"hidden" struggle

I hate being am example of "hidden" struggles but here I am again, just another voice in the crowd crying discrimination. Tonight (5/15) we (husband, dog  and I) were denied an Uber because of the drivers ignorance and stubbornness. The driver claimed that denying me service because of the dog isn't against the law or Uber policy (it totally is BTW) and he (the driver) had allergies (Allergies or not you are required to take me unless they are  life threatening). I wish people would  fight this discrimination like they have anyothee problem but outta sight, outta mind I guess. *sigh*

Week of 3/21

I got to see grandma Nicholson on Tuesday and grandma and grandpa Dixom over the weekend! I stole moms breakfast Saturday morning and got crated all day because of it, but she's the one who left it out ready to bake sssooo... . I felt sick after that. We did a lot of walking. We also went on a cruse.  I also got to see my friend Rosco and meet a bunch of new friends  At the dog park mom found.

♤Happe

Don't be to proud of yourself there, that was really bad. It wasn't that much walking, hush. 

☆Katie

Intetaction

I know itd probably getting repetitive but people learn through repeating. So again.

how to interact with a service dog 🐕‍🦺 

🐾 approach the handler, not the dog 

🐾 never touch, speak to, photograph, or feed a service dog unless the handler gives you permission 

🐾 a napping service dog is still on duty

🐾 if a service dog approaches you, follow it back to its handler! The dog might just need correcting, OR the handler could be having an emergency.

🐾 keep your dog and other pets at a distance from service dogs; they are at work

🐾 treat the handler with respect and sensitivity

Boston

I know I haven't talked about being in Boston a lot other than saying we moved and to be fair we aren't really in Boston, we're on the edge. But I can say he's adjusted well, we take more and longer walks, we go more places, and he has more friends here. 

Muhahaha! I've stolen mom's phone! I've never been one to distroy furnitue so me not eatting the furniture isn't an indicator of me settling in and neither is anything I normally do so FIGHT ME!

Too many walks if you ask me and most just lead back home without any middle. ALL THE NEW FRIENDS!!!!! And I love them all!!!!

♤Happe

Happe! Have it back and let me finish! 

I like it here too. Everything seems more accessible (maybe I'm just better prepared and its not more accessable) , people seem nicer, and I'm not scared sh**less to go out on my own  (don't kill my confidence).  Ok, fine, so you aren't settling in, bot mu  problem.

Yes, a lot iof our walks are circles but you can't stay on the sofa and get fat. Sorry (not sorry).

☆Katie

Good Vibes

So today I'm on the escalator to get from the train (subway) to the door out. The guy behind me voices his  amazement with how well Happe is behaving on said escalator and was amazed watching him get off. It always makes me so happy when I hear comments and/or have conversations like that.

☆Katie

Wednesday

In case I forget on Wednesday.

Wednesday marks two years since I got my wonderful guide dog, Happe, from Leader Dogs for the Blind. I am so incredibly spoiled with him and cannot believe it's been two years. He's been through a lot life's gigantic changes and some big issues  with me.

I have so much love for this dog.

♡♡♡Happe♡♡♡

☆Katie

PD: a young lady in a black jacket with a her eyes closed and a gigantic smile pressing her face into the neck of a yellow dog wearing a brown leader dog harness and his eyes closed in bliss

Did You Know

"While some may think petting a service dog is the only way to distract them there are actually many ways! These can include: staring at them, making noises

at them, teasing them with food as well as waving at them!

You can help service dogs work by ignoring them and interacting their handler."

MSAR Elite

Service K9 Foreman

@HerLifeln4 paws

Giving Help Don'ts

COMIC STRIP 

A Day in the Life of a PWD (Person With a Disability) 

Frame 1:

A woman using a white cane stops a stranger to ask for help.

WOMAN: Excuse me, could you help me find the post office?

Frame 2:

The stranger grabs her arm, startling her.

STRANGER: Sure! It's this way. C'mon.

Frame 3:

The stranger pulls her along with him.

STRANGER: It's just over here...

Frame 4:

They reach the post office. The annoyed woman has dropped her cane. 

STRANGER (smiling and walking away): There ya go! (thinking to himself) I'm so helpful!

ALWAYS ASK FIRST! NO MATTER THE DISABILITYOR SITUATION.

☆Katie

Post Ideas

What do you guys want to see in terms of posts? Any burning questions? 

☆Katie

Fakes

Original text with the image from the Sonoma County Scanner Updates Facebook Page: Let’s talk about fake service dogs. 🫣

Fake service dogs do more harm than you think. Service Dogs perform tasks that their disabled owners would otherwise have difficulty completing on their own.

Service dogs take hundreds of hours of training and socialization for their dogs to perform their job. Most service dogs take 2 years + to train. Service dogs have countless hours of training that teach them to remain calm and focus on the task and handler while ignoring all distractions. Fake service dogs, do not.

Most people may not realize that using a fake service dog is dangerous to the service dog community.

Misrepresented service dogs are most likely not properly trained to be in a non pet friendly business. They'll behave in ways that will frustrate business owners and others. Inappropriate sniffing, barking, eating off tables or floors, jumping or lunging at others or even pottying in indoor spaces, putting a bad name on legitimate service dogs.

Unfortunately this can cause people with disabilities with well-trained service dogs to suffer the consequences of all of this. This results in added struggle and discrimination against handlers and their service animals. It can even lead to being denied access to public places that do not allow pets.

Fake service dogs may distract a real service dog from their job, by barking, lunging, growling or even just trying to play! they may throw the legitimate service dog off their game. While these dogs are well trained to do their best at ignoring these distractions, you can imagine how hard that is to ignore!

Aggressive or reactive fake service dogs may attack or injure a real one. Any reputable service dog organization will not allow a reactive dog to be a working service dog.

Service dogs are not cheap! Some cost upwards of 30 thousand dollars! All it takes is one wrong interaction for someone to be out their lifesaving companion.

I hope reading this, that some people may understand how serious this can be. Think twice before bringing fluffy into public. 

PD: A one-panel comic type drawing of a person in a brown shirt and green pants being led away by a person in a police uniform. The person in the brown shirt is in handcuffs.  Closer to the viewer to the right is a yellow lab or golden retriever type dog sitting with its back to us. It is wearing a harness with a red vest with a white circle and a red cross on it. Next to them is a German shepherd type dog wearing a navy blue vest with the word "Police" on it. The Police dog says to the other "No worries, you're not the one who faked it."

DO NOT FAKE IT

This Dog

I got so lucky with the most wonderful guide dog ever. I'm getting WWAAAAYYY spoiled with him. Thank you Leader Dogs for the Blind. Boston has made it so easy to get around too. Yeah, I've had some issues with technology, but nothing is perfect.

I am so happy that I can get around more.