No horses? What about service dogs?

Sisters Rodeo Grounds, Sisters Oregon

This sign reminded me of those "No Dogs" signs you often see in front of entrances to many businesses. I have had people ask me, "Does that mean your dog too?".  So let me dedicate this blog to what rights under the law that Cherelle has as a service dog and what makes a dog a service animal.

First Question. What is a service dog? According to Federal Law:

*"The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government."

A note here. In 2010 the Federal Government tightened the definition of service animal to be defined as a dog only with special exceptions for miniature horses used to guide those who are blind.

The answer to the second half of the question explains what defines a service dog and makes that animal different from a companion dog also known as your pet.

*"Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. Guide dogs are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include:

_ Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds.

_ Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.

_ Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance.

A service animal is not a pet."

*www.ada.gov/gasrvc.htm  For a more detailed explanation go to www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

Cherelle was trained by Dogs for the Deaf to alert me to sounds in my environment. Specifically for me those sounds are: smoke and Co2 alarms, my husband calling my name, someone knocking on the door (house, RV, hotel) oven timers, cell phone alerts for incoming text messages and reminders and the alarm clock. More recently we have added the warning alarms that go off when the refrigerator and safe doors are not securely shut. 

In pubic spaces her specific duties may change but her purpose, helping me be aware of sounds in my environment, does not. Because I know that Cher can hear and identify the directions of sounds I keep  an eye on her. If she turns her head I look too. She may have heard a car backing out of a parking space, a shopping cart whipping around the corner of a grocery aisle or someone behind trying to get around us. Having her has greatly reduced the frequency of being startled by the seemingly sudden appearance of something or someone. You probably are familiar with the phrase "never saw it coming", well before Cherelle I never heard it coming! I still don't "hear it coming" but I am now able to be aware.

Where can a service dog go?

*"State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is allowed to go."

Here are some specific places that Cher has been or could go.  Public transportation including taxis and commercial airlines, hospitals (few exceptions), doctors' offices and clinics, restaurants, except in food prep areas unless those areas are open to the general public. A person with a service dog cannot be refused housing in "no pets allowed" apartments or condos. Cherelle and I have been to a RV park that had a "no pets weighing more than 40 lbs allowed". Cher weighs around 58 pounds but because she is a service dog the RV park could not refuse us access.

So after reading this you now have passed Service Animals 101. Congratulations!

More later.....warmest regards from me with tail wags from Cherelle (aka Cher)

We liked it so much the first time.......

Well we have returned to the RV park in Sisters Oregon again. Hearing Dog Cherelle could not get enough of the rodeo grounds. She is still hoping that a ground squirrel will pop out of it's hole to say howdy. The ducks at the pond here are a bit more social or at least less elusive. She'll have to settle for them.

On our way here as we drove through the Santiam Pass we stopped along the road for lunch and to stretch our legs. We had a beautiful view of the river as we munched our sandwiches from the comfort of our motorhome. One downside was that the highway noise was pretty intense. I turned off my hearing aids and enjoyed the view in silence. Sometimes being almost deaf has its advantages. 

I inadvertently locked Larry out of the RV the other day. No really, it was unintentional, at least on a conscience level anyway (wink).  Fortunately for him Cher was on duty and let me know that he was knocking on the door. Without her he would have had to jump up and down outside in front of the windshield wildly waving his arms and hope I would look out that way and see him. I am sure it would have amused the folks around us to no end! 

This coming weekend will find us attending a small motorhome rally in Elkton, OR. Cher will get a chance to say hello to some of her canine friends who attend with their people. 

Until later.....Good wishes to all and tail wags from Cherelle aka Cher.

Cher with Larry stretching their legs along the Santiam Pass, Oregon.

Cher meets Dumbledore's Phoenix - sort of

Cherelle looks a little confused and you might be too. Last we reported we were attending a HLAA Convention in Portland OR.  So where did this Phoenix show herself?  Well at the same place! This weekend another "convention" was being held. "LeakyCon Portland".  According to the website LeakyCon is a fan conference based on Harry Potter and everything associated with it. The convention center was filled with young people, many dressed as various characters from the world of Harry Potter. "Phoenix Keri" was nice enough to agree to have her photo taken with Cher for this blog. We had to act fast because as you know the Phoenix immolates itself before it rises from its ashes to begin a new cycle.

