Training a service animal in sorority house?
 

Has anyone ever had to deal with a member wanting to keep a service animal in training in a sorority house? A sorority house is clearly not a place of public accommodation, and the member does not need the service animal for herself. I see no way that she possibly can claim that this is legal, but I'm wondering if anyone has encountered this before. Thanks!

I can't see why a service organization would place a puppy with someone living in a sorority house, or a college student in general for that matter. They tend to go to families who have the time for the attention, training and classes that you have to bring the puppy to.

Is she asking this before getting the dog?

The 5 week old puppy showed up today, a week after she moved in. She didn't tell anyone in advance, including her highly allergic roommate.

That's really weird. Do you know what program the puppy is attached to? What kind of dog it is? Does she have any documentation?

Not to mention 5 weeks is really young.

I'd ask for the documentation from the training organization and a contact number. I have a feeling it doesn't exist, but I could be wrong.

http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/ This should provide you with information, and maybe links to the alleged organization in your area.

Honestly it sounds like a pet with a fabricated justification. I'd also check with your house corporation and your Inter/national HQ as it may be an insurance issue. If she was in need of a registered and trained animal, with a documented disability, that's different, but I am thinking that is not the case.

It's all kind of fishy, as I understand it's a 5 week old pit bull. I've worked quite a bit with disabled students and I've never heard of a pit bull as a service animal. While it's not impossible, I too wonder if the organization knows what kind of environment the dog is in. We did have someone who wanted to have a dog in training in the dorms, so I guess it is possible, but probably pretty rare.

We do have in our bylaws that service animals are allowed, but she doesn't need this animal herself. There are just so many potential problems with having a dog in a sorority house!

I'm again not saying it isn't possible, but that is not the usual breed for a service animal.

This site agrees that a breed known as "fighting" is not the best choice.

http://www.iaadp.org/breed.html

ETA: Can you imagine the RM or insurance nightmare if the dog bites someone (either e member or a visitor) or destroys personal or chapter property? It gave me chills just thinking about it.

Not at all, never mind the fact that I can't for the life of me figure out what type of aide a pit bull would be trained for.

Reputable, real service agencies do NOT place training puppies in environments they have not researched and approved. Dogs such as guide dogs for the blind are incredibly expensive, specifically bread dogs. They don't just give them to people willy nilly to raise.

Seriously ask for her documentation, especially being a pit bull, that alone as a regular house pet can cause general insurance issues because of their temperament.

I think you need clarification on the policy from your national organization...regional officer, whomever you would go to for collegiate policy issues. Delta Gamma does not allow pets of any kind. Any requests for service animals has to presented in the form of a waiver request and substantiated by proof of need. I recommend going up the ladder....

No fish?

I've heard of DGs training seeing eye dogs for Service for Sight, but if they're not allowed to live in the house, wouldn't that impede their training? I've heard that seeing eye dogs have to be kept on a really, really strict regimen (i.e. no special treats, restricted diet, etc.) and I would think that having visitors at random intervals might throw that off. Maybe not. Do you have any experience with this Titchou?

What she said ^^^, and I'd suggest going up the ladder ASAP if not sooner.

Definitely ask for the paperwork - I've never heard of an org assigning a dog-in-training to a college student period, let alone one living in a sorority house. They need to be in a very "regular" environment and a sorority house is most definitely not that.

I think there's enough red flags here to point to getting that dog (and potentially that sister) the heck out of there ASAP.

If I were a member living in that house, I would be f'in terrified of that pit bull. (Yes, I know that there are those of you who say that they're perfectly safe when trained well, but this one is very young and we have no idea if this girl knows WTF she is doing).

Thanks everyone! I've taken all of this to our board and I think we have a plan in motion. Ugh...I'll let you know what happens!

I would also say that you can bring up allergies as a strong point as well. Things like a "medical note" tend to trump all. Talk to orgs like the American Lung Association or whatever....

If my roommate had a dog or a cat, I could not live there, due to my allergies.

