Medics refuse to take service dog

[Eydawn]

Psychological benefit if not practical use... remember this is an adult with newer onset blindness so very vulnerable and depending on the coping system he has built to deal with it. AKA: the dog...

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[spenac]

W/o reading all posts I have to say there would be many variables to consider. I do think if you decided that it would not be possible to transport the animal you should explain why and also how the animal would be transported so the patient would be reassured that it was only temporary separation.

[DwayneEMTP]

Your question has been answered MULTIPLE times...

I guess I don't see where it's been answered either...can you paste it?

We're talking non emotional use, where this service dog serves a higher purpose for this man that a pet does for an elderly patient in the EMS environment.

Dwayne

[nypamedic43]

I was talking about here in the posts. I agree that the animal would be of no benefit in the ED and posted earlier that there are other options for transporting the animal to the ED for the patient when they get released or if they get admitted, that the animal would be taken care of until such time as the person gets released.

[Richard B the EMT]

Service animals are NOT pets., The following information is from one agency that trains service dogs, "Paws with a Cause". They are a non-profit, and, admittedly, what follows is part of their fund raising ad campaign, from their web site:

Types of Paws With A Cause Assistance Dogs

As a national non-profit organization, PAWS relies heavily upon the generosity of donors who support the work we do for people with disabilities. Our clients pay no fee to apply for or to receive their Assistance Dog from PAWS. The sponsorship to train and place a PAWS Assistance Dogs is $30,000. PAWS allows and encourages clients to participate in <a href="http://www.pawswithacause.org/Clients/AssistanceDogs/tabid/700/Default.aspx#" id="_GPLITA_2" in_rurl="http://www.textsrv.com/click?v=VVM6MTI0Mjg6ODM3OmZ1bmQgcmFpc2luZzpmOGM5Y2ZkMGVjMTZjYzk4OTAxOTA2MGJhOWM0ZTNmZTp6LTEwNDItMTI4ODc6d3d3LnBhd3N3aXRoYWNhdXNlLm9yZw%3D%3D" style="text-decoration: underline" title="Powered by Text-Enhance">fund raising activities. Our most successful clients are those who played an active role in their fund raising and placement process in their quest for independence.

Please note: It is PAWS policy not to place an Assistance Dog in a home with another dog under the age of 10 years. It has been our experience that a young dog in the home can interfere with the bonding and training process of the Assistance Dog team.

Hearing Dogs

Hearing Dogs learn to alert individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to basic sounds such as a smoke alarm, a ringing telephone, a crying baby or a doorbell. The dog is trained to alert the individual of a sound and then lead them to the sound. If the sound being alerted to is a smoke alarm, the dog then accompanies the owner out of the building. All PAWS Hearing Dogs are taught basic American Sign Language commands. Hearing Dog training takes approximately 4 - 6 months at the PAWS National Headquarters and Training Center. PAWS training Hearing Dogs for individuals 18 years of age and older.

If you would like to receive more information about applying for a PAWS Hearing Dog, please contact us.

Service Dogs

Service Dogs are custom-trained to assist people with physical disabilities or seizure disorders. Service Dogs can perform tasks such as opening doors, turning light switches on/off, or picking up an object as small as a dime. Should the client fall, the dog can even be trained to act as a brace so the person can regain position. Service Dog training takes approximately 6 - 9 months at the PAWS National Headquarters and Training Center. PAWS trains Service Dogs for those14 years of age and older.

If you would like to receive more information about applying for a PAWS Service Dog, please contact us.

Seizure Response Dogs

PAWS is the nation's largest provider of Service Dogs trained to deal with seizure disorders. A dog can be trained to (among other things) push life-alert buttons, help and/or comfort a person during a seizure and get help or retrieve the phone for the client. Although we do not profess to train dogs to detect seizures, several of our Seizure Dogs have, after several years with a client, developed the ability to alert their owner of an oncoming seizure. Seizure Response Dog training takes approximately 6 - 9 months at the PAWS National Headquarters and Training Center. PAWS trains Seizure Response Dogs for individuals 14 years of age and older.

If you would like to receive more information about applying for a PAWS Seizure Response Dog, please contact us.

Service Dogs for Children with Autism

In June of 2009, PAWS began a two-year pilot program for families living with Autism. The Service Dogs for Children with Autism program at PAWS places highly-skilled Service Dogs with children with Autism. The program's goals include having the dog help with social interactions and relationships; help with verbal and nonverbal communications; help increase a child's interest in activities or play; and help decrease overall stress within the family and home life.

To children with Autism, everyone, everywhere and everything is 'outside' of their world. Dogs can break into this world by always being there when they are needed by the child; dogs don't pass judgment on a child, like humans tend to do. By nature, the dog does not care that the child has Autism; they only care that they are a part of the child's life.

The Service Dog can facilitate hand/eye coordination. Socially interacting with their Service Dog allows for the children to have a friend - this often eludes children with Autism, as they typically lack the necessary social skills to participate in group activities or social outings.

The Service Dog can be vital in teaching the child life skills. The child learns to comb and brush the hair on the dog and they, in turn, learn to do it for themselves. The same things can be done with brushing their teeth, bathing and getting dressed.

Children who have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum disorder can qualify for the PAWS Service Dogs for Children with Autism program under the following criteria:

• 4 - 12 years of age (applications accepted for 4 - 10 year olds)
  
• in an ongoing education program
  
• in a physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy or recreational therapy program
  
• have excellent family support
  

If you would like to receive more information about applying for a PAWS Service Dog for Children with Autism, please contact us.

