Danielle: A Note from Mia, the Service Dog

I know that Mom, I mean, Danielle, is supposed to write all of these posts, but I felt the need to post on her behalf today, as she is very, very tired, and I am clearly very, very intelligent…

Mom seems to love this new job quite a bit. Me, I’m not so sure. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting up at 8 a.m. instead of 7 a.m., and if Mom wakes up early I get an extra walk in the morning! It’s just all of these little kids – all of the time. They are so high pitched and excitable. Every time they see me they squeal as if it’s the very first time they’ve ever seen a dog – even if they’ve already met me! All day, every day, it’s “Oh, my gosh!  It’s a puppy! Look, it’s so CUUUUUUUTTTEEEEE!!!” Then they chase after me to pet me and grab my tail. I’m not even allowed to nip at them; not that I would because I’m the best dog ever.

I keep giving Mom the evil eye, and she just smiles at me apologetically. I can tell she gets tired of being followed everywhere by a chorus of coos and awwws, too, so I forgive her. It’s really funny when we go out to the grocery store and frequently we see adults doing the same things! I just wonder if they know how distracting it is. I’m trying to help Mom and concentrate on her, but they are pointing and talking at me so much that I can’t focus! Then Mom gets annoyed and I think I have something to worry about, but she tells me to ignore it, and I get all confused. 

On Positive Behavior Training Day, the elementary school set up different stations around the school so that students would know the right ways to behave in different parts of the school. The awesome school counselor shared her station so that we could teach students about who I am and the best way to behave around me and Mom! Mom did some silly imitations, and told everyone what I did for her. She said some nice things about me, and I stood looking my very prettiest for the compliments. The kids were very cool about it, and they have been a lot better ever since. Now if only we could work on the taller ones…

I guess I like Mom’s new job. It makes Mom happier, and when Mom is happy, I’m happy.

Just remember, the next time you see a service dog - keep walking! Overcome temptation and don’t talk to the owner, don’t talk to the dog, and don’t talk about the dog. Remember that it’s hard for us to work when someone’s making a fuss over us.  We have jobs to do! Thank you!!

Comments

[Nick]

I really enjoyed this post. I can only imagine the fuss you get over the dog, and how that can be distracting. You did a great job of teaching the children how to act around the service dog, and I'm pleased to see things have gotten better. This post gave me a new profound perspective on service dogs, and I thank you for that!

[Danielle]

Thanks for the comments! I was unsure about writing the post, and you've all made me so glad that I wrote it.

Every service dog is different, of course, so I wouldn't want to make generalizations. In general, so long as you ask first, you aren't distracting the dog.

The question I'd suggest you stay away from is "How does your dog help you?" The thing is that when you ask that question, you are asking for my medical history, essentially. If I say she detects seizures, then you know I'm an epileptic. If I say she can detect my blood sugar, I'm probably diabetic or hypoglycemic. It is one thing to reveal this to my students, but perfect strangers are another. When asked, I usually say that she keeps me out of trouble, which most people will accept. Many of them get really insistent on knowing, however, and some have wanted full medical diagnoses! It's kind of uncomfortable.

The other consideration to make is the disruption you are actually making to the owner. I hung out with an old college friend for a day, the first time she had met Mia. At the end of the day, she remarked "I don't want to sound negative, I just never realized what having a service dog entails. Your entire day revolves around the dog. So many people want to ask you questions... How old is she, what breed is she, what does she do for you, how does she help you, what is her name, how long have you had her, are you training her, where did you get her, can I pet her, does she do tricks, can you really bring her everywhere? Then they tell you about their dogs! And it's the adults, not just the kids! Everywhere you go, all day. I used to think it was polite to comment on the service dog. Never again."

It's not that I mind it. I understand that it is coming from a good-natured sense of curiosity and desire to be friendly. I only get snippy when people express their desire for a service dog of their own. Much as I love Mia, I'd leave her at home happily if it meant I wasn't disabled. :)

The students and teachers can visit with her and pet her during quiet times in the day when she is in my office or classrooms. Basically any time that she isn't in the busy hallways. She has been great for helping forge relationships between kids, colleagues, and even my bosses. She has a wonderful calming influence on kids, and we often use her with students who are upset and unwilling to open up. She's an invaluable asset, even if that wasn't her intended use. :)

[Brittany]

What a great way to teach children about the importance of service dogs! One of my students just got a puppy and wanted to share them with the class. We couldn't bring him into the classroom because he was not a service dog so we went outside. The dog loved the students and the students started rolling around in the dirty with the puppy. We will have to do a lesson on the different types of dogs (service and pets)so they know when it is okay to play with someones dog. Even though this was a students pet they seemed to get some therapy out of visiting the dog. They were happy, relaxed, and they didn't have any behavior problems for the rest of the day. It was amazing to see them all get along giggling, smile, and playing together without having to intervene. Thanks for bringing attention to the matter that we need to teach our students about the importance of service dogs and how hard their job is.

