Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Ask Abi and Valerie
Abi and I have been training our alert dogs for quite a while; abi longer then me. We are constantly amazed by how awesome alert dogs are and we understand the frustration that training can sometimes bring. We want to help people find the success we have found so if you have any questions post them as a comment and we'd been happy to attempt to answer them or find someone else who might know the answer. We love to share our experiences so please ask away :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Hey, Abi & Valerie, great posts. You (and your dogs, of course), rock!
i want both of your responses on this one - and dee, too . .
i've had a few people ask me lately if a DADog needed to be with its handler 24/7 - or if, on occassion, maybe the team might 'take a break' and the dog stay home while the handler enjoys an evening out. my gut response is, 'ofcourse, you need to be with your dog 24/7 . . .that is why you get a service dog - to be there anytime you need assistance.
but, i do know of dogs that alert even tho' they are not with thier handler 24/7 -
so, i'm just curious how y'all and dee would answer this question.
i'll be throwing this out at diabeticalertdog.com, too - so you might want to copy and paste answers there later!!!
I don't think you need to be with your dog 24/7. While bloodsugars do change a lot...we've been without dogs for years so I think we'll be ok if we are without them for an hour or so. I mean I love riding my bike but I just don't feel like I can do it safetly with lucy so I ride without her occasionally. I also want to go to cedar point but it gets so hot in the summer and I'm planning on just going with cory. I think its cruel to take your dog to walk around an amusement park on hot tar in intense heat. If you've got an alternative for the dog while you are there then great! but I don't have one so I'll probably go without her. My bloodsugars would be as well controlled but its not worth risking her health and safety.
Yes, we were talking about going to six flags and i said that i would DEFFINATELY leave darcy at home... even though i would miss him!! i agree with you when you say that it is cruel to put a dog through that kind of misery. they go with us everywhere else and take care of us 24/7, we need to be cautious of their health and their needs.
BUT, i don't really understand having a service dog and NOT having him with you MOST of the time. that's why we got them, right? I don't think that it is right to pick and choose when it is most convenient for you to take the dog with you and when it isn't so convenient. After all, our dogs are always making sacrifices for us and they don't 'pick and choose' when to alert based on their convenience!
so... if someone asked me if a service dog needs to be with it's handler most of the time, i would say yes. i do know that when you have a service dog, sometimes it will be impossible to have him with you at all times - and i think that it is ok to leave the for an hour or two occasionally. but i could probably count on one hand the times that i have left Darcy home.
and i do believe that you should NEVER bring your service dog somewhere that will compromise their health.
what do you think, Mrs Dee?
can we move this to a brand new post addressing this question? I can't figure out how to copy and paste it. And i completly agree with you abi. I would say a majority of the time but not ALL of the time expecially if would bother the dog or his/her health.
Post a Comment