Papillons For Independence: Service Dogs

Majestic Joy Papillons is proud to be a supporter of service Papillons. Service dogs not only give their owners a greater sense of independence and security, but also provide constant companionship and love. The sole mission of a service dog is to contribute to quality of life. These animals provide loyal friendship, emotional support and freedom to adults and children with many forms of disabilities. Disabled people are allowed to use a trained service dog in a variety of public places as needed.

A service dog's duties and support comes in many forms; pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped objects, pressing elevator buttons, turning on/off light switches, daily routine activities, not to mention alerting their partner to a variety of sounds. Today we see primarily Goldens, Labs and Shepards as service dogs mainly because of their trainability, intelligence, size and strength. Activities such as opening doors and caring large obstacles are activities which, most of the time, require a larger skeletal structure. Obviously the Papillon, with it's small size, is limited in strength, but the not limited in other duties which it can perform.

Now, the Papillon is being recognized as a well-suited breed for some service work. For centuries this "Toy" was bred as a "lap" dog, a companion dog. However, today several dog trainers recognize Papillons as the ultimate socially interactive dog which literately becomes an extension of its human partner. The Papillon is best suited as a Social Therapy Dog because of their even, steadfast disposition. They provide loyal friendship, emotional support, companionship and endless love to nursing home residents, adults and children. This smaller dog is being universally recognized as the dog that can meet the needs of special people.

Thousands of hours are spent on training any service dog. Time is spent exposing the dogs to a variety of different living situations in an effort to produce a service dog that can perform tasks at home as well as in public settings, while remaining alert and attentive to its human partner's needs.

Several Papillon Club of America members are now using Papillon service dogs in their daily lives. For most service dogs, training is lengthy, sometimes taking up to two years for a dog to be fully trained even when the dog is ideal for the job. Considering their longevity of life, these dogs can be in service into their teens.

If you want to find out more about service dogs or if you want to train your own dog, just choose one of the Service Dog On-line Resources below:


Service Dog Informational Websites

http://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/gindex.htm Guide Dogs of America
http://hearingdog.com/firstpage/html Hearing Dog Information
http://www.petsforum.com/deltasociety/default.html Delta Society
http://www.caninecompanions.org/ Canine Companions for independence http://www.iaadp.org International Association of Assistance Dog Partners http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/dog.htm Dr. P's Dog Training



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Questions and Answers


Q: What are the laws that apply to my business?

A: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, privately-owned businesses that serve the public, such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, concert halls and sports facilities, are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The ADA requires these businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed.

Q: What is a service animal?

A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.

Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. "Seeing-eye dogs" are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities.

Some examples include:

Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds.

Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.

Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance.

A service animal is not a pet.

Q: How can I tell if an animal is really a service animal and not just a pet?

A: Some, but not all, service animals wear special collars and harnesses. Some, but not all, are licensed or certified and have identification papers. If you are not certain that an animal is a service animal, you may ask the person who has the animal if it is a service animal required because of a disability.

However, an individual who is going to a restaurant or theater is not likely to be carrying documentation of his or her medical condition or disability. Therefore, such documentation generally may not be required as a condition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal. Although a number of states have programs to certify service animals, you may not insist on proof of state certification before permitting the service animal to accompany the person with a disability.

Q: What must I do when an individual with a service animal comes to my business?

A: The service animal must be permitted to accompany the individual with a disability to all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. An individual with a service animal may not be segregated from other customers.

Q: I have always had a clearly posted "no pets" policy at my establishment. Do I still have to allow service animals in?

A: Yes. A service animal is not a pet. The ADA requires you to modify your "no pets" policy to allow the use of a service animal by a person with a disability. This does not mean you must abandon your "no pets" policy altogether but simply that you must make an exception to your general rule for service animals.

Q: My county health department has told me that only a seeing-eye or guide dog has to be admitted. If I follow those regulations, am I violating the ADA?

A: Yes, if you refuse to admit any other type of service animal on the basis of local health department regulations or other state or local laws. The ADA provides greater protection for individuals with disabilities and so it takes priority over the local or state laws or regulations.

Q: Can I exclude an animal that is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal - that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.

This information was taken from the Disability Rights Section of a U.S. Department of Justice publication. For more information about service animals or other requirements of the ADA, call the U.S. Department of Justice's toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-800-514-0383 (TDD.)



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"From Lap to Laundry" by Debi Davis

"Mommy, Mommy!" the child squeals, seeing my little 9 pound Papillon fetch the cell phone for me. "Look at that doggie. He wants to talk on the phone!"

Talking on the phone is a behavior I haven't taught him yet--it's up there with cleaning out the toilets and doing the dishes. But it's one of the few things he can't do for me.

