Getting A Service Dog.

[Friday]

bark sounds like she is extremely big and bad

If one of the neighbors mention what a tiny dog for such a big bark, kind of thing? You know to laugh and say that you can’t bring “the mean one” out in public like this lil ole thing, right???

IE let them think you’ve got a half feral man eater at home, to keep them out, only bringing the well behaved baby in public. Last thing you need is another half a nutsack being ripped off of a friend who was kind enough to water your plants and KNEW the durn dog, but surprised him home alone without you one day, and thank heavens it only blah blah blah…

Even the bad men love their mama’s and their testicles. If not always in that order.



I prefer not to lie. But have no compunction about doing so in order to protect me & mine. Helluva step up from having to shoot someone to get the same results.

 

[Sideways]

I am going to start doing even more elaborate scent work with her because she's really good at it

I've wanted to learn more about nosework, just purely as a personal curiosity. Alas, introducing a scent rag to my fluffball and he had zero interest ("Yup, that's a rag, and as interesting to me now as it was before you rubbed all the crap on it"). Rolling up treats in it is fun to the extent of getting the treats out, then it returns to its previous boring-rag status. Having a Beagle would definitely change the game there!

 

[blackemerald1]

So I got a phone call today. I was successful in getting the job... Yay!

But my joy was tempered somewhat by the curious situation that evolved when I mentioned my SD. Eh ? What? Lol - I could literally hear the wheels spinning for traction over the phone. Scrambling to re-read my application and on-line forms where I knew I had ticked the boxes and declared all.

It seems they saw no disability in me ha! And I didn't ask for any accommodations during the process so they forgot about it. Gold standard application process, where I won the job without asking for a leg up, so they forgot about it.

I didn't want to ambush anyone. I had declared it appropriately and whenever necessary. Not with a loud-speaker but nevertheless in all of the right places.

Had a good talk with the HR manager and it's all fine. They wanted me to start work in five days but nah... two weeks bc they will never get me onboarded in that time. This is a HR government and they can be quite efficient but not that much so. Plus I need to get all my ducks in a row too.

I've changed over K's food. I am transitioning her to a no grain Salmon kibble which thus far she seems to absolutely love. We are at one quarter new, three quarters old. She stops and takes a look in her bowl every time she picks up a new salmon kibble bit - just to be sure. And this dog has Beagle in her and that's not how she eats her food normally! She doesn't really eat rather, more like inhales food. It usually doesn't hit her teeth.

Plus I am transitioning her to some new treats from a New Zealand based company who slow bake their dog food. It's all protein (lamb) and is incredibly expensive but again, no grains so I think I can afford the small packets of dog food to give to her as training treats. Probably a lot better than the highly advertised dog treats I was giving her that say in fine print, 'contains beef'.. (yes but not much hey?) hmm... very dodgy!

 

[Freida]

Congratulations on the job!!

Be careful with grain free dog food. The first question SDs cardiologist asked me was if he was on grain free food because it is causing so many heart problems in dogs here in the states. I guess they do need the grains after all

 

[blackemerald1]

@Freida thank you for your response. Do you know why not having grains would create cardio issues?

Do you have any further information regarding the no grain dog food ?

Whilst this brand has omitted grains which I've been told are generally used as 'fillers' - it contains, along with Salmon, vegetables, oils and even some fruits.

 

[Sideways]

If it helps, this is the ASPCA's (the US RSPCA) short summary of the grain v's grain-free diet issue.

The solid advice is the same as always: speak to your vet about the best breed-appropriate diet for your dog.

For example, my dog? Big on dental issues, but any diet that is around 30% protein is great. When I've covered a week with the only option available and it was grain free, it was a disaster, and I now avoid it for my fella.

A lot of modern dog breeds (not all) have spent a big chunk of their evolution being largely scavengers around human settlements, so it's not true that all breeds are carnivorous in a really 'strict' sense.

High levels of grain can be an issue for certain breeds, just like some breeds benefit from raw food diets. The science is still relatively new. Some breeds are notorious for bloat. But the volume of "grain free" options currently available seems to far exceed the proportion of dogs who actually need a grain-free diet.

Grain remains a source of energy, and while dogs generally require a higher protein content in their diet than humans, for the most part they've adapted to a broad range of foods, including grain.

 

[Freida]

Here's one of the reports from the FDA.....I don't think they know exactly why grain free is an issue, just that there is some kind of connection
Grain free

What surprised me the most was that the cardiologist told me to skip the fancy crap and feed him Purina. Not sure if you have that but its just "regular" dog food. He said it has 80 years of research behind it, which the trendy stuff doesn't have, so it was way better ( and cheaper!)

