18-year-old stands up for her rights

Caitlin is a freshman in college. Away from home for the first time. With her Diabetic Alert Dog, Ellie. Caitlin trained puppy Ellie from the day she took her home, the summer before her senior year in high school. They are an incredible team. Here is what happened recently in the town where Caitlin's college is located. These are her words.

"My roommate was going to take me to Walmart so I could get some soup and cold medicine. We were going with three of her friends as well. The guys wanted to go to Sally Beauty Supply Store to get some stuff so we stopped there before going to Walmart.

"When Kelsey, my roommate was looking at the many different hair extensions and I was standing next to her pointing out that there were even Dancing with the Stars sponsored hair extensions, the manager of the store came over to me and told me that dogs were not allowed into the store. I told her that Ellie was my service dog and pointed out that she had service dog stated clearly in two different spots on her bright pink service dog vest and also on her collar. She then asked me to leave the store. I did not leave the store because I knew that I was allowed to be there with Ellie. This is when the other employee also asked me to leave.

"After that I did leave the store because I was getting mad and did not want to cause a scene in the store and make myself and Ellie look bad. Kelsey told the guys that if they could get the stuff they wanted at Walmart to do that and then explained what had happened. They put back what they could get at Walmart and only got the things that they could not get at Walmart.

"Kelsey then went back into the store to ask for the manager's name and the corporate number that I could call to make a complaint. The manager gave her first name only and said she had no clue what the corporate number was. When we got in the car Kelsey’s boyfriend Ryan looked up the number to call the headquarters for the store. I called the number and got a really nice lady named Gina who was very nice and understanding. After getting my side of the story she put me on hold for ten minutes and called the store to talk to the manager. When she took me off hold she proceeded to tell me that she had explained to the manager that what she had done was against the law and that there were severe consequences that could happen if that ever happened again. Because of this a training program is being set up and the store had to apologize. The person that I talked to was extremely nice and I was happy with how the situation was handled. They are sending me a gift card and a coupon to use if I choose to do so. 

"I am happy with how things were handled and now everything is all better.

"The group of people that I was around during this were supportive and stuck up for me when I was unable to do so for my self.  Things at college are so much better than they were in high school and I would not change anything if I was given the chance."

As the trainer who oversaw Ellie's DAD training, I could not be more proud of these two. Caitlin has consistently exhibited incredibly mature behavior in training and caring for her service dog and knowing their rights. She is a rock star in my world! 

This is Caitlin, Ellie and two Type 1 Diabetics who hope to get their own DADs soon.
In addition to everything else, Caitlin educates others about T1D and DADs.

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Service dogs in public

Recently I observed an adult dog, in a service dog vest, exiting a plane with his adult male handler. Sadly, the moment the dog's paws hit the tile floor in the airport, he became completely unglued - struggling to keep his footing. He took a step and one of his legs would go out from under him. He would correct and it would happen again, trying desperately to keep up with his person. The handler ignored his struggles, walking fast, the leash short.

I stress the importance of great handling skills in public to my service dog families. Why? Because a dog who is distracted, anxious or improperly trained cannot effectively do his job. The video that follows illustrates appropriate handling skills by 13-year-old Olivia. She worked her year-old Diabetic Alert Dog, Gracie, deftly through and around people. For more than two hours, Gracie was focused, tail wagging - a perfect canine partner.

Bravo to Olivia and all the other great kids I work with. They demonstrate time after time that young people are often the best dog handlers.

Public Perception

Service dogs are more visible in public today than ever before. And yet ... a well trained service dog should be INvisible.

Invisible? Not literally, of course. But, yes, invisible in that the public is unaware of your dog's presence unless they walk past you. No matter where you go with your service dog, he should be well mannered, focused on and in sync with you. People who observe you leaving a restaurant should be overheard saying "I didn't even know there was a dog in here." In this video, 17-year-old Annie grocery shops with her 10-month-old Diabetic Alert Dog, Pacey. Note where he is sitting and his demeanor. He is quietly waiting (and watching) his handler.

Young handler. Young dog. Great job!

If you are struggling with your service's dog's manners in public, enlist the help of a local dog trainer ... one who uses positive dog training methodologies.

Healthy Lifestyle Expo

Two of the finest dog handlers I know are 14-year-old Christian Hall with his Diabetic Alert Dog, LuLu (in the orange vest) and 11-year-old Cassidy McAdams with her Diabetic Alert Dog, Pepper (green vest). The Healthy Lifestyle Expo was a wonderful opportunity to train the pups. LuLu is 10 months old and Pepper is 6 months old.