FAQS
WHAT IS A SERVICE DOG?
According to the ADA, "Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. 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. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA."
CAN ANY DOG BE A SERVICE DOG? CAN YOU MAKE MY DOG A SERVICE DOG?
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities act, any breed of dog can be a service dog. That said, very few individual dogs have what it takes. Service work requires a steady head, confident attitude, and low environmental sensitivity. Feywild can help handlers work through many issues. We will evaluate your dog to ensure its soundness, and always give our best try to help you navigate around their individual training challenges. This said, it is important to note that the mental health of your dog and the safety of the general public will always come first to us. When taking on any service dog in training (SDiT) client, Feywild reserves the right to recommend "washing out", or prematurely retiring the dog, from training.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DOGS, THERAPY DOGS, AND SERVICE DOGS?
Service dogs are dogs that are task trained to mitigate one individual handler's disability. They may go into stores with their hander, attend their doctor's appointments, and generally live life alongside their partner. Emotional support dogs are pets prescribed by a therapist or psychiatrist. They are not trained to do any specific action to mitigate a disability, but rather broadly provide comfort in ones home. They are not permitted public access, but may live in non pet friendly housing. Finally, therapy dogs are dogs that comfort many people. They have no special housing or public access rights, but are highly trained. They may be invited to visit hospitals, schools, and nursing homes to put a smile on people's faces.
WILL YOU HELP ME REGISTER MY DOG?
In the United States of America, there is no such thing! According to the Department of Justice, "Covered entities may not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal, as a condition for entry. There are individuals and organizations that sell service animal certification or registration documents online. These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a service animal."
HOW CAN I PREVENT FAKE SERVICE DOGS FROM ENTERING MY BUSINESS?
To quote ADA law, "A service animal must be under the control of its handler. Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual’s disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal's safe, effective performance of tasks. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls." If these conditions are not met, a business is legally allowed to ask that the dog be removed (though they must still provide services to the human, in absence of the dog).
Staff may ask two questions
(1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability The answer should be yes)
(2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. (The answer should be an action, not "emotional support").
If the questions are answered differently than outlined above, staff my ask the handler to return without the dog. It is important to note that, "Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog."
WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING DO YOU OFFER?
Feywild offers task training, public access training, and general trouble shooting for service dog teams. While we specialize in mobility service dogs (both weight-bearing and non weight-bearing), we are capable of teaching psychiatric service dogs, medical response dogs, autism assistance dogs, hearing dogs, and more. We also offer crossover training between multiple types of tasks. Our services are not guaranteed for medical alert service dogs, as this requires innate ability on the part of the K9. We do not train guide dogs. If you are confused on what type of assistance animal (ESA vs. Service Dog, type of service service dog) would be most beneficial to you, we can help!
Although it is a goal in the future of Feywild, we do not currently offer fully trained service dogs. We do not offer board and trains. We are thus an owner trainer assisted program.
Our methodology is LIMA (Least Invasive Minimally Aversive). Positive reinforcement is the cornerstone of our program. We recognize that dogs have the right to respect and fair treatment. However, we also recognize that disabled people have the right to safety while training their dogs, and thus on occasion we temporarily explore aversive avenues when necessary to keep everyone involved safe.