I think this is best summed up here:

And see, this is just friggin' RUDE:

No fish either. Policy says "no pets." Even House Directors have to get a Pet Waiver. There is even a form for it.

And if DGs are training them, they aren't living in the DG house with the animal. And yes, I do have experience denying such requests...we have never approved one of these.

Wow. That is eye-opening news for me regarding the no pets thing (can't exactly say why though! :o)

Go to the DG website, sign into myDG and look for the full list of policies topic. Click on it and scroll down to "housing/Pets" and you'll see: There shall be no pets in Delta Gamma housing."

Yeah, I don't know why our house corps didn't just get in touch with our headquarters as soon as this became an issue...It's finally there and we're awaiting the final verdict. The dog--and the sister--are currently not living in the house.

I just want to wish you luck in dealing with this, BlueCarnation. It sounds like a real headache.

i feel bad for the poor dog!

Same! I think it's really tragic when people are completely thoughtless and careless about getting pets. This girl really should have known better...

The terrible part is that most shelters won't take pit bulls.

What a thoughtless little brat.

If she ends up giving up the dog, please pass this along: http://www.pbrc.net

Hijack:

My mother in law does this. She has a yorkie she carries around with her with fraudulent papers stating that its a service dog just so she can take it anywhere she wants.

Oh and she does this with a disabled vehicle blackard too.

And she wonders why we have a strained relationship?!

End Hijack.

Wow. She sounds like a real winner.

I think you should share that story in this thread, lol:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...d.php?t=106746

OK, I have raised three dogs for Canine Companions for Independence, the largest non-sight service dog organization. I can tell you for a fact that...

- Reputable service dog organizations do not release five-week-old puppies to puppy raisers. That is too young for them to be taken away from their mom and littermates. CCI turns over puppies at 8 weeks of age.

- All service dog organizations I know (CCI, Guide Dogs for the Blind, The Seeing Eye) have official vests their puppies in training must wear. Usually they're a different color than the graduate dogs. For example, CCI's puppy vests are yellow; graduates wear blue vests. There is also a patch on the vest that usually reads something like "assistance dog in training."

- A reputable service dog organization interviews each potential puppy raiser and performs a home visit of where the puppy will be raised. In CCI, if you have a yard it must be fenced, though you do not have to have a yard to get a dog. If you don't have a yard, you must commit to taking the dog on good walks and toileting it on leash always. After all, not every graduate dog will go to someone living in a house with a yard; some go to people who live in apartments or condos and therefore all dogs must get used to exercising on leash and toileting on leash.

I know of one young lady in our puppy raising club who took a puppy about a year old to college with her. She had been training him since he was 8 weeks old, and she had raised a puppy in high school who went on to graduate. She also did 4-H and was extremely responsible. She did not live in a sorority house, but the dog was permitted to live in the dorm with her.

- No organization I know of uses pit bulls as service dogs in training. They are simply too aggressive. A service dog must be confident but very at ease with following direction from its handler, and must never growl, bark or show any signs of distraction or aggression toward other dogs or people. Particularly children. I know of no organization that would ever train a pit bull. Most use labs, golden retrievers, standard poodles, german shephards, belgian tervurens, labradoodles/golendoodles. Hearing dog organizations may use these dogs but also use corgis, as corgis are herding dogs with very confident/stubborn personalities. All of the big service dog organizations have their own breeding programs, and I'm telling you they do not breed pit bulls. There are a few small organizations that I think use pound dogs or donations, but if they accept a pit bull into the program I promise you it is not a reputable or large organization.

- If the dog was a service dog being used for a disability - and btw she would not need paperwork in order to prove to you it was a "real" service dog - it would be illegal for you to keep the dog out of the house. Against Americans with Disabilities Act. But there is no such law protecting service animals in training; you do not HAVE to allow a service dog in training into any facility. It's for that reason I HATE chicks like this one who ruin the training opportunities for LEGITIMATE service dogs in training who do need to learn to go places like the supermarket, a movie theatre, church, and anywhere else