Month: September 2013

It’s a rare human being who is able to resist a puppy. The sweet puppy breath, soft fur, pink bellies and paws. Yes, people flock to a litter of puppies like migrating birds heading South for the winter. It’s true. We witnessed this phenomenon during a recent Bark in the Ballpark at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Generally led by a female human, her first reaction upon seeing the puppies was to let out a high shriek, “Look, puppieeeezzzz!” This was followed by an Oh-My-Gawd hand to mouth motion which alerted the other women in the flock, all running towards the puppy pile. The age of the girls did not matter – from youngsters to grandmothers – the reaction, once the puppies were discovered, was always the same. The puppies, in this case, were being hosted by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Thankfully one or two were adopted as a result of their appearance that day.

Puppies have a way with our hearts. All our senses are lost, replaced with the impulse to buy and no regard to the cause and effect of this spur-of-the-moment decision. We’ve heard, and repeated this fact before: people spend more time researching and contemplating the purchase of their cars than they do on the acquisition of a puppy.

After President Obama and his family were presented with the gift of Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, sales of that breed increased across the country. At the time, upon hearing of Senator Ted Kennedy’s gift to the Obamas, Dr. Jana Kohl, an animal-rights activist said, “This will fuel the breeding industry, which will fuel the puppy mill industry, which will increase homeless dogs at shelters and increase the numbers of dogs euthanized every year.”

A Florida groomer we recently spoke with said that after Bo arrived at the White House, she saw four new clients, each with Portuguese Water Dogs. That was somewhere between 2009 and 2010. The groomer told us that those dogs are no longer with those families, and more than likely ended up at the shelter. People forget that puppies grow up, oftentimes to be big, slobbery, peeing, pooping and eating machines. People also don’t realize the expense that goes in to caring for a dog, whether it is healthy or not.

But, even more troubling is the fact that by purchasing a puppy over the internet or in a store that profits from selling puppies, the puppy mill industry continues to thrive. Many Florida pet stores obtain puppies from out-of-state #puppymills and dupe consumers into thinking their newly purchased puppy came from a local breeder.

Stuffed into small cages, covered in their own waste, the breeder dogs languish in horrible conditions. The dogs are often exposed to the elements, suffer chronic illnesses and rarely, if ever receive veterinary care. Consumers who typically purchase these puppies online (sight unseen), or in a storefront have no clue as to the conditions under which the puppy was bred and raised.

Recently, #TheNewBarker dog magazine was invited to photograph six “survivors” of a puppy mill. The dogs were part of a rescue effort of around 60 dogs pulled from a North Florida puppy mill, transported to the Bay Area by Laura Fletcher of Loving Friends Transport. VIP Rescue Florida volunteered to foster 20 of the dogs.  At least two of the dogs were pregnant. In fact, Terri Ensign of VIP Rescue Florida telephoned several hours after we had taken the photos to let us know she was, at that very moment, “birthing puppies.” The rescue group is currently in dire need of foster homes. And, by the way, the North Florida puppy mill was not shut down, only fined. “Guess what we’ll be doing in another six months,” Ensign rhetorically asked.

Once you’ve seen a breeder dog, smelled a breeder dog and looked into the eyes of a breeder dog, you will be forever changed. It will bring you to tears. Sunday, September 22 is National Puppy Mill Awareness Day. To those of you who are volunteers with a rescue group, thank you for your hard work and dedication. This work is not for the faint of heart.

There have been many heroic stories of search dogs working what became known as Ground Zero after the tragedy of 9/11. But we also remember two separate stories about the guide dogs who brought their humans to safety as the day’s events were unfolding.

Roselle, a yellow Labrador Retriever, and Michael Hingson first met on November 22, 1999 at Guide Dogs for the Blind. She was his fifth guide dog. “It was obvious from our very first walk together that we were a perfect match,” said Michael.

The teamwork they developed was put to the ultimate test on September 11, 2001. As a computer sales manager, Michael was working at his desk on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the other side of the building, 18 floors above. Roselle guided Michael down 1,463 steps out of the building. Just as they emerged from the building, the south tower collapsed. “While everyone ran in panic, Roselle remained totally focused on her job,” said Hingson. While debris fell around them, even hitting them, Roselle remained calm. She found a subway station and led them both underground to safety.

As usual, Dorado, a yellow Labrador Retriever was lying under the desk of his charge, Omar Eduardo Rivera when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Rivera’s office was on the 71st floor and he heard, felt and smelled what was happening. He also felt the unbearable heat. As he and Dorado moved toward the exit, Rivera thought about the number of stairs ahead of them and felt he would never make it. “Not having any sight I knew I wouldn’t be able to run down the stairs and through all the obstacles like other people. I was resigned to dying and decided to free Dorado to give him a chance of escape. It wasn’t fair that we should both die in that hell,” said Rivera. He unclipped Dorado’s lead, ruffled the dog’s head, gave him a nudge and ordered him to go.

Rivera felt himself alone for several minutes, but then felt a familiar fuzzy nudge beside him. “He returned to my side a few minutes later and guided me down 70 flights, out into the street,” said Rivera. They did get separated by the panicked crowd for a few minutes in the stairwell. But within moments, the dog found his way back to Rivera and again nudged his leg. As the two were making their way down the stairs, a co-worker caught up with them. Rivera held her arm with his right hand and with Dorado guiding him on his left, the dog helped them get down the stairs and onto the street. It took them more than an hour to get down the stairs and reach a safe distance before the tower collapsed.

