, she admitted he was a pet she just wanted to bring in the building with her.
• The penalties for violating these laws vary. For example, in California it is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
• CBS Chicago reported, “A search of eBay for ‘service dog patches’ and ‘service dog vests’ produced more than 22,000 results. Several websites sell similar items for as much as $150 after requiring answers to just a few easy questions.”

So, what makes fake services dogs such a big problem?

• Legitimate service dogs are well trained and a necessity to their handlers.
• They are trained to not be disruptive or cause a scene while in public.
• Fake service dogs are both a safety issue for the public and for legitimate service dogs.
• They negatively impact the acceptance and public opinion of service dogs and their handlers with a disability.
• Republican state Rep. Kimberly Ferguson said, “Today, any pet owner can go online and buy a vest for a dog to pass it off as a service animal to gain access to restaurants, hotels and places of business. Their animals aren’t trained and end up misbehaving in these public places, which gives real service dogs a bad name.”

ADA Frequently Asked Questions

• Are restaurants required to allow service animals to be seated on chairs or allow the animal to be fed at the table?
• No. Seating, food, and drink are provided for customer use only.
• Are municipalities that have swimming pools required to allow a service animal in the pool?
• No. The ADA does not override public health rules that prohibit dogs in swimming pools. They are however allowed to go on the pool deck.
• Do commercial airlines have to comply with the ADA?
• No. The Air Carrier Access Act is the Federal law that protects the rights of people with disability in air travel.
• Cano hotels assign designated rooms for guests with service animals?
• No, a guest who uses a service animal must be provided the same opportunity to reserve any available room at the hotel as other guests without disabilities.

Link to Quiz

• https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FGV6YDV

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Resources

• http://www.diabeticalertdogsofamerica.com/service
• https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/seizure-first-aid-and-safety/staying-safe/seizure-dogs
• https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html
• https://www.choa.org/camps/camp-carpe-diem
• https://www.campkudzu.org/
• https://musculardystrophynews.com/2017/05/15/service-dogs-can-benefit-people-neuromuscular-diseases/
• https://www.mda.org/summer-camp
• http://www.mycampsunshine.com/

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