# Service Dog Info Requested



## poppy1677 (Sep 23, 2007)

I was researching service dogs at my job for a disabled person whose dog was trained (by them, not official trainer or anything) to assist them. All I could really find on the internet was the fact that a person is not supposed to be asked if their dog is for service or denied entry, and a bunch of websites that offered "certification" for a fee, which seemed unlikely and quite shady as an aquaintance who trains police dogs takes 2 years and charges quite a bit more for her dogs than $50 for a vest and patch. I know state laws are different but is there any general advice you all can offer for this person on how to have their dog properly declared as a service dog? Tests to be taken, etc? Any advice greatly appreciated.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

First off those tests and certificates that are on the Internet -- you send in anywhere from $35.00 to a couple of hundred of dollars and sight unseen your dog is "certified" are *scams.*

Owner trained Service Dogs are legal but not really recommended for people that do not have experience training a dog or will not be under the close guidance of a service dog trainer.



> Quote:the fact that a person is not supposed to be asked if their dog is for service or denied entry,


Business owners or employees of a business or other place where the public is allowed can ask if a dog is a Service Dog.
There are 3 questions that can be asked:
1) Are you disabled?
2) Is that dog a Service Dog? 
3) What is your dog trained to do to assist you?

They can not ask what your disability is so question #1 and #2 are "Yes" or "No" answers. Question #3 can be general and worded in such a way that you are acknowleding that the dog was trained a task but you do not have to answer in such a manner to tell what your disability is. Of course if you are low sighted or blind and have a Guide Dog or in a wheel chair and have a Service Dog your disability will be clearly seen. 

A Service Dog can be denied entry to public places in some circumstances. There are certain areas in hospitals, some areas of schools without permission, some exhibits in zoos, and several others. 

For some information of a Service Dog at work you can check out this link 
Employement Information 

You may also want to read this about Certification of a SD.
Certification Information


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Quote:I know state laws are different but is there any general advice you all can offer for this person on how to have their dog properly declared as a service dog? ...


Once a dog is a Service Dog (Assistance Dog is another term greatly used) it is under Fed. laws. Before that while it is in training it is under the individual state law in which the dog is being trained. Some states allow owner trained dogs while others do not. What this means is while the dog is being trained, your state may or may not recognize it as a SDIT. You can still train the dog, but the dog and handler will not receive any special benefits while doing so.




> Quote: All I could really find on the internet ...


Since you were not able to find any info on the Internet I thought I would give you a link to keep you busy for a day or two to read and think about.









How about a 51 page document from the 
OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREEDOM ON FOUR LEGS:
SERVICE ANIMALS, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, AND
THE LAW

CIVIL RIGHTS BUREAU
JUNE 2002

Link to .pdf file


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Quote: an aquaintance who trains police dogs takes 2 years and charges quite a bit more for her dogs than $50


To be properly trained it will take 18 to 24 months for an owner to fully train a Service Dog and will probably in that time cost about $5,000. for regular expenses, extra health screening, attending obedience classes, temperament testing, etc. 

There are three stages of training 
1) Obedience
2) Public Access
3) Task Training

Links for more info:

Public Access Test --> ADI Access Testing 
and
IAADP's Minimum Training Standards for Public Access 

Minimum Standards --> Delta's Minimum Standards for Service Dogs


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