Category: Therapy

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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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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”.

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Comfort Dogs Provide Support To Community After Apalachee High School Shooting

A team of comfort dogs headed to the Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia to provide support after the mass shooting that happened on Wednesday, September 04.

The person who is responsible for the mass shooting, 14-year-old Colt Gray, took the lives of 2 students and 2 teachers and have left 9 other individuals hospitalized. CNN reports that Gray is charged as an adult with murder.

In the wake of the heartbreaking event, the Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) K-9 Comfort Dogs announced on September 05 that it will be sending nine comfort dog teams from six different states across the southeast to Barrow County.

The comfort dogs, together with their handlers, were deployed to Barrow County for a week, from September 07 to September 14. They have provided much needed comfort to families, survivors, and the first responders who serve them.

Comfort dog at the Apalachee High School
Credit: Zoara Comfort Dog / Facebook

The team of good boys and girls, all Golden Retrievers, include:

  1. Peace from Orlando, Florida
  2. Moriah from Oviedo, Florida
  3. Phinehas from Fremont, Nebraska
  4. Job from Memphis, Tennessee
  5. Jemimah from Boca Raton, Florida
  6. Faith from Hickory, North Carolina
  7. Hope from Marietta, Georgia
  8. Seth from Seneca, South Carolina
  9. Zoara from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

After arriving in Barrow County, LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs shared photos of some of their comfort dogs, wearing vests that said “Please Pet Me”.

They also wrote, “Our hearts ache for the students, families, and staff affected by this heartbreaking loss. We are here to offer comfort, a listening ear, and a gentle presence in this time of deep sorrow.”

For a week, the comfort dogs have been working tirelessly, providing all the support the community needed.

The dogs have attended vigils, visited students from Apalachee High School and other Barrow County schools, and have also met with first responders at the Barrow County Fire Department.

Paul Soost, the lead volunteer for the Winder deployment of the K-9 Comfort Dogs, told WSB Radio, “Every one of the schools that we’ve gone into … the teachers have commented, with the kids, it has really helped them come back to school.”

“We can see the calming effect that the dogs have on people as we come in,” Soost added. “Sometimes people are more comfortable connecting with a dog than they are a person.”

 President and CEO of Lutheran Church Charities, Rev. Chris Singer, tells WGAU Radio, “We would love to make all of this just go away. And obviously we can’t. The next best thing that we believe we can do is be here.”

“Be here with this community and to try and help provide some comfort, some support, and awareness that this community is not alone,” he adds.

After wrapping up their week at Barrow County, the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs posted on Facebook saying, “Thank you for welcoming us into your community. Our prayers remain with you all, and may the peace of God continue to surround you in the days ahead.”