I'm a double amputee with vasculitis, and I use a wheelchair for mobility. Because I get dizzy when I bend down, Peek has been trained to do ground-floor chores for me. In the USA, dogs like Peek specifically trained to assist people with disabilities, are granted full access privileges to public facilities, the same as guide dogs assisting their blind owners. Peek is allowed to accompany me into restaurants, stores, in airplane cabins uncrated and even in hospital visits, when I'm an in-patient.

In spite of their diminutive size, Papillons make excellent service dogs. They are alert, enthusiastic about learning, and love nothing more than the opportunity to spend every waking hour with the person they love. It's a good life for my working dog, who embraces his job with great enthusiasm.

He loves doing the laundry, pulling out the warm clothes from the dryer, placing them in the basket, then tugging the basket into the bedroom for me to fold the clothes. Quietly munching on his bone until I call him to put the folded clothes away, he leaps to my voice cue to go back to work, and places the folded clothes into the drawers. When all the laundry has been put away, he then takes the basket back to the closet, and closes the door.

In the kitchen, Peek's also a great help. He opens and shuts all the lower cupboard doors, the drawers, and opens and shuts the refrigerator door for me, by pulling on a dishcloth I have fastened to the door handle. He brings me paper towels, carries the kitty litter bag to the trash can, and picks up all the things that have dropped on the floor, like those inevitable pencils, paper clips and pennies.

Tidying up the house is also a breeze with Peek at my side: he picks up newspapers, dirty clothes, errant towels, hair curlers, envelopes and magazines, and places them in a basket to be taken where they belong, saving me the agony of bending over, and getting dizzy in the process.

Out in public, Peek becomes a marvelous assistant. In restaurants, he lies quietly on his pad under the table, and is ready to fetch anything I might drop, such as my napkin, my spoon, or pocket change. When we are ready to leave, he retrieves his pad, gives it to me to put in the backpack I carry on my wheelchair, then scoops up his leash from the floor and places it in my hand.

When my hands are full of packages, Peek opens electric doors by jumping on my lap, reaching up and pawing the handicap door opener button. Once the door opens, he hops off, fetches his leash, and follows behind me until he's through the door, then takes up his normal heelposition beside my chair.

When we get home, Peek helps put away the groceries, then puts the folded grocery bags in the bin under the sink for me. Exhausted, we both flop down on the bed, and I usually realize I forgot to ask Peek to make the bed that morning. So before we take a nap together, Peek and I make the bed together. He gets on his side, grasps the sheets, pulls them up, then repeats the exercise with the comforter. He jumps down to the floor, retrieves the feather pillows, and drags them back up on the bed, putting them at the bedstead. I do the same on my side, and in 2 minutes, the job is complete. In 4 minutes we're both asleep.

Peek is one of many toy dogs doing mobility assistance work for a person with a disability. But there are other types of service work that Papillons can do just as well. They make excellent "signal" dogs, or "hearing-ear" dogs, because they are so alert. A signal dog works with its hearing-impaired owner, alerting the owner to sounds in the environment, both at home and in public.

At home, the trained signal dog will paw the owner when the doorbell, the microwave, or the alarm clock goes off. It will also lead the owner to the nearest exit in case the smoke alarm goes off, a lifesaving gesture. Signal dogs also alert their owners to their names being called, and take their owners to the source of the voice. While in the car, the signal trained Papillon can paw the owner if a police or ambulance siren is heard.

The service dog who works with psychological and emotional disorders is also doing a valuable service. Imagine living with agoraphobia, and not being able to leave your house for years. Often, all it takes in such a situation is to have a companion dog along to help get a person back into the ebb and flow of life again.

Not all Papillons are suited for service work, however, just as not all Papillons excel in the breed ring, or the agility ring, or in obedience work. Normally, the dog who enjoys obedience training, has a calm disposition, and is not easily excitable or frightened, has the best chance of succeeding as a service dog.

But even the timid, quiet dog who doesn't care for outside attention can be trained to be a home-service dog, doing retrievals for those witharthritis, with bad knees, with aching backs, or by doing hearing-ear work for those who must take out their hearing aids at night. There is no end to the creative ways our little dogs can help us at home.

Most of us, at some time in our lives, will either be living with some type of disability, or will have friends and family members who are. A Papillon service dog could do wonders for those people, giving them real assistance with daily life, and still get the joy of being a full-time companion. When trained with humane methods, and treated with respect and love, the service Papillon leads a wonderfully fulfilling life. There is no more important job in the world.