[Anne]

I love this!!! Last week in News to You our class learned about 'Helping Dogs'. We discussed what a helping dog was and who in our knew one. Only one student knew a helping dog (or service dog). So then we pulled up pictures and videos of a service dog at work and also when a dog was not working. It was a fun and interesting week learning about dogs and the services that they provide to their owners.
But this would be a great resource to use about how to interact with a dog, especially from the dog's perspective. Many of my students are afraid of animals and a couple of them just automatically run to the animal with no boundaries. So learning how to be around dogs would be a good life skills lesson.
Thank you for your posting!

[Nicole]

This is a great post. I can imagine how all the kids react with the dog. One of our teachers at the school I'm student teaching in has brought in her dogs a few times and the students lost all tract of what they were doing. I can only imagine what the kids would be like with a dog there all the time, especially if the students do not understand what he is there for. I think the Positive Behavior Day provided a great opportunity for the students to learn more about what Mia's role is and become more comfortable with her being in the classroom with them. I'm glad it did help the students become more accustomed to having them with her so both Mia and the students do their roles in the classroom.

[America Sandra Berry]

This blog gave me an uplift and a very busy day and when I got home being greeted by my 2 dogs! Made me more appreciative especially as my husky did his talking version (not a real bark) and my Chihuahua yapped in her words, almost like telling me how their day went. This gave me a different perpective of not petting the dog or talking so as not to get them "off duty". This is informatin to tell my students especially my medically handicap students as we take them outside and they see various working dogs walking next to their owners. Thanks for the info.

[Kelsey]

I loved this post, and as a dog love myself it is very difficult to not stop and say hello as I'm sure it is for the kids. Having an information session on appropriate/innapropriate behaviors is a great idea to help students understand not only why the dog is there but also how difficult its job can be when there is a lot of commotion. My students and I just read a short play about war hero dogs which they were very interested in. Is there ever a time that it is okay to stop and and play with/talk to an service animal and their owner?

[Gerryanne]

This is a great post! I'm such a dog lover that every time I see one, especially doing something as great as being a service dog, I would love nothing more to say hello and pet the pooch. This post definitely helps me see that I should not be doing this, and it's so great that the school had different stations and this was included in one. If you don't want people to come up to the dog at school, having a talk with the students and informing them is the best way to do it. Such a great idea for your blog this week!!!

[Kristin]

What a great idea! A service dog in school! I have never worked in a school with a service dog. But I guess you are right if there is a dog in school that is working you would need to teach all children to leave the dog alone. Is there sometimes that the dog is off duty that the children get the chance to come pet him/ play with him? Does the dog only work with certain children or a specified class? I have heard that dog are good therapy for people- I know it works in the nursing home setting.

[Tonya]

I love hearing about how service dogs can make difference in the classroom and working with our students. Last week I did an enrichment lesson in my language arts class on the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards. My students were soooooooo interested in this. We were able to learn about all the different types of dogs nominated for this award in addition to watching a few of the vignettes profiling the dogs nominated. I believe this is an untapped resource for special education teachers and I cannot wait to see what the future holds in using animals in programming. Very innovative ideas!

[Chandra]

This is great! At my school we have two service dogs in our Autism rooms. This is the second year that both dogs have been at the school. I wasn't at the school last year so I don't really know how kids reacted to them but this year during our morning "Middle School News" time over the tv system, there was a presentation about the service dogs and why they are in our school. One of the parents of the student who uses one of the dogs made a DVD movie of Bob (one of the service dogs) and described why he was there, what he does, and what is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of contact with BOB that everyone in the school watched one morning. I thought that this was great because it's something that the kids were able to really get into and it was coming from someone else, not us teachers. From the contact with the dogs in the school, I have yet to see any students acting in ways that they shouldn't with the dogs. I think that it helps that the students are in middle school and are at the age where they are able to understand and respect why the dog is there and the fact that he is 'working'.

[Natalie]

This is a very good perspective of a service dog and to open the eyes of people who are unfamiliar. It makes sense that all of the commotion makes the job hard to do. It is great that you help your mom and work so she can also work. The kids will be kids and get excited no matter what, but an informative session never hurts. I think it is a good lesson for children to learn as they may see them besides in school and they must know appropriate behavior. Good luck and keep up the good work!

[Alley Chai]

I had to smile when I read this blog post. I, too, have a service dog and I know how it feels when both kids and adults are fussing over my dog, cooing and awwing, wanting to pet her and hug her. However, my service dog, Koda, goes to local elementary schools to see the students in special education classes. My mom is a special educator and started a program called, "Art with Dogs", where the students who have worked hard all week get to do an art project with the dogs. The students LOVE it! They work hard all week, do their work, follow the rules, just to have one morning with our dog. They love to hug her, take her on a walk, and just talk with her. Somedays we hear more communication from one child to our dog then we have ever before. It has been truly amazing!

Service dogs can be a great reinforcement for positive behavior if done right! I plan on using Koda in my own classroom, too!