If you or your child are much younger than the above minimum ages, we recommend that you visit the website of Assistance Dogs International (www.assistancedogsinternational.org) for a listing of member programs, some of which train for younger children.

(From their fundraiser mailing...)

Each dog ... is a true working professional, having mastered an intensive, six month training regimen, following a year of"basic training" provided by one of our volunteer puppy raisers. Here's how it works:

Phase one includes a minimum of 12 sessions in public places, during which 28 commands must be mastered. We even administer a temperament test to ensure that dogs and clients are well matched.

Phase two trains each dog to respond to commands to retrieve 20 diferent items, ranging in size from a dime to a 5 pound hammer. A perfect score, with no dropped items, is required.

Phase three develops each dog's skills to deal with people's specific disabilities, like epilepsy, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy.

As you can see, we invest a tremendous amount of time amd effort in a dog before it begins working as an Assistance Dog.

Richard B, again. On securing a Service animal, they usually are in some kind of harness, through which a seat belt can be looped, so they don't become a living projectile in the event of a panic stop or ambulance accident. If you are afraid of dogs, or have an allergy, if you're in with the patient, swap out with your driving partner. If the dog rides in the cab, then you become the patient's care-giver. Let them sort out at the hospital who's going to claim the animal if the patient is going to be admitted, as I'm not going to delay patient care and transport if I can help it. If the LEOs are on the scene, turn the animal over to them to transport to the same ER you're headed to, and again, sort it out at the hospital.

[HellsBells]

but it is not okay to refuse a transport because you do not feel safe taking an unrestrained hyper-obese patient in your ambulance? Or are you only sympathetic to disabilities that CAN'T be controlled through diet or exercise?

I don't want to get too bogged down with this issue, but I don't understand the comparison. First of all, I am lucky to work in the service I do, because we have a bariatric truck we can call to transport these pts. However, if you're working a small rural service, that has no other options, how can one defend not transporting the pt because it may be unsafe, etc (providing, of course, the pt actually requires ambulance transport)?

On the other hand we have a dog, who may be very usful to the pt, is not required to provide medical care. So, if the Paramedic thinks the companion animal will lead to an unsafe working environment, the animal can be left behind and the pt will still receive treatment. In the situation with the bariatric pt, that is not the case.

I have a question for those who do work in hospitals: How are these animals cared for in the hospital setting? Are there any specific procedures in place? Do volunteers offer to stay with the dogs while pts are undergoing tests? Furthermore, what about other pts who have allergies to dogs, where do their rights end and the pts with companion animals rights begin?

[hatelilpeepees]

Your question has been answered MULTIPLE times HLPP. Climb off your double standardized high horse and READ!! And calling people names is highly unprofessional...oh but wait I doubt you have any professionalism so you dont know any better and you no longer have any credibility so the ignore button gets pushed from here on out.

Oh, when we get caught, we change the subject, NICE.......................... I just don't know how I will survive without your friendship. But anyway, I will ask again, what use is this animal in the hospital?

Edited by Dwayne...

And what about the next asthmatic patient who has allergies to PET hair/dander ?

[HERBIE1]

Oh, when we get caught, we change the subject, NICE.......................... I just don't know how I will survive without your friendship. But anyway, I will ask again, what use is this animal in the hospital ?

And what about the next asthmatic patient who has allergies to PET hair/dander ?

I'm thinking the animal won't be allowed to room the halls at the hospital-stroll through the OR and watch a surgery, down to CT, maybe a quick trip up to see some folks in the transplant ward...

Look- unless you live in an area that has an inordinate number of visually impaired folks who have service animals, how many times do you think you will encounter this problem? I worked in a a busy Level 1 trauma center for 15 years and only recall 1 instance where we had this issue. If I recall, we had the do with the patient until he went to CT, had security watch him for a few minutes, and eventually the patient was sent home. Not a big deal at all.

As for cleaning the rig in case someone has allergies, well, what if one of your patients has some communicable disease you aren't aware of? Don't we clean our rigs anyway?

I've averaged around 20-30 calls per shift for over 25 years. I can count on one hand how many times this issue has come up with me. I realize that part of what we do here is dissect and analyze situations to death- and often times to an extreme- but I really think we are making a mountain out of a molehill here.

(This post was not entirely directed at you, HLPP)

[Siffaliss]

You guys are smoking crack, again I ask, what can the SERVICE animal (pet) do for a patient in the hospital:

WOOF WOOF, what is it lassie, are they giving me toradol instead of morphine

WOOF WOOF, what is it lassie, should I order chicken instead of turkey for my dinner

WOOF WOOF. what is it lassie, are they putting a foley in me

WOOF WOOF, what is it lassie, is there a special in the gift shop today

WOOF WOOF, what is it lassie, is there an unrestrained obese patient in the room with me

Wow, this sounds so incredibly intelligent ...

Your question has been answered MULTIPLE times HLPP. Climb off your double standardized high horse and READ!! And calling people names is highly unprofessional...oh but wait I doubt you have any professionalism so you dont know any better and you no longer have any credibility so the ignore button gets pushed from here on out.

Don't think she's had any credibitlity since the hour after she joined the site ... She was probably laughing her ass off while she typed all the "woof woof" unintelligent BS.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Siffaliss

[hatelilpeepees]

Nice siff, when you cant argue facts, attack the person, that is so 3rd grade.