Q. About seven years ago, I was trained by Canine Companions for Independence and received my dog, Derby, from them. I am a high-level quadriplegic, and the decision to get a CCI dog was not made lightly. The application process is daunting, and the ongoing care is expensive and time consuming.
I talked it over with my family, and everyone was on board. My application was accepted, and I attended training. The training was arduous but so worth it! At the end when I was paired with Derby, I knew right away we were pals for life.
“Jane is short-circuting the system and acting like she has a CCI dog. What should I do? Do I avoid the topic and stay angry?”
Derby helps me pick up items off the floor, puts things in the garbage pail, grabs my mug with his teeth and — most importantly — barks when I need help. He knows to just lie down and be quiet when I am out in a coffee shop or a restaurant. He wears a vest indicating that he is certified so I can bring him into establishments and on trips. I don’t know what I ever did without him.
Recently, though, I have been having difficulty with my friend Jane. She and her dog, Juicy, have not gone through training. Juicy is a large, rambunctious black Labrador. Though she’s friendly, she jumps up and scares people and other dogs, including Derby.
I have asked Jane to tell Juicy to behave, but Jane ignores my comments. Recently, Jane started putting a blue CCI vest on Juicy and bringing her into stores and restaurants. True to form, Juicy runs all over and does not behave.
This makes it more difficult for individuals like me with a trained dog to enter an establishment without being questioned. Plus, I know all the work involved in getting trained with a CCI dog. Jane is short-circuiting the system and acting like she has a CCI dog. What should I do? Do I avoid the topic and stay angry? Should I initiate a conversation and risk her getting angry and defensive? I want to maintain our friendship, but I can’t get past Jane’s use of Juicy as a certified CCI companion dog.
A. There are specific guidelines and procedures that everyone must follow to get a CCI dog. With this certification comes responsibility. And the owners and dogs must comply with rules and training when they are working. What Jane is doing violates the rules and, as you suggest, Juicy’s behavior makes it appear to others that a certified dog with a blue vest is not under control.
You have some options to consider. One approach is a very low-key conversation with Jane stating that you enjoy spending time with her, but that her use of Juicy as a trained CCI dog is misleading and is not fair to those who have gone through the expense and time of being trained.
Hopefully, Jane will agree and refrain from using the vest and stop bringing Juicy into establishments. If Jane gets angry, you can try to further explain your reasoning for bringing this up: that you are concerned it will make it harder for trained dogs like Derby to enter establishments without pushback; and that the action she is taking with her “imposter” CCI dog may well create an adverse impact on your ability to have your dog assist you when needed.
If Jane still refuses to comply, you may have to resort to being blunt and say, “Apply to CCI for a training slot, or I won’t be spending time with you when you have Juicy.”
While tricky, this sends Jane a clear message. In the long run, your relationship with Derby must be primary, and integrity of the system of having a recognized support animal must be held to a high standard so that it is understood by the public and not abused.
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You should tell your friend ‘Jane’ that what she is doing, slapping a vest on a pet dog with the intention of inpersonating a service dog is a slap in the face and hurts everybody that has put in the time and/or money to aquire (or self-train) a real service dog, AND doing so (impersonating a service dog) is a crime in 23 states with penalties as stiff as a misdomeaner along with fines up to $1000 and up to 6-months in jail. Furthermore, the Canine Companions for Independence organization name is copyrighted and they will likely take a serious (and probably not pleasant) interest in a person that puts a bootleg CCI vest on a pet dog.
Where did “Jane” get the vest? If talking to her doesn’t work, the next step (if not actually the first step) is to let CCI know someone is using their vest on a non trained dog.
I am so sorry for your predicament. I can’t tell you how many times someone has come up to and asked where they can get a vest so they can take their dog shopping, etc. I always ask if their dog is a canine good citizen (many times you can tell without asking). I talk about 18 months of training my current dog. People are so surprised when Hannah lies down when I am in conversation or at a restaurant, etc. I tell them, “That’s training. Who trained your dog? What does your dog do for you?”
Our county and our largest city have medallion programs. After submitting an application form, letting the Sheriff’s Department observe my dog, her vaccination record, and a reference from my doctor, I was issued a medallion for Hannah. The only problem is that many businesses don’t know about the program, or are afraid to ask someone to take their dog out when it misbehaves. (One day at the dog park I was telling someone about the medallion program, and the fact that your license is no fee when you have a service dog. When I told her about submitting the vaccination record, she replied “Oh, I never vaccinate my dogs.” Conversation ended and I no longer go to that dog park.
We have been attacked several times by “service dogs” in stores. We always contact the manager and inform them of the medallion program. They have the right to refuse entrance to any service dog who does not have a valid medallion. We just keep persevering and hope that more folks will start listening and acting.
Assuming you have informed your “friend” (?) that her fake service dog needs to stop wearing a CCI vest immediately or you will notify CCI of her fraudulent behavior. I am certain if you were to give CCI her contact info they would reach out to her and follow up as appropriate.
Please contact CCI so they can deal with this problem directly. This reflects very poorly on CCI to have a poorly behaved dog represent their organization.