@Sideways is right tho...best way to know is with your own vet.

 

[blackemerald1]

The food I am transitioning her to is salmon and vegies plus some oils and fruits. So, since Salmon is a premium protein and highly expensive I am fairly sure I have not just bought 25 kg of Salmon only - and the nutrition label makes me think I am correct. I think the ratio of vegies and other stuff is fairly high.

Beagles are notorious for skin issues/allergies/sensitivity. So there's that....

I don't know if mine has a skin issue right now or she stuck her head into something she ought not to.

Both possibilities are highly probable. She often returns from the yard with a black face and yet her skin tone is fair.

I have given her two consecutive doses of flea, mite and medications, a fortnight apart. Vet advice.

Bathed her in medicated shampoo and washed her funny face either side, lathering it up and washing it off every second night for ten days.

The hair seems to be regrowing. She has an otherwise full, shiny coat and has no lesions anywhere else on her.

It simply looks like she took to herself with the shaver and bit down hard - much like my sister did to herself the first time she found a pair of scissors and was unattended. The Vet reckoned I did a good job even noticing her face but of course he doesn't realise that she likes to sit and stare at me for hours.

I've never seen her scratch vigorously in that area so I suspect she did stick her nose into something she ought not to.

I've stopped all topical treatments now and just in case it is systemic via her diet, I will continue with this commercial dog food, which has been widely available for well over a decade and see if what happens.

I have told her to stick to her knitting and keep her nose out of trouble in future.

 

[Friday]

Hey hey… I wrote this, then got blind drunk, so decided not to post anything until I sobered up ;) Which means I’m coming into this conversation is a weird place… but it’s that or rewrite it. And my rewrites have been dying in drafts.

no grains

((You may already know this, but if not it’s good to know, and if so? No harm no foul.))

One thing to keep in mind… is that carnivores eat guts. Which have mostly digested (IE cooked) grains & other vegetation in them. Which I’ve just gotta love for the (warning: may break out into LionKing songs at any moment). Their prey? Is not only their food source, but their oven!!! Cooking foods they couldn’t otherwise digest raw. Which allows carnivorous systems to process not only the releasing sugars, but also
- trace & vital vitamins and minerals that are found in vegetation
- emulsifying fats which would otherwise go straight into the bloodstream clogging arteries,
- immune system support
- bone matrix
- etc.


Most dogs aren’t actually Carnivores, like their ancestors were, but are sorta sliding down the scale into scavenger territory (needing cooked &/or rotting food in order to digest it) nearing omnivorous / unable to thrive easily/healthily on either meat or plants alone. Some ancient breeds are still Carnivora, but most are solidly scavengers.

My family has been “feeding raw” in modern parlance for 4+ generations. It’s not all raw, in actuality often less than half, but c’est la vie. Modern parlance is a bit stilted. AKA we didn’t change the way we fed our animals during the Great Depression, when desperate people turned to anything that could keep their beloved -or working- animals alive, and dogs/cats went on mostly cheap grain based diets, wih just enough meat in them to give them half a normal lifespan. (It always baffles me when people say 7-10 years is a good life for a dog/cat. The only ones we’ve had who died under 20 years, and only the last year in decline, were violent deaths or congenital issues). Within a generation -and modern marketing- very few people outside of ranchers/farmers would dream of giving their beloved companions anything BUT what was an emergency measure, never meant to be long term.

When I BUY dog/cat food? I do mostly buy grain-free… but that’s also because I feed them cooked grains & veg & table scraps, esp if they aren’t hunting & eating the guts&grains of their prey, but often then as well.

One of the amaaaaaaazing (to me, I supposed it’s probably “well duh” to most people) is how different breeds evolved to need the guts of the prey they hunted. Terriers? Tend to thrive best on rodent guts (and the plant matter rodents eat), snow dogs on fish (and water vegetation, high country fruits/veg like bears do with blueberries & sweet roots), herding dogs & big hunters, on grazer bellies with high oil grains and deeply mineralized sweet grasses, etc. Very similar to how some dogs suck eggs, some eat them whole / shell & all, whilst others are mostly after the shell, and a 4th group considers any and all of that process horrifying & to be avoided. Unless the eggs are cooked. Physiologies that have evolved in different directions, sourcing their nutrients -and ability to digest those nutrients- in subtlety different ways. As hairless beach apes we tend to think of dogs as dogs, but even wolves -who ARE genetically homogenous- have different diets based on regional differences, and don’t do very well when theor prey base shifts… meanwhile dog breeds? Have infinitely more variation in their physiology.

<<< Such a geek, me. Disregard any/all of this as just me doing my thing.

