Getting A Service Dog.

[blackemerald1]

When I first received K I went to this fair with a representative of the organisation that sponsored K. Our first big day event. :)

The security guard bailed us up once we had paid, got passed all of the gates etc. Tried to shoo us back out the gates lol

The rep went ballistic at him, threatened to name & shame & more. :cautious: K and I stood there trying to shrink into the background as those two went head to head. Eventually the security guy decided that my rep was a lot meaner than my dog & backed down. I was looking for my ID while it was going on but I'd tucked it into the corner of my bag & couldn't find it fast enough.

Later we laughed about it. The rep is a big player in the Veteran affairs arena so I think she had some practice lol ??

I have to develop & maybe practice a suitable response.

Hey @Rainman8772 I suppose fighting back might pave the way for someone else down the track but it's all really new to me.

Today, of course I am regretting the apple turnover. :rolleyes: I won't be heading back to the bakery any time soon anyway because I'm steadfastly making my own bread as a means to save money & my health? Well sort of..

She was the owner/manager of the bakery and by law we must provide the ID for her to see. But with physical distancing and all I didn't want to hand the ID over to her. So I just sort of held it up. It could have been anything but she wasn't interested anyway in the end. There is a registered number for my dog on it and one phone call would bust anyone who was faking it. I think there's some big penalties for faking service dogs here.

Thanks @Frieda I think I will say that in future. Though maybe I could say she is my guard dog :hilarious: While I get out my ID. Nobody said I can't play crazy with these people - did they??

 

[Freida]

Nobody said I can't play crazy with these people - did they??

LOL We call that playing with your food :laugh:

And ya - eventually it can get really funny because when you aren't bothered by their nonsense it totally baffles them.
Another thing I've started doing is countering their belief system as "helping" I stop and say "yes, he is a true service dog. But what you are really asking me is how to kick out fake ones." That always stops them. Then I go on and do a quick (30 second) run down of what a problem fake service dogs are and what the ADA says about them. It never fails to get good results because I'm not trying to tell them they are wrong for challenging me -- I'm helping them learn how to kick out fake ones.

Because you have a registration system you might not have that specific thing to use, but if you pay attention to what they are actually asking you rather than focus on their tantrum you may find something you can use. And truly, it gets easier with practice :)

 

[blackemerald1]

I gave K are little raw bone today omg she didn't know what it was.

Apparently never had it before (I checked)

I tied her to the table & left her to wonder about it. Checked on her about 15 mins later & that beagle nose had decided it was indeed edible & half an hour later it was gone.

She's sleeping so soundly now digesting?

ETA: whoops woke her up - she's drunk from that direct hit of protein n bone. The satisfaction of it all.

Now she's got up to go explore where she ate it, sniffing about & obviously reliving the moment. lol

Welcome to the real world K!

 

[Rainman8772]

LOL We call that playing with your food :laugh:

And ya - eventually it can get really funny because when you aren't bothered by their nonsense it totally baffles them.
Another thing I've started doing is countering their belief system as "helping" I stop and say "yes, he is a true service dog. But what you are really asking me is how to kick out fake ones." That always stops them. Then I go on and do a quick (30 second) run down of what a problem fake service dogs are and what the ADA says about them. It never fails to get good results because I'm not trying to tell them they are wrong for challenging me -- I'm helping them learn how to kick out fake ones.

Because you have a registration system you might not have that specific thing to use, but if you pay attention to what they are actually asking you rather than focus on their tantrum you may find something you can use. And truly, it gets easier with practice :)

That works quite well to stop them. I usually keep some ADA cards with me to give anyone that asks to educate them as well. What I did is bought some from Amazon then just took one to my local copy store and had them make 500 for $10. Doubt I will ever run out.

 

[blackemerald1]

I took K for a walk in the rain tonight.

Yeah it rained yay!!

Well she wasn't too pleased about my idea. Gave those doleful eyes of hers a real work-out when I was putting jackets & harness on. lol...

When we got home she was soaked so got out the dog towel and we had a fabulous game of something doggy?
It had to do with her hiding under it and then biting it and taking off all around the house killing it and then dragging it back to me to throw over her head again? lol.

I laid down on the floor after a while because it was a shorter distance to there than it was the chair.... and she laid down next to me, upside down. We stared at the ceiling for a long time. I've no idea why... again this dog language is hard to work out. But it was fun. The things one does on a Saturday night when in physical isolation. :cautious:

So anyway that's the second time she's seen this thing called rain now & I think she's getting the idea.

I'm so happy with K.

Oh and she passed her second examination via zoom on Friday - so we're getting there!

Next week she's gonna hate me. She's getting all of her annual vaccinations, nails, general check-up, weighing, heart worm etc. She'll never trust me again cos here right now bc of covid19 we have to send them in without going with. ... :cry:

 

[scout86]

Next week she's gonna hate me. She's getting all of her annual vaccinations, nails, general check-up, weighing, heart worm etc. She'll never trust me again cos here right now bc of covid19 we have to send them in without going with. ...

It might be better than you think. At my vet clinic, treats are involved and everyone really makes a fuss over the dogs. My guys actually seem to think it's a fun place to go. (Except that the bulldog thinks having his temperature taken is a huge indignity.) If you can maintain an optimistic attitude yourself, it will help!

