What is an “Assistance Dog?”

 

Bonnie Bergin’s website says that President Kennedy’s staff contacted her when it began assembling the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) When the Act was written, and passed by congress, she was invited to the Rose Garden to witness John Kennedy add his signature. So she helped define their roles, their access rights, and their classifications. Dogs can do different things that range from physical to social assistance. ”Assistance Dog” generally refers to a dog that helps people with physical tasks such as opening a door, picking up items, turning on switches, and variations of those tasks. The most highly trained dogs fit this description that includes both behaviors and temperament. Social therapy dogs work with people in institutions, counseling and social settings.  So as I was reading the Website for the Bergin Institute I clipped these definitions. The dog I hope to purchase and train will be a  Facilities Dog that is qualified for social therapy.   ASSISTANCE DOG ROLLS

Assistance Dogs help people with disabilities be more self-sufficient. They “see” for blind people; “hear” for deaf people; offer mobility form people in wheelchairs;and offer therapy and love to people who are lonely or sick. Did you know that some Assistance Dogs, known as Service Dogs, turn on and off lights for their owners who can’t use their arms? They can also push elevator buttons, pull wheelchairs and retrieve items for their owner. When you see a person with a Guide Dog, you’ll know that the Guide Dog helps guide its owner around obstacles and alert him or her to street curbs and traffic. You may not have known that there are dogs for deaf people, too. These special dogs let their owners know when the telephone rings or if the smoke alarm or alarm clock goes off. They can even alert their person to a baby’s cry. Another special Assistance Dog is a Social/Therapy Dog. These dogs provide unconditional love to people who can’t have a dog because of their disability, illness or age. These dogs make special visits to places like hospitals and nursing homes. Dogs are often called “Man’s best friend”. Now you know that some dogs are even more than friends. For people with disabilities, Assistance Dogs make possible the things that are sometimes taken for granted.

Applying for a “Facilities Dog” at the Bergin Assistance Dog Institute

I have visited The Bergin Assistance Dog Institute in Santa Rosa five times now. Actually six, if you count the afternoon that my grandson, Will, and I rode the scooter across town to Sebastopol Avenue and peered at the puppies.

 

Cheryl and I have made some visits to see the dogs on a couple of Sunday afternoons. I’ve met with Cheryl Brighting, Jorgan Powers, Nancy Pierson, and was introduced to a busy Bonnie Bergin who pioneered “Service Dogs” and helped write the ADA legislation concerning access and training. She founded Canine Companions for Independence, and Bergin University for Canine Studies, both in Santa Rosa. Recently, I got a tour that included a demonstration with a dog who could push buttons, open doors, and probably a lot more.

So I have submitted an application for a facility dog.

 

My application is supported by letters of reference from Hal and Pat Sneath, Cindy Goede, and our daughter, Jessica. They are beautiful letters. Yesterday Nancy Pierson, who is a trainer, teacher, and also on the placement team, said that there were several applications ahead of mine. But I left feeling that my intended use of a dog to pick up where Bailey could go no further, was an appropriate use of a Bergin University trained dog.

 

I learned that they have four classes of dogs, and that their primary goal was to prepare service dogs to assist people with mobility impairments. These dogs are typically trained for over a year and a half, socialized, and checked for genetic issues. When they graduate they know over 90 commands, and have had weeks of training with their new owners. There are also “career change” dogs who can become facilities dogs, and social therapy dogs. The differences are explained on the Bergin University website.

http://www.assistancedog.org/our_dogs/our_dogs_and_pups.html

 

Nancy made sure I knew that there is a placement team that includes students and trainers who know the personalities of each of the dogs. There would likely be more interviews. If selected I would have to participate in 9 days of intense training, but in the end the dog would be capable of visiting in facilities such as hospitals and rest homes, and have papers to document its training.

 

As we finished, Nancy, told me about her dog that reads. Yup, reads. She has taken it to the NBC morning show, and Bonnie Bergin has had her dogs shown on CNN. “Your dog will be able to read too,” Nancy said. “All you have to do is teach her.”

 

You can’t be serious!  But she was.

 

So I begin this blog with expectations and uncertainties. I don’t know their timeline, and felt that the process of getting the dog might be competitive.

 

Nancy told me about dogs that had visited people in hospitals who had been in comas, from which they recovered. She talked to me about dogs that visited families in which there had been tragedies, and she talked about a classroom of children where the dog was able to discover which children were receptive to love, and which still needed time.

 

The stories were touching, but to be honest, they “had me at hello.”

 

So here goes. Wish me luck.

Next – Thanks (or apologies) to Jeannie

 

I borrowed a couple of images from the Schulz Museum for my blog. Two reasons: One is that they were just perfect for what I want to write about. Second, the Schulz Museum is a wonderful cultural asset in our community. Over the last year I have been collecting a portfolio of materials about the Peanuts Gang, Charles Schulz, Peanuts and Religion, and have created a half dozen PowerPoint programs that present and interpret these cartoons that so many of us grew up with. I presented a series for our Rambling Roses event at Bodega Bay, and as a part of our own Roses University Sunday night series. I’ve got a Kiwanis program coming up in December, and I’m looking for more.

The Peanuts gang still appears in 1,700 newspapers worldwide, and the seasonal television specials run at holiday time. For a layman, Sparky, was very well versed in the scriptures, yet was frustrated by the way institutions can focus on minute doctrinal differences, while neglecting their mission to be agents of reconciliation throughout the world.

Last month I was accepted as a DOCENT at the Schulz Museum. I had a chance to do my first docent work two weeks ago for a large group of visitors. Kristy knows she can call on me for groups that have a particular religious interest, since that is my specialty. 

However, both of the borrowed Schulz cartoons have a dog in common.

I wonder if that is a clue to the story behind this blog?  I think it is.

First Post

 

Mike set up this blog for me to write about a transition that is in front of me.

This first message is to get things going, and then I will start posting some pictures and copy as this unfolds.

Stay tuned.