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"Service Dogs Come in Tiny Packages, Too"
Reprinted with permission from The Sylva Herald; Sylva, North Carolina

Eddie, a 12-and-a-half-pound Papillon, is Marianne Hogue's service assist dog. It's his job to alert her to sounds and actions. According to federal and state laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, and N.C. Sate Statutes 168-4.2, just like a guide dog, Eddie is allowed to accompany Hogue in all public places, including restaurants. The N.C. Administrative Codes of Rules Governing the Sanitation of Restaurants and other Food Handling Establishments, states, "seeing-eye dogs accompanying blind persons and service dogs accompanying handicapped persons" are permitted in food establishments. "Even if a county or state's regulations say no dogs are allowed in restaurants, the federal ADA law carries precedent," said Bill Wheeler, Jackson County's new ADA enforcer with Pathways for the Future.

Eddie usually wears a vest and tag easily identifying him as a service animal. Hogue
suspects she has some access problems because people simply do not know the laws. "They don't realize there are other types of service dogs besides guide dogs. Service dogs come in small packages, too," she said.

Family, friends, churches and the Bryson City Rotary Club raised money to sponsor a hearing dog for Hogue. One sponsor, Clay Cable of South Carolina, made it his project to work out the details of getting Hogue a hearing dog after an agency in Michigan sent an untrained dog. When Hogue returned the dog, the agency kept most of the funds. "I always wanted a hearing dog; I'd tried seven and a half years to get one. I tried flashing lights, but they didn't work for me because I'm not very sensitive to flashing lights... and it's impossible to rig your whole house for the sounds you really need," she said. "Plus, lights don't alert you to an intruder breaking into your house, sirens and other such dangers."

Cable worked with Patricia Treadway from Chantilly, Va., to find a suitable dog and train him. Treadway is former director of a service dog agency in the Maryland/Virginia area. Eddie came from Ric and Linda Cosner's kennel, Kimbriel's in Pennsylvania. Susan Hiller, a professional dog trainer in Maryland, trained Eddie in basic obedience commands like "sit," "down," "stay" and "heel." Then Eddie returned to Treadway's for advanced training in sound alert, with Hogue visiting and working with him each month.

Finally, in December 1998, Eddie, whose full name is Kimbriel's Special Edition, became Hogue's companion. "Right after I got Eddie, we were in Wal-Mart and I was kneeling down looking at something on the bottom shelf when a forklift almost hit me," she said. "Of course, I didn't hear it and the driver couldn't see me, so if Eddie hadn't tagged me, I would have been hit."

Before she got Eddie, Hogue said she missed phone calls and visitors. "But now Eddie alerts me to those sounds and many more. Once, when I was driving, he alerted me to a sound; he was very hyper and quite insistent about it," she said. "I couldn't see anything so I just pulled the car over and stopped at the edge of the road. At that very moment, an ambulance, with its lights flashing, cut right out in front of me."

Hogue sleeps peacefully now knowing that Eddie will alert her to potential intruders and the fire alarm. "Pat said after hearing dogs are taught to alert to certain sounds, they realize that they have a job to do and alert to other sounds that they've not necessarily been trained for," Hogue said. Like her new bread machine. "It makes a little beep when it's ready for fruit to be added, and Eddie comes to get me then."

Some repetitive sounds that Eddie lets her know about she has had to teach him to ignore, like the water sprinkler coming on in the producesection of a grocery store. "Last November, when I moved to the house I currently live in, I was the last house on the road since all of the summer residents returned to Florida for the winter," she said. "This spring, when they started arriving back to their homes, which are past mine on the lane, Eddie would alert every time a car drove by. It took him a while to realize not every car was a visitor for me. He takes his job very seriously."

Hogue admits Eddie doesn't pay attention in church, however, since he tends to sleep through the service. "Maybe he's just not a Baptist," said Hogue. He may not be a Baptist, but he dabbles in politics. Say to him, "I'm Charles Taylor's friend," and he'll extend his paw for a shake.

Even though Eddie is fully trained, Hogue said training is an on-going experience for hearing dogs to practice their skills and constantly learn new sounds.

Eddie's breed is Papillon - French for butterfly, was named because the dog's ears look like butterfly wings. "He a cute little dog and everybody wants to pet him, but he's a working dog and it's important he not get distracted."

This little Papillon is so clever, he even knows some sign language. Hogue says he's "really smart and learns fast. He thinks with his stomach - the treats are his salary." As for meals, Eddie enjoys ABADY all-natural dog food. Hogue doesn't like for him to have "people food" because it teaches him to beg, plus some of it could make him sick. He does enjoy carrots and broccoli ("no tops, please.")

He hates his weekly baths, but he loves to have his teeth brushed with poultry-flavored toothpaste, recommended by his vet, Dr. Samuel Potter of Sylva.

It not all work and no play for this service dog. When it's play time, Eddie's favorite sport is chasing Frisbees.

One of the funniest comments made to Hogue about Eddie was someone who said, "Oh, he's your 'seeing-ear' dog!"