Getting A Service Dog.

[blackemerald1]

Thanks everyone. I am pinching myself now & then to make me know it's real.
I could not have waited it all out without everyone's positive good will here. :)
So thanks & I'll update when he arrives. Maybe even a photo!

 

[Ellabella44]

Oooh so happy for you! Hope you do well together!

 

[blackemerald1]

The trainer has emailed me bc I've been difficult to locate and ring. Not my fault, family obligations etc. And my trainer L. is training another recipient for their dog so she's been unavailable when I have been...

So, she wants to know if I have any questions. Well yes.. about a million. But what are the really important questions? Any input you guys have would be appreciated. What would you have liked to have known before your dog arrived?

 

[Sideways]

Back here mate : What should I ask???
Current diet would be super helpful, so it doesn't have to change feeding regimen (and remember this is a Beagle - so feeding regimen will be of even more importance than other breeds), and what treats does he like?

 

[blackemerald1]

Update: The trainer L. contacted me today. She has booked flights and will be on her way with my dog B. and coming to my home on 25th - so 10 days away!

L. will be bringing everything I will need for B. except I need to go grab a couple of bowls and I can get a bed for him if I want to have a place for him to sit. Will think on that. I can probably make one.

L. told me that I need to make a list of places I go frequently so she can train B and I in navigating those places. So I'm making a list already. To be honest it's not such a big list. I've only thought of three places so far. I shall keep thinking on that one.

L. understands how incredibly anxious I am about all of this now. So that's good because I am!

She said that B. is very much compelled to follow his nose so yes @Sideways you were spot on with that. L. will be bringing seven days worth of food just in case I want to change B. over to another brand. But the brand they are using is a good Australian brand and I think it will do nicely so I see no point whatsoever in trialling anything different.

L. said we will go to the doggy warehouse... of which I have three nearby, to get 'provisions'. Oh I haven't shopped for a dog in so long!

L. said that B. has one major failing that they are a bit concerned with but because B. is outstanding in every other regard they are willing to register him and keep tabs on. He loves cats :wtf: Well, she said he doesn't just love them, he's obsessed with them to the point where he wants to sniff out any possibility of cat odoerr... before he'll settle down. Nothing they've done has reversed his infatuation with cats and since I don't own a cat they're hoping this won't be a problem. Sort of not, except when I go to my sisters - who has two cats running all over her huuuge house. That could be a bit of a problem. Hmmm.... Lock up the cats???

L. told me that B. is her favourite dog because he has such character and she is really pleased but sad at the same time to be preparing him to leave her and come to me. I felt this huge wave of sadness for her and then another of even more responsibility and anxiety. I told her I will do everything I can to make B. the happiest dog ever. But I feel guilty too. Hopefully he will bond with me and when she comes back for her six week inspection she will see he is working well and happy.

 

[Sideways]

This is so exciting!

Being infatuated with cats is a pretty funny character trait, but most public places you'll be working together there's not likely to be cats running round, so I don't reckon it will be an issue.

L. said we will go to the doggy warehouse

I have a strong aversion to Pet Barn. They're everywhere, and mostly reasonably convenient. But they actually keep very little good quality stock, and go more for the popular BS stock. They also tend to be staffed by 15 year olds who know absolutely zero about their stock, and will waffle on with made-up BS just to get the sale.

But, that's just me.

Round our city Pet Warehouse tend to sell slightly higher quality stock (particularly in terms of food and natural treats, as opposed to processed, packaged junk).

Meh! That's just me waffling because I'm excited for you. Like, super excited. I love Beagles to bits - getting into some nosework games with a Beagle would be totally awesome fun!

Need good news stories like this, so keep us updated B:)

 

[Freida]

I am so very excited for you!!!!! This is such a game changer - and one you deserve!!!

 

[blackemerald1]

Today I've been doing all of the last minute preparations, a day ahead so I've got time to double check everything. My dog and trainer arrive on Monday. Wow...

Yesterday the people who will be checking on me and the dog did a impromptu visit which was sort of ok because I wasn't too spaced out. But I did warn them that sometimes I don't make it out of my pj's and into proper day clothes ....some days. They said they understood but I'm not so sure.

They want me to do some minor publicity for them. It's to further the whole Service Dog cause and I know it's well intentioned, attracts money and idk prestige for their organisation I guess? It's my choice according to the paperwork I've sighted.

