# New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Dog



## GSDLVR76 (Aug 6, 2007)

Did a search and didn't see this article.

I was flabbergasted that the school even did this. I don't blame the parents for taking legal action.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,548200,00.html


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## Stephanie17s (Jun 16, 2009)

I'm curious why the school's "spokeswoman" feels she is qualified to say that the dog is too young to be able to do it's job. I wonder what training she's had to be able to accurately say that.


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## Powell (Oct 13, 2006)

I would also have asked the spokesman be reprimanded or fired. 


Powell


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## sleachy (Aug 10, 2001)

The school spokesperson says the 2 yr old GSD is too young to have been properly trained???


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

the 2yr old is another dog that the boy was going to sue and they denied entry to that one as well.


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## Metalsmith (Mar 25, 2009)

How disgraceful. The people making the decisions at that school should be ashamed of themselves and I'm glad to hear that the family is pursuing legal action.


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## xwildman138x (Jan 11, 2008)

ADA is going to eat that school for lunch. Those people at that school might as well said "we only allow white children here". That is a lawyers DREAM.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*

I'm so sick of school administration power trips! I hope they get their







kicked in court by the ADA!

Where is the post made recently about the GSD, on this board, saving his girlfriends life in the middle of the night! Maybe they need a few examples on how a dog's instincts can tell far better than an "aide".


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## xwildman138x (Jan 11, 2008)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*



> Originally Posted By: Jax08I'm so sick of school administration power trips! I hope they get their
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah what are they gonna do when the aide is out smoking a cig and drinking a coffee yakin on the phone and the boy is inside crashing. The shepherd never stops working never needs a coffee break and in most cases better than a human altogether.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*

not to mention that the dog can almost always tell a problem before the boy himself would even realize it, let alone an aide. Hmmmm too bad the boy doesn't have a service dog or something to help in situations like that


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*

My sister is a very brittle diabetic and I know how difficult it can be to observe and catch the symptoms with some individuals.

It's not like such a diabetic is always aware and personality changes with sugar fluctuations often puts them in self denial.

Perhaps the school has had no experience with diabetics who cannot simply be put on an insulin schedule.

With a child, given their normal ups and downs in behavior, I can see how valuable a GSD (I'd sure their nose can detect the change in breath odor in a heartbeat) would be.


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## pamela berger (Jun 19, 2008)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*

I read somewhere recently an interview with a woman who said her service dog can tell when she is about to suffer a seizure - the dog stays right by her side, starts whining and trying to get her to lie/sit down, etc. - within 30 minutes she will seize.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*

One of the most unusual Service Dog stories I can recall was an 8 week old Rin Tin Tin ARF KIDS dog was selected for a little girl who suffered seizures. On the way home from Texas to Florida the puppy started acting strange around the child and she had a seizue. It happened two or three more times on the trip home, each time the baby alterted to the child's seizures. Finally the parents put two and two together and recognized the puppy's behavior as a seizure alert.


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## Smith3 (May 12, 2008)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*

Someone is going to get paid, big time. Unbelievable.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*

Did it say what exactly does this dog do for the diabetic child?

If he can tell about a seizure and let the teacher know, then by all means the dog should be allowed; but if it is just a companion to the child no matter how good it makes the child feel then it should not be allowed.

Wonder who is responsible if the dog bites another child? or even if it just knocks another child down?


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*

Schools are actually not obligated to allow Service Dogs as they fall under Title II of the ADA, I believe. This is different than businesses.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post1175281

Also, detecting/alerting is not enough to grant public access with a dog, the dog must have 3 trained tasks mitigating the disability, I believe, to be considered a Service Dog under the ADA for public access.

And, this family obtained the dog from Heaven Sent Paws (sp?), the now rather well-known school that's, uh, making headlines.

On a personal note: In my opinion, a dog at any age and type could possibly alert to a condition. However, also in my opinion, a lively 2 year old GSD mix being asked to lie under a desk for 6 hours a day, surrounded by excited schoolchildren, that may or may not work for the dog and/or kids best interests and safety. HSP has several dogs who have been reported as having bitten. The dogs themselves may have been otherwise fine dogs, set into a situation that they were unable to handle. Public access throws us curves all the time.


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## xwildman138x (Jan 11, 2008)

*Re: New York School Bans Diabetic Boy's Service Do*



> Originally Posted By: BrightelfSchools are actually not obligated to allow Service Dogs as they fall under Title II of the ADA, I believe. This is different than businesses.
> 
> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post1175281
> 
> ...


Hmm now thats a different way of looking at it, true true


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