Skruffy is Going to do WHAT???

Service Dogs come in all shapes and sizes…..there are the medium sized Service Dogs

   

….the small Service Dogs, some of whom will grow up into another level

and of course, there are the BIG Service Dogs.

      

The thing about Service Dogs is that they can perform a wide range of functions.  

  

I think we have all been exposed to dog which assist those who are blind, and unfortunately the need to assist our War Veterans/Heroes who came home missing limbs is becoming to familiar these days.

Many of you know that I am a retired Public Library Director.  Although this service was not found in the area around the city I was located in, many Public Libraries do have  Reading Therapy Dog programs.  Friends of mine in other cities found this to be a very positive program to get kids to read by reading to the dogs.

And of course, we are familiar with the Poker Playing Dogs….but they are just a joke.  What is not a joke is that our little Skruffy is now going to be considered a Service Dog.  Skruffy the Rescue Dog, turned Library Dog (she really went to work in the Library with me every day from when I got her until I retired), will now turn into a Service Dog.  Obviously this will allow Skruffy to live in the Condo.  But there is a very valuable need that Skruffy is going to fulfill for Marcia, who if you did not know by now, has MS.  For the past ten days or so we have done much research on this subject.  We have also consulted our Attorney, who just happens to specialize in Real Estate Law….and is the owner of a Title Company.

I found this very neat document put out by the DOJ.  Here are some excerpts….

Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained
to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.

When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform.

Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

So, the fair question is, what is it that Skruffy is trained to do?

Marcia’s biggest fear is falling, injuring her hip replacement of two years ago, and not having anyone around to help her.  When I leave Marcia in the Condo, Skruffy will be there with her wearing this “Hot Pink” Mesh Harness.

In the pocket will be a cell phone.  Skruffy comes to Marcia whenever she calls for her.  So in this case, she is already trained for the service she will be providing.  We are going to purchase a secondary, emergency cell phone which will allow her to call me, or call 911, or even just to call her normal cell phone if she mislaid it somewhere.

A secondary task she will be performing deals with our doorbell.  Marcia is very sensitive to unexpected loud noises…the sound of sudden loud bell or buzzer over stimulates her nerves and can bring on an exacerbation of MS (also known as a relapse, attack, or flare-up).  So the doorbell will be tailored way down….so low that if she is napping she would not be able to hear it.  But Skruffy will hear it, and those who know Skruffy know how she reacts to someone at the door. 
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As for the emergency cell phone, the best plan I have found so far is from PagePlus.  They seem to use the Verizon network, which for us is good.  A phone will cost $20, and for $10 we can have 100 minutes for 120 days.  So for a $20 investment, and then $30 per year, we have us an emergency phone.  Well worth it in our book.

When we first told Bubba, he just started laughing and rolling on the ground.  “Skruffy is going to do what?”, he seemed to be saying.

Then he turned his back on us, like he was thinking, “Why does that little girl get all the lucky jobs?”  Well Bubba, we do love you too.  But let’s face it…..who is the first one to bark when there is a knock at the door or the doorbell rings?  When we call Skruffy, she comes….when we call you, many times you start pretending that you’re a cat.  If we could have two service dogs, believe us…you would be one of them.  However, we can only have one service dog…and remember, we still plan on being together in the motorhome most of the time anyway.

So, what does the Condo Association think of this???  Well, that juicy story will just have to wait for a couple of days as our lawyer talks to their lawyer.  Believe me, what I have to say about the initial comments from the Association representative we talked to will be something you won’t want to miss….