Dog In Crate 12 Hours, Is This Cruel?

[desiderata310]

As far as your work is concerned that is something to take up with the Human Resources people, WHEN you get closer.

That will take letters from your therapist and HR talking to your supervisor, etc.
It's a long way off but know that unless you're in a place where it would make life for other employees difficult or prove to be a health or safety hazard, you should not have a problem.

Worry about that AFTER the fact because believe me that once you open the "reasonable accommodations" can of worms with HR the world gets a little weird for a while.

I've wrote about all of that in my journal if you ever feel like wading through all the other BS that I spew there to kind of see what I dealt with . To make it easier to search, I started it back in Jan 2015 and got the 'green light' that fall.

Meanwhile, you can review the company's policies and ADA compliance stuff and see what you can find.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Thank you @desiderata310 for all the help. I work in a call center in a cubicle that could sit 2 people comfortably and so as long as he is quiet (which would be in his training) there would be no issue with my job or co-worker's.

I will read through your diary around summer and fall of 2015...or earlier.

Again, thank you. And I appologize before hand as if I move foward with this, i likely will have more questions.

 

[Deleted member 541]

@desiderata310 Thank you for making the clarification on SD dogs and ESA dogs... this is what I've been seeking on here. LOL!!!!!

 

[desiderata310]

:roflmao: good luck! I think there's a search function. Would use terms service dog, SD, Char, Charlie and Rory. (Rory was a dog that I worked with for a while who washed out)

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@desiderata310, @DharmaGirl, and @scout86; I am trying to find a halti (or gentle leader) for Chopper on amazon and I don't know what's the best one. All of the sizes are different. I'm sure I will need to measure his muzzle but the searches on amazon, once I do, are all confusing. Even searching for "gentle leader", "halti" and "headcollar".

Is this something I should go to a petstore for to be sure it fits well or do any of you have one to recommend?

 

[St.Maybe]

Please don't take this the wrong way- I'm just being as honest as I can here- it does sound very* cruel to me. An hour sounds cruel to me though, so, perspective. I've been locked in places, and well, no.

I know dog sitters and trainers are expensive... and you wouldn't want him to tear up your stuff but is there a larger space you can open up for him that's dog-friendly or that you can make dog-friendly? It's such a small crate, and 12 hours is half the day.

Also, the legality of leaving your dog in a car depends on where you are. In the US, it's state-by-state and there are sites which actually list all regulations. Where I live, it's not illegal if the dog isn't deemed at risk of harm or death by being in there. I looked it up because there was a dog in a car at a restaurant for an hour and I didn't think it was legal. I was wrong.

 

[desiderata310]

Your best bet is to go to a pet store and try them on. Halti/Gentle leader/storebrandx are all the same IDEA(turn the dog's head instead of yanking them around by the neck) but some fit different breeds better than others.
I have the Halti but only because gentle leader doesn't fit Charlie as well.

 

[joeylittle]

There are a few things Charlie does for you that I don't need and then some addtl things that he doesn't do that I would need.

I'm curious, what did you+your therapist decide the list of tasks should be?

 

[lostforgottensoul]

An hour sounds cruel to me though, so, perspective. I've been locked in places, and well, no.

I was locked in a closet for days at a time and chained places so I had trouble putting him in there at all. JL post to me at the time helped me:

Is It Just f*cking Me?

Really thay whole thread did. It took a LONG while for me to realize that my dog isn't me; I was projecting myself onto him, and he feels very safe in his crate and is now very relaxed and calm in there.

He also goes in there when anything frightens him (thunder, fireworks, yelling). He opens the door with his nose.

Dogs aren't people and dogs needs are much different. Just like wolves, dogs are pack animals. And just like wolves, they are also den animals. That is his den.

Your best bet is to go to a pet store and try them on. Halti/Gentle leader/storebrandx are all the same IDEA(turn the dog's head instead of yanking them around by the neck) but some fit different breeds better than others.

Yeah. I wanted to make sure it wasn't to tight or too loose.

what did you+your therapist decide the list of tasks should be?

Tasks? For me or for my dog to do for me?

We couldn't talk in great length about it as he had to fill out my FMLA renewal but we talked a bit about it.

 

[desiderata310]

Tasks?

Yup, for Chopper.
:roflmao:

 

[joeylittle]

^^^^ (what @desiderata310 said)

 

[lostforgottensoul]

what did you+your therapist decide the list of tasks should be?

First, I am in complete panic freak out I am out anywhere. I also walk with a stun gun in my hand, at all times, which is rather insane but its the only way I can feel safer to even go out. And i go no where. I go to work and maybe a store, MAYBE, I but have had many freak outs in a store and fully disassociated once at Walmart and ended up huddled on the bathroom floor having no idea how I got there.

With my dog I am much more relaxed. Not fully but it would be very good to have him stand between me and another person. That would be of great help. And just being there in general would help but at home I always place hom between me and whoever.

And he would allow let me get out. I literally go no where.

I also freeze in places where there is people. If he is, say, tugging on my arm a bit (like taking a few steps) that would help. Or touching me in any way.

I won't walk into any place that is strange to me. So if he went in first that would help. I am extremely isolated. It is a mircle if I get to a store. My therapist just wants me out other than my job so i think he sees the training (like training him to be calmer around people...means I have to be around people) as a good thing for me whether Chopper ever becomes a Service Dog and I see it as having an even better trained dog whether he becomes a Service Dog.

I am sure he could help me in other ways and maybe I don't need a service dog (though the extreme fear and panic I have in public I know would calm with a SD and just that helps) but either way, just training him is getting out of my house and that is all, I think, my therapist wants right now.

ETA: But like I said, we only had a few mins to talk about it.