I told them I could not do the publicity and they sort of ignored my reasons. I'm a bit concerned... one of the people demanded to know if I had a fb profile.. as if everyone does. I told her I didn't and I don't intend to open one up either. She grunted and looked away with a pained expression on her face. Then she said, 'It won't do you any harm to be on fb'. I didn't pursue the matter with her bc I'm sure she's not in charge.

Have any of you other SD people had to do publicity when you got your dogs?

 

[Sideways]

Have any of you other SD people had to do publicity when you got your dogs?

Nup.

I got asked to have my dog appear as Miss December (sorry, Mr December doesn't have the same ring to it!) in a fundraising calendar (without me). Sure. Here's a pic of my dog - go nuts.

The organisation I'm with keep a FB page, and routinely celebrate graduates (ie the dog, not the person!) through the program by posting a pic and a congratulations on the page. But the FB page is largely for the extended family that those of us who have been assisted by the organisation like to call it.

They have a very limited number of past dogs pics on their website, and the only disabled person who appears on the page (to my recollection) is one of the trainers, who is an amputee.

None of the current dogs or handlers appear on the GoFundMe page which coordinates the public fundraising.

I do remember the first organisation I contacted about training my own dog sent a publicity authority/waiver for me to sign which had no specific limit on when or where pictures might be taken or used. I was simply asked to agree to them using my image whenever they wanted.

It was one of the many documents that I refused to sign for that organisation and ultimately didn't use them.

The situation with you and your dog may be different though. Will you own the dog? Or do they retain ownership? That may impact the way they use images of their dog.

But not pics of you. Perhaps suggest that you'd prefer time to get settled and confident with your dog as a team before "outing" yourself publicly as an Assistance Dog handler?

If they continue to own the dog? Then yeah, images of this dog being a huge success and life changer for you is going to be an important part of their ability to raise funds moving forward.

But not you and your identity. Nah.

Perhaps you could even suggest that you'd be happy to make the dog available to them when they want to do any publicity, but to stand aside and not personally appear in that publicity for now?

If all else fails, "I can't keep a public profile, such as a Facebook or Instagram page for personal safety reasons". Usually shuts people up. If they own the dog? The dog is one of their heros. Doesn't mean you personally need to appear.

Also doesn't rule out your assisting with marketing/publicity in other ways, so long as your identity is protected.

 

[Friday]

It's my choice according to the paperwork I've sighted.

I told them I could not do the publicity and they sort of ignored my reasons.

AFTER you get your pup? You might think about reporting her to the person who is in charge.

How many people, who’ve waited for sooooo long, is she treating like garbage in the final hours? Guilting and shaming disabled people, to manipulate them into doing what she wants. She’s a real peach! :mad:

If they want publicity? How about if the initial offer is met with hesitation, cheerfully inviting it for AFTER you’ve settled in, instead of scornful snark & implicit threats? The org may have the best of intentions, but this bullying twat certainly isn’t showing them in that light! Argh she makes me mad. :shifty: That she even insisted on you listing reasons for her approval? Argh. Really??? As if you’re skating out of an agreement, rather than right in line with it? So stupid she can’t put 2 & 2 together and consider that it’s likely a dog trained for anxiety might have a master with anxiety issues? Trauma might equal personal safety concerns? Or does she not even bother to find out and just attempts to bulldoze everyone she meets? I am just vexed to the 9th on your behalf.

LOL... Which also means, since you’ve got an AngryFriday in your corner you can skip over it entirely if you waaaaaaant :woot: Ignore the idiots and bliss out in the excitement is very VERY wise. I’ll be angry. You be excited. It’s a good division of assets.

-And a belated- YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY ... Your pup is coming!!! :D:happy::inlove:

 

[Sideways]

I think it's a bit of a bum steer. It comes off badly, yes.
"Here, sign away your rights" just on the cusp of you finally getting doggo. After the extraordinary wait? And you're all vulnerable and everything...

Here's the alternate perspective. People share everything on FB these days, pics of everyone and everything going in every direction. And mostly it's all good. Especially with small not-for-profits? Sharing around happy snaps regularly on social media is central to ability to fundraise.

It's soul-destroying work trying to raise serious funds for a lot of these organisations, and one of the things people want to see in order to donate is "right this minute" hero stories on their social media platforms.