 

[blackemerald1]

(Except that the bulldog thinks having his temperature taken is a huge indignity.)

^Well I don't blame him! Getting a thermometer stuck up his bum is quite rude? Really veterinary science has not advanced much has it?? :hilarious:

If you can maintain an optimistic attitude yourself, it will help!

^I will.

I want her happy and healthy and really it's going to look to her like she got abducted and then returned lol..

I'm very practical when it comes to medical stuff. :)

She definitely will not be hard to bribe - she's a pushover when it comes to treats! :)

 

[Freida]

I think it might be better that they come get her - because then you are her rescuer!

SD loses his shit every time we go into the vet. It's kind of funny because he is always so calm but good god we walk in there and he is just sure the world is going to end. I've tried it with vest on, vest off, treats, no treats, nothing helps. He shivers and shakes like he is having a seizure :(

The vet told me he thinks dogs react badly not because of what is happening to them but what from the vibes coming off all the other dogs. Always makes me feel horrible so he gets lots of treats when we get back into the car. Ya - I'm sure it's really a dog conspiracy at work. :rolleyes;

 

[Sideways]

My doggo completely loses his shit when we go to the vet. We'll be doing some exposure therapy just going in and out a few times before his next visit. Partly that's because I do the bulk of the care, bar annual shots. I shave him, wash him, shove the monthly pills down the month. So he tolerates it from me, but doesn't trust anyone else.

So, the vet visits are reeeeeally traumatic for him. I like to keep in mind that a good run later in the day is important to help normalise his cortisol levels, and keep life fun and low exposure for the next 24 hours so that those cortisol levels get back to normal.

But even with all that going on, and me being the person that dragged him to this place of doggie-torture? I'm also the one that takes him away, and gets him home safely. And he loves me and trusts me even more for that.

Some dogs tolerate vets remarkably well. My current doggo isn't one of them. My mum's girls do pretty well. Every dog is different.

But one thing that seems to be consistent, is they absolutely loooove you for getting them the hell outta there. So, no trust issues. Use the car to do trips to places other than the vet, and give them some fun safe downtime afterwards. But don't even worry about trust issues developing - you're K's safe person. She will blame the vet for the things the vet does, and she'll love you for getting her outta there.

Love reading about how it's going. K learning about rain! So cool! My mum's (creamy white) girls love running through wet grass and puddles, which is a bit of a bitch! But it's hard to be angry when they leave a trail of footprints and wet grass through the house when they've had a brilliant time:)

 

[Rainman8772]

Mine loses her shit too when we go vest or not. Even if I am just going by for simple heart worm prevention meds. As soon as I get her out the car she is in lock up mode.

 

[blackemerald1]

K has successfully learned to carry her own bone (deer shin bone that's she's be chewing on for three weeks) to her bed in case she wants to chew it over-night. And, I've asked her to carry it out again in the morning & she gets what I mean!! After just one night! She's so pleased with herself when she gets what I mean. The tail wags which shakes the whole back end lol...

So now I'm going to ask/get her to carry her Kong bone too. She's not getting the idea like she did with her deer shin bone. Not sure why though. Practice!!

We've now pretty much successfully transitioned from the crate to the bed next to it for overnight sleeps. K's not sure which she prefers the most & may use both in the course of a night. With the crate when she gets in she's sleeping very deeply & dreams. With her bed, less so. I think.

I fed my fruit trees some nice smelly stuff on the weekend & obviously K wanted to help which wasn't helpful. Then she wanted to dig up the fresh straw I'd put down. So that wasn't helpful either. In the end I've told her she's not to touch it. She's tried lots of sneaky strategies to get at it. None so far have worked bc I'm on to her. I'll give it a week of close supervision and it'll be less appealing I think. Do any of you have the same issue when you feed fruit trees or gardens? Any tips?

 

[Rainman8772]

K has successfully learned to carry her own bone (deer shin bone that's she's be chewing on for three weeks) to her bed in case she wants to chew it over-night. And, I've asked her to carry it out again in the morning & she gets what I mean!! After just one night! She's so pleased with herself when she gets what I mean. The tail wags which shakes the whole back end lol...

So now I'm going to ask/get her to carry her Kong bone too. She's not getting the idea like she did with her deer shin bone. Not sure why though. Practice!!

We've now pretty much successfully transitioned from the crate to the bed next to it for overnight sleeps. K's not sure which she prefers the most & may use both in the course of a night. With the crate when she gets in she's sleeping very deeply & dreams. With her bed, less so. I think.

I fed my fruit trees some nice smelly stuff on the weekend & obviously K wanted to help which wasn't helpful. Then she wanted to dig up the fresh straw I'd put down. So that wasn't helpful either. In the end I've told her she's not to touch it. She's tried lots of sneaky strategies to get at it. None so far have worked bc I'm on to her. I'll give it a week of close supervision and it'll be less appealing I think. Do any of you have the same issue when you feed fruit trees or gardens? Any tips?

Mine likes to dig up the gerber daisy from the flower bed and will if I do not pay attention to her. I really think she does it for more attention. Like if I am working on the computer she has enough of not getting attention and gets in my face so I pay attention to her. As for sleeping she is always in bed with me stealing my pillow. She also wants her toys in bed so understand why.