Then there was the painted cow..............................

This was also at the convention center. Cher was not too impressed. It didn't move, make any noise or have a cow smell. Oh well, she can be a tough critic at times.

She did work very hard during the conference. There were so many cell phones that made the same sounds as mine!  People kept forgetting to turn them off while in the workshops. Boy were they surprised when Cherelle tattled on them to me. It is difficult to give someone a dirty look when you are grinning with pride and doling out treats. 

She also kept busy being an ambassador for Dogs for the Deaf during the conference. Many people were very curious about her and wanted to meet her. It gave me the chance to talk about DFD and the outstanding work they do rescuing dogs from shelters and training them to help people. This afternoon after demonstration DFD Hearing Dog Bonsai had to leave, Cher stepped in to be the canine representative at their booth. 

But now we are both very tired girls so you may not read new posts for a few days. For those of us with significant hearing loss events of this type are exhausting. This convention a little less so than others because the workshops were captioned and "hearing loops" or infrared systems had been installed in the meeting rooms. If you are curious as to what are "hearing loops" and infrared systems go to Hearing Loss Association of America website www.hearingloss.org

Good wishes to all from me

Tail wags from Cherelle (aka Cher)

A little of this and a little of that.

What has Hearing Dog Cher been up to since the last post? A little bit of everything.  

While staying with one of my sisters (I have three) in Sunriver, Oregon, Cher worked the microwave beep, let me know when the oven timer went off when my sis Ann baked cookies and when I was timing hard boiled eggs.  I did not want to end up with eggs that I could bounce across the room!  She alerted me when she heard my cell phone vibrate as it sat on my sister's kitchen table.  Not even "normal hearing" Ann heard that!  It was a message from my husband saying " Call me".  Thanks to our girl I was able to call him very soon after he had messaged me.  

OK I know a few of you may be saying " If you can't hear well how can you call someone on the phone?" Excellent question.  When I had a land line phone and Internet I used a caption phone that paired the phone with high speed internet.  The caption phone company used a combination of voice recognition technology and transcription service to provide written captains of what the caller said. These captions were displayed on the phones's screen which was about the size of the small iPad screen. But alas, since we live and travel full time in our RV, I no longer have a landline or an Internet provider.  What 's a HOH (Hard of Hearing) gal to do?  Fortunately there is a company called "ClearCaptions" that can provide captioning service for outgoing calls that I make on my iPhone. Sweet! That is now how I make phone calls.  If only it could be done for in-coming calls on the iPhone. 

Maybe some time in the near future?

Since Monday Cherelle has found herself with me and Larry at a RV park in Tualatin, Oregon.  We are attending the national convention of the Hearing Loss Association of American (HLAA) which is being held this year not too far from here at the Portland Convention Center. Today was the first day of the convention. Cher and I are both wiped out tonight.  She saw a number of other Hearing Dogs and a few other service dogs today.  I will admit that she got off to a rocky start by barking at the first service dog she saw. Color me red faced! However once she realized that she had to share the convention center with other dogs she kept her cool for the rest of the day. She ended her busy day with the two of us doing a short presentation at a Dogs for the Deaf reception held at McMenamins-Kennedy School. (A former elementary school that has been converted into a hotel, movie theater and eatery.)

We will continue with more posts about our HLAA convention experience and any other side trip happenings over the next couple of days. 

Good Wishes to All from me

and Tail Wags from Cherelle

Hearing Dog to Smelling Dog.

 

June 9-12, 2013

Captain’s Log.....Just Kidding

We have been on the road for four days now. Here are a few highlights.