A lot of people (me included) take bazillions of pics of our hero SD dogs every day (doggo at the cafe, doggo in the car, doggo snoozing - I'm worse than the UK paparazzi with my dog!), and people with FB pages post them all the time.

Many people I know set up a social media profile for their dog because there's so many pics.

It takes one moment for them to share one of those "look at our dog changing someone's life" pic on the own site. And being able to do that is a big big deal to them. They essentially wouldn't exist without their online presence and the donations that generates.

Getting a legally binding written authority every single time they do that? Would literally be impossible for them. They don't have the time or employees to do that. Probably you'll find that the authority they have given you sounds scary, but is a bit sketchy if you look at it in detail - because likely they couldn't afford a lawyer to draft one up, and probably it's not necessarily enforceable anyway.

What it does do? Is clear it with people beforehand that if there's pics going round, they may add them to their social media and whatnot. If they get pics of you and your dog being heroes together, they'd like to use them. Is that okay with you?

If they retain ownership of the dog? I suspect it's probably standard, and certainly more up front than slipping pics of you and doggo onto their social media sites and you finding out the hard way and everything going sour.

Remember that the person who trained this dog has lived and loved this dog into existence for the last 2 years and is now saying goodbye. So there's always (always) also that personal aspect of them wanting to be kept in the loop, to get updates from you letting them know that dog has been adopted into a fantastic home, and all their hard work has changed someone's life for realsies.

I know people who raise, train and adopt out AD's to people, and the dog remains incredibly special to them to its dying day.

So, it probably seems really sinister (and we without FB pages are the small minority in this world!!), but I think it's probably well-intended, and actually to encourage sharing of media (if you take an awesome pic of doggo being a hero - they'd love to see that, and be able to use it to help fund more hero dogs) being completely transparent about what the ramifications of that might be.

This lady was probably just crotchety with you because she's assumed you'll send her pics of you and her beloved lil pup once she has to hand him over, and she doesn't want to get sued if one of those pics ends up on their FB page.

Reassure you're going to keep her updated with pics of how you and doggo are going, and milestones you achieve. Just clarify that you're going to need time to think through the safety ramifications for yourself about your identity being publicised.

 

[blackemerald1]

Will you own the dog?

^ Thanks for your thoughts Sideways.

Once he is handed over on Monday unless something goes seriously pear shaped with either the dog or me - he's mine.

But he will wear the harness etc representing the organisation until he's retired.

The lady who ignored my request for privacy is not the trainer. She's one of the several supervisors that will call around to make sure the dog and I are doing what we should be doing. Apparently there is a group of them that will be taking it in turns to call around. I'm fine with that part, well secretly I can tolerate it, I hope.

But not pics of you

^No.. cannot be pics of me. Not now, not ever. Interesting how people just assume everyone has a fb profile and are completely open to their faces and lives being viewed online. They live in blissful ignorance don't they?

It was definitely not a prerequisite on any of the forms and there were a million of them. I know exactly what was on them because I had to get my doctor to fill out all of them. It took ages and she is wise to keeping my identity private in all matters. The organisation is certainly big enough to deal with the legalities of a consent form. So let's just hope it goes away.

Perhaps you could even suggest that you'd be happy to make the dog available to them when they want to do any publicity, but to stand aside and not personally appear in that publicity for now?

^Yes! Very happy for him to be a star. Very happy to take pics and email them through to the organisation. Not worried at all about his privacy... lol... Just mine.

She’s a real peach!

^Yeah. I was disappointed with her response. I've been tossing around in my head since she left if I should flick an email to the CEO and make it clear that no means no. But I will leave it and speak to the trainer. The trainer has read all of my medical records so she may be a little more understanding.

They simply cannot make me. I'm not doing publicity ever. I appreciate the funding is a really tough game but I can do other things for the organisation if necessary. Just behind the scenes.

I’ll be angry. You be excited. It’s a good division of assets.

^Thank you Friday - excellent idea. :)

I am so excited. I've even cleaned my car :wtf: !! :hilarious: Because it has to be inspected for safety etc. Cleaning it won't make it any safer but... I guess picking up all of those empty water bottles and straightening out the wardrobe I keep in it ..might make me seem a little bit organised?? Maybe it won't rattle and squeak so much now. Oh.. I'm embarrassed with such scrutiny. I live on the fringe.... lol.