 

[Sideways]

Very similar to how some dogs suck eggs, some eat them whole / shell & all, whilst others are mostly after the shell, and a 4th group considers any and all of that process horrifying & to be avoided

I know a lot of people give their dog a boiled egg as an enrichment activity. I've never been able to come at that, because I know (I just know) my fella would leave tiny bits of shell all over the place, then turn his nose up at actually eating any of it.

A beagle on the other hand would probably swallow the damn thing whole, then look at you like, "Oh, sorry, was that meant to be an activity? I thought you wanted me to inhale it!"

 

[blackemerald1]

K and I went to a restaurant with a friend a few days ago. Making the most of being in the city and all that. It was the kind of place that is known all over over the nation and is run by a organisation that is said to represent our service men and women. One would expect, therefore that the management and staff would have lots of experience dealing with service dogs accompanying men and women.

No.

I arrived with my dog, fully jacketed and looking forward to a meal. Instead I ended up in a confronting situation with a woman who was attending to the reception area. I know, I know, I know.... covid is making everyone edgy and perhaps that's what made her go off? I know I should be forgiving and understanding. But I have had enough of this intrusive behaviour.

When people are friendly and querying my dogs credentials I am fine. If they know what they are querying and why. If they know the Discrimination Act and how exemptions to it are applied. I am fine. If there's a reason to need to see her credentials then okay and if they are entitled to do so - fine.

But none of this applied. She didn't notice my dog till I was walking away after checking in with QR code etc. We were doing nothing wrong when she screamed at me, 'You've got a dog!' I turned and looked at her, hoping for some composure to settle over her but no... She gave me a earful about how dogs are not permitted on the premises under any circumstances. I told her my dog was fully pc'd and permitted into any place the public were permitted. She didn't seem to be listening and was raging at me telling staff to call the Police.

I asked her if she was the Manager and that really put some fire in her, she became even further enraged. We had a heated exchange with me asking to see the manager and refusing to discuss this with her any further.

She called somebody on the phone and a young man came galloping out. I asked him if he was the manager but apparently he was the shift supervisor. Hmm no, but I guess if nobody is going to call themselves manager okay? By now, I was getting fed up and I pulled K's ID card out and flashed it before his face. He had no idea what he was looking at or why. I then put it back in my wallet and the stand-off continued. He didn't know why he had been called to the foyer or what his obligations and responsibilities were....

I stood my ground whilst they actually talked about me to each other, pointing at the dog. My friend tried to intervene and ask them to stop being rude but they turned on him then. I started walking towards the restaurant area and they demanded to know where I was going. I informed them that they either allowed me to enter or denied me entry but they needed to make a decision and wear the consequences which would be severe if they chose to deny me entry. Tense moments ticked by and I was almost willing them to deny me entry at this point because I no longer felt hungry at all. The young man started telling me that I should be nicer about it all, his hands on his hips ugh....

Hello? I told him, 'I don't need to be nicer to you but you do need to be more informed. Now will I be allowed entry or do you want to go a round or two with the Discrimination Commissioner?'

We got our meals but it tasted like cardboard and I didn't feel okay at all. Just wanted to leave. My friend who has been a long term member of the organisation was livid.

 

[Friday]

Since it sounds like it’s un-reportable unless they deny entry? Does Aus have Yelp &/or other places to leave an honest review about how this place is THE place to go with a fully accredited service dog… if you want to be screamed at, have abuse hurled at you, your character shredded, bullied, and insulted by people who are either completely ignorant of the law, or simply choose to disregard it.

One better might be to write a letter to the owner/management team.

I know I should be forgiving and understanding.

What have they done, exactly, to have earned your forgiveness?

And you’re supposed to understand, what? <<< Being ignorant of disability access as a restaurant is like being ignorant of food safety laws. It’s their JOB to know what’s legal in dealing with the public. Every restaurant I’ve ever even picked up a shift at, in over a dozen countries, the very first thing they do is run down the laws with you. And I work in the back of the house, not out with the public. But to do otherwise, is to put their business at risk. Because, for some reason, I might come face to face with a customer they always cliff note at the very least, and often sit you through hours of basic training >>> So why is it understandable for them to serve rotten food, or hurl abuse at disabled patrons, or break any other laws directly related to their business? Because they might be having a bad day, or maybe their training program sucks? Those are reasons for THEM to apologize -at a minimum- or better their training. Idiots and assholes don’t need you to make excuses for them. They can do that all on their own.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not saying lose one millisecond of pleasure in your own life by being mad at them. They can be totally In. The. Wrong. and unworthy of your forgiveness or understanding… without obligating you to waste your life/thoughts/feelings on them.