 

Cherelle and I made a pit stop at the summit of Tombstone Pass where she found a bit of snow. For any of you who may be curious about this Oregon mountain pass, more can be found by going to:  www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20130119/OUTDOORS/301190016/How-Tombstone-Pass-got-its-name 

 

We have had our motor home parked at Sisters/Bend Gardens RV Resort. Which is adjacent to the Sisters Rodeo Grounds. We arrived on Sunday as the annual Rodeo was winding down. Hearing Dog Cherelle becomes Smelling Dog Cher on our morning walks through the grounds.  This morning was a bit on the nippy side with little icicles hanging from the stands. Cold weather does not lessen our girl's enthusiasm for these walks though. She enjoys cold weather because the scents seem stronger.

 

Cher helped me on one of our walks when I started to head off where some heavy equipment was scheduled to arrive. A workman was calling to me to let me know I needed to walk somewhere else.
Of course I could not hear him but I saw Cher turn her head and I looked in the same direction and saw the man calling to us. Good thing as the poor guy would have had to run up to catch me in order to get my attention. He did not appear to be in any kind of physical condition for jogging.

 

Cher has learned to alert me when I forget to lock the safe Larry installed in the RV. A new sound for her. It beeps when the door is either left open or when the door is closed but not locked. Our refrigerator also beeps if not shut firmly, another sound she works for me. Yesterday when the timer I had set for doing laundry went off she let me know. Even though we are mobile, Cher still does what she has been trained to do. Let me know about important sounds.  She certainly earned her treats so far this week!

 

 

Warm Wishes from me
and tail wags from Hearing Dog Cherelle (aka "Cher")

Savoring A Moment

It would be an extreme understatement to say that undergoing a major lifestyle change can be stressful.  I could tell at times that Cherelle too was feeling some stress as our daily routine and rituals fell by the wayside.  However she has worked the sounds for me like a trooper. Unlike me she is far better at savoring a moment, letting go of the stresses.  She reminded me of this important lesson as we took a break and walked down our lane. She made a little side trip off the road to nibble on the tops of the rye grass in our neighbor's field. Literally savoring the moment as she chewed the grain and then bounced through the tall grass.  (We do have permission to romp on the property.)  And how can I not relax and smile when she rolls over and invites me to rub her underside at the end of a long day.

Today the tall grass is mowed, ready to be baled and our home is empty ready for the new family to move in. A few select special items along with the "essentials" are tucked into the 35 foot vehicle we now call our home. Cherelle and I have said our "goodbyes, stay in touch" to friends and acquaintances. I've reassured family members that they will get frequent updates and scheduled visits. Within a couple of days my husband will ease our rig off our property and the three of us will trundle down the lane for the last time.  Although our home is on wheels and our city of residence will be continually changing, Cherelle and I will still be a "Hearing Dog Team", taking the usual challenges in stride and encountering new ones to learn from and hopefully overcome.

Let the "Travels with Hearing Dog" begin.

Warm wishes, Karen
With tail wags from Cherelle (aka "Cher")

Cherelle visits Dogs for the Deaf in Central Point OR.
Her starting point as a Hearing Dog.

April 15th found us "camping out" in our motorhome in the parking lot of Dogs for the Deaf. We were asked to come visit the staff and talk about life as a Hearing Dog Team. Cherelle and I wanted everyone there at DFD to know that their work is very important. They gave Cherelle and myself a new lease on life.  All the dogs that DFD rescues and train go on to help others in some way. Even if they do not end up as service dogs they do end up enriching the lives of those who adopt one of the "career change" dogs. 

The visit was also a way for Cherelle and I to say "Thank You DFD" as we marked two milestones.
April 19th was the sixth anniversary of Cherelle and I meeting and her going home with me after being matched by DFD and April 20th was her eighth birthday!  A very special month indeed.

We are still on schedule for starting our full time RV life beginning in June. Cherelle is wrapping up her vaccines and I am stocking up on the medications that she needs.  She and I need to decide which toys she wants to take with her and which she will give away.  Just like me and my husband, she will have to downsize possessions too. Personally I think she will have an easier time of it than either him or me!

Best Wishes to all
with tail wags from Cher