A Southwest Airlines employee said he was sick and tired of people with their “fake service dogs” getting a free ride on the airlines, and decided to take matters into his own hands. But, he may have taken out his frustrations on the wrong person, dog and organization.

Richard Starks, a trainer with Florida’s K9s for Warriors, was all set to travel from San Jose, California to Tampa, Florida with Stew, a service dog in training on Saturday, August 31. Starks was transporting the 112-pound Bull Mastiff, scheduled to be assigned as a service dog to retired Staff Sgt., Alonzo Lunsford, a survivor of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting.

Starks and Stew had been cleared for boarding by Southwest Airlines Customer Service. They made it through security. But just moments before setting foot on the plane, Starks was detained by a Southwest Airlines supervisor who began loudly interrogating him, even stating, “You look fine to me…” Even after Starks presented the proper paperwork including Stew’s service dog ID, the employee would not allow the pair to board the plane. He insisted that Starks publicly disclose the details of his own disability before being allowed on the plane.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) clearly states that a service dog is permitted access to public places, including restaurants, hotels, theaters and taxicabs. A provision in the law designed to protect the privacy of people with disabilities and to prevent discrimination clearly states that the individual does not have to prove his or her disability. In fact, only two questions are permitted to be asked: 1) Is your dog a service dog? 2) What tasks has the dog been trained to perform? Businesses cannot require special identification for the dog or ask about the person’s disability. It does not matter whether the dog is wearing a service-dog vest or whether the owner’s disability is visible. These provisions have been approved by the Department of Justice.

But, the service-dog issue is posing some special problems for airlines, due partly to people traveling with dogs wearing jackets indicating that they are service dogs when they are not. The jackets are simply purchased over the internet, no questions asked. Employees, confused over the definition between a service dog and a therapy dog, are often not well-versed enough in the law and/or trained to act accordingly. To make matters more confusing, other laws supersede the ADA when it comes to air travel and housing. Unlike the ADA, the Air Carrier Access Act allows airlines to require passengers with emotional support and psychiatric service dogs to prove they are disabled and that their dog is trained to assist them. This is done via the requirement of a letter on the letterhead of a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist or clinical social worker stating that the passenger has a medically recognized mental or emotional disability and is under the professional’s care. The letter must be dated within one year of the flight.

Apparently, there have been enough passengers trying to board with emotional support and psychiatric service dogs (who fly in the cabin for free) that the U.S. Department of Transportation is letting airlines use their own discretion with regards to allowing such dogs on planes. So, was the Southwest Airlines supervisor operating within the guidelines or was he making up his own rules? At this time, Southwest Airlines is taking the position that he acted properly and within the guidelines. We would like to see those guidelines, especially the part where it states an employee is allowed to verbally abuse a passenger they believe is traveling with a “fake service dog.” 

And, here is the rub, Southwest Airlines: it’s estimated that 13 to 20 percent of the more than 2.6 million Americans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001, have or could develop Post Traumatic Stress Disease (formerly known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Every 80 minutes, a veteran commits suicide, which means the total number of deaths by suicide is more than 6500 veterans every year. That is more than the total number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq to date. 

Dogs, whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. However, according to the ADA, dogs that calm a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack are considered a “reasonable modification to ADA policies.” We would hope those policies include a person’s right to privacy and protection from discrimination.

Once the Southwest Airlines employee was satisfied with Starks’ answer, he allowed the pair to board the plane. Other passengers came up to Starks and apologized for the disgraceful conduct displayed by the Southwest Airlines employee. By the time Starks and Stew reached their layover in Phoenix, Southwest Airlines staff were on hand to greet them and ensure the rest of their trip was incident-free. But Starks admits that he was adversely-affected by the incident. He was, understandably, angry and upset and is currently contemplating his next step.

But, why aren’t the airlines lobbying Congress to correct these problems and clarify the laws, provisions and rules? It’s a question Shari Duval, Executive Director for K9s for Warriors is asking, and one that she will surely find an answer to as she plans to go before Congress herself. “Southwest Airlines could be the leader in righting these wrongs,” Shari told The New Barker dog magazine. “They could be an advocate for educating the public and industries that service the public on the ADA provisions, as supported by the United States Department of Justice,” she added. “Veterans who go through three weeks of training with their service dogs here at K9s for Warriors, deserve better treatment than this. And, believe me, I will fight for them,” said Shari.

About K9s for Warriors: A non-profit organization that provides and trains service dogs for veterans with PTSD. Ninety-five percent of the dogs come from rescue shelters. The office and training facility are located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The veteran is given a service canine, complete training, certification and housing during their training. There is no charge to the veteran for the service that K9s for Warriors provides. The Department of Veterans Affairs will not cover the cost of dogs assigned for mental disabilities like PTSD, according to new federal regulations. They will pay for service dogs assigned to veterans with impaired vision, hearing or mobility. Therefore K9s for Warriors relies on community support, donations and fundraising efforts. To learn more about this organization, please visit http://www.k9sforwarriors.org.