Pawtners in Crime | Skephalo

.:I AM A WORKING DOG:.

PROLOGUE

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Service animals have been a huge part of the world since the 1750's. At first they were only for the blind and the deaf, but then they slowly started to get more popular. Being disabled doesn't necessarily mean you have to be in a wheelchair, or be blind, or be hard of hearing. Being disabled means that you have a condition that heavily affects your day-to-day life. It wasn't until the late 1970's where service animals actually started to get popular.

Out of 43 million Americans who have disabilities, around 1% of them are paired with service animals. Service animals come in two species: Dogs and miniature horses. Any other animal is not recognized by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) law. While you can have mini horses as well, most people choose man's best friend. All breeds of dogs can be service animals, but there are a select bunch who are Service Dog material. 

Service dog candidates are decided by a list of things, temperament being the most important of the bunch. If a dog can't get over its fear of other animals, people, or objects, then it is most likely to wash. If a dog can't control its prey drive, then it is most likely to wash. If a dog doesn't have work drive, or a drive to please their owner, then it is most likely to wash. If a dog is too fragile, too loud, too stubborn, too nervous, etc. then it is most likely to wash.

What is a wash-out service dog? While this 'condition' mostly happens to handlers who owner-train a dog, a service animal program can have wash-outs too. A wash out is a service animal who has to stop training because they cannot get over an obstacle in their path. This dog will never be a service dog. 

Owner training your service dog is becoming more and more common these days. While I did it myself, it is very tough to teach a dog every task you need them to perform. Some people even need two service dogs, both for separate conditions. Due to the fact that some handlers prefer to owner train their service animals, there is no legal service dog registration in the U.S. Having a piece of paper you payed $50 for off a scam site does not make your pet dog a service animal. Unless the site ends in '.gov', it is not an official government website, and therefore does not count as any proof whatsoever in court. You get a doctors note to prove your animal's legitimacy, and that's how it's been since the 1980's. 

There are 4 popular breeds for service dog work: Golden retriever, Labrador retriever, Poodle, and German shepherd. This is known as the 'Fab 4'. I have none of the above. My dog, Lucy, is a Maltese. Small dogs are often not accepted for service dog work, but a dog can be a service animal no matter the size. Teacup and smaller breeds just tend to make more of a commotion than others, are more fragile, and tend to not be able to do the job that well, so it makes them a poor choice. 

Lucy, though, is perfect for the job. There are five types of service dogs: psychiatric service dog, medical alert service dog, mobility service dog, seeing eye dog, and hearing dog for the deaf. Having more than one of those types in one service animal is a 'multi-purpose pupper'. I have a psychiatric and medical alert dog. Psychiatric is for my PTSD, which causes me to feel threatened in non-threatening situations, freak out over the littlest things, practice anxious behaviors, dissociate, and occasionally have flashback episodes 24/7. Medical is for my dysautonomia, which causes my heart rate to go haywire whenever I move from laying down to sitting up to standing. I tend to get dizzy spells randomly, and more often then not I end up fainting. Lucy alerts to and responds to both of those when they are going to happen. It's magic having a dog with you to say 'Hey, you're in danger and I need you to sit down to stay out of it'. It's really cute and heartwarming and personally? I couldn't ask for a better dog. Lucy is my world, she's my baby, she's my rat. I love her with all my heart. Not only is she my lifeline, but she is my best friend. I don't know what I would do without her. 

I do get to take her everywhere with me-- it's the law. Without her I could easily injure myself, and I wouldn't be able to live normally. The only places she's not allowed to go without permission is privately owned property, or areas restricted to the public, such as sterile hospital rooms or food prep rooms. Even so, I, along with many other handlers, go through the same muffiny problems every single day. Some times we're not allowed to go in without a registration card, which is first of all illegal to ask for or require, and second of all does not prove anything. I like to think about it like this: if you want to be a doctor, or a vet, you go through years of training. You don't just go online and take a short test, pay for 'qualification' and waltz into a hospital surgery room. It astonishes me how uninformed the world is.

My name is Darryl Noveschosch. I'm 20 years old, and currently attend college. My childhood is pretty much blocked from my memory, and I live alone a dormitory on campus. Well, not completely alone. My service dog, Rat, keeps me company when I have things to do. It's pretty quiet here in Florida, but I manage to live every day with the hope that there will be a better future. I try to educate as much as I can, but I feel too shy to stand up or talk out when I'm the only one saying something. The world hasn't exactly been kind to me, to which I question: why? It will most likely never be answered, so I will deal with the cards that I've been dealt. 

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