Category: Dogs With Jobs

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Child’s Service Dog Denied Access At School, Family Continues To Fight For It

A family in San Jose is continuing their fight after their child’s service dog was denied access to the Willow Glen Elementary.

Lydia Truong tells NBC Bay Area that his 6-year-old so has recently been diagnosed with autism and has a history of eloping and/or running off.

With Truong’s son’s history, the walk from the parking lot to their son’s classroom has been challenging because the Willow Glen Elementary is located on a Main Street.

And so, to reduce the risk of their son running off, the family brought Maelene, their son’s service dog.

Maelene is trained to perform one important task: to run after the child and block his path, so the boy doesn’t stray too far and get into any dangerous situations.

However, Truong said that during the first day of school in August, the school’s vice principal asked the family to remove the dog from campus, asking if it was registered.

Truong then pointed out that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service dogs do not need certification. And they can be trained by their owners to perform a task that is directly related to a person’s disability

Furthermore, service dogs are allowed to be with their handlers, even in places that don’t allow pets. These establishments include restaurants, shops, hospitals, schools, and hotels.

So, after being denied access, Truong requested the San Jose Unified School District to put the denial and reason in writing.

However, the family did not hear any form of response from the district, not until September.

Preschool boy watching TV with his Shiba inu dog on blue sofa.
Egrigorovich / Shutterstock.com

In September, the parents received a letter from San Jose Unified School District stating the dog did not meet the criteria for a service animal.

It also noted that based on reviewed information, the dog does not do work or perform any tasks related to any disability. And that the student “had not been assessed by the district on his disability”.

However, Jan Garrett, Deputy Director for the Pacific ADA Center at the Public Health Institute (PHI) and a former attorney with over 25 years of experience interpreting ADA law, tells NBC Bay Area, “As long as the handler gets them under control right away, then that is still a service animal.”

Furthermore, after being shown a video of Maelene performing her task of running after the child and blocking his path, Garrett confirmed that the pooch is qualified as a service dog, and not merely an emotional support dog.

Garrett also added that schools cannot require an assessment of the child’s disability before allowing a service dog on campus.

The ADA website also states that you may only ask certain information about service animals using two questions:

  • Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
  • What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

And you are NOT allowed to do the following:

  • Request any documentation that the dog is registered, licensed, or certified as a service animal
  • Require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person’s disability

Which, in this case, were requests that the school asked from the family.

For now, the family has chosen not to bring Maelene back to school but are continuing her training. Truong even revealed that they’ve hired a dog trainer to help them train their dog.

NBC Bay Area reveals that they’ve shared Garrett’s review of the situation with the San Jose School District, but did not hear back.

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A K9 Helps Rescue A Dog Trapped On Top Of A Tree For Days After Hurricane Helene

A K9 lends a helping paw to another furry friend in need in East Tennessee after it got stranded atop a 20-foot tree due to the flooding brought about by Hurricane Helene.

On Wednesday, October 02, the Kingsport Fire Department reported that their Technical Rescue Team was working with a K9 Search Unit from the Murfreesboro Police Department to locate flood casualties when K9 Kari led the team to a tree.

The Murfreesboro Police Department wrote, “A glimmer of hope amidst the flooding devastation from Hurricane Helene in East Tennessee, a dog stranded atop a 20-foot tree is safely rescued thanks to Murfreesboro Police Department’s K9 Kari.”

The Police Department reveals that during the search, K9 Kari, a five-year-old Bloodhound, began barking uncontrollably and led the team to a tree. There they found a dog perched high in the branches, sitting on a pile of debris.

Thankfully, the KFD firefighters found a ladder that was washed away by flood waters nearby and used it to rescue the dog.

“After retrieving the dog, who was happily removed from the tree, rescuers were able to feed her,” KFD reveals.

On the other hand, K9 Kari’s handler, Officer Angela Alexander, said that she is proud of Kari for doing a job well done.

“The funny thing about Kari is she is not fond of other dogs but this time it was different,” Officer Angela Alexander said. “I’m so proud of her helping to find something good in all the devastation caused by the flooding.”

The Miami Herald reports that the dog has been on top of the tree five days after the devastating flood brought about by the storm.

“It appears the dog was pushed along by flood waters as the Nolichucky River overflowed early Friday, Sept. 27, and she eventually caught hold of a nest of debris in a treetop,” they explained.

Shortly after being rescued, the dog, whose name is Athena, was finally reunited with her family, WCYB reports.

To say Athena was delighted to see her family again and be reunited with them was an understatement. The pooch was wagging her tail and licking her owner’s face nonstop during the reunion.

The Faulkner family, Athena’s owners, said that despite everything they lost during Hurricane Helene, they’re thankful that they have each other and now, Athena, back safely.

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Therapy Dog At Genesee County Jail Viciously Attacked By Inmate

The Genesee County Jail’s 13-month-old therapy dog, Josie, was greeting inmates throughout the jail when she gets viciously attacked by an inmate on Tuesday, September 24.

In a news conference recorded via Facebook Live, Sheriff Chris Swanson revealed what went down during the violent incident inside Genesee County Jail.

During the encounter, Josie approached the inmate, Romello Maxwell, who was lying on the ground, before getting punched by him.

Josie started crying after being struck violently. And this prompted another inmate, who was sweeping the floor, approach Maxwell as a response to the violent encounter.

Sheriff Swanson reveals, “He struck Josie hard enough that created a concussion and scrapped the inside of her pupil.”

“She was sent to the vet emergency, [where] she stayed there for a day and a half. We had to get an MRI, we thought that it may have been a brain bleed and the cost is in the thousands,” the Sheriff added.

After watching the surveillance video of the attack, Prosecutor David Leyton said they charged Maxwell “as harshly as possible under Michigan law.”

Maxwell is charged as a habitual offender, which increases the maximum penalty from four years to eight years.

Furthermore, Maxwell has been revealed to have a history of assault against people, having previously assaulted two deputies in the last year.

“We’re going to hold people accountable. If they’re going to do that to these animals, they’re going to do it to people,” Sheriff Swanson said as he held Josie.

Leyton also said, “I don’t think the laws in Michigan are strong enough to protect our furry friends, and I think that if the legislature is listening and watching, maybe you’ll want to take a bill in that increases the penalties for people who would harm our friends, our dogs and our cats.”

Sheriff Swanson also reveals during the news conference that Josie is now doing well and is back on the job.

However, after the revelation that the dog is back to doing her job, people online were worried for Josie’s life and how dangerous it is for her breed, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, to be doing this job around inmates.

One user wrote, “Cavalier’s are too fragile to be put in potential harm. Therapy dog yes for nursing homes, pediatric units, helping yes but not inmates that had history of abuse.”

“Cavaliers are such small dogs. I just don’t understand how anyone thought it would be smart to expose a small animal to inmates who are known to be willfully and carelessly violent,” another wrote.

“I understand that therapy dogs can be beneficial, but in this scenario, at least use a larger breed that has a better chance at being able to defend itself and in the future, don’t leave them alone with these inmates to fend for themselves,” the user continued, before proceeding to call the incident a “careless mistake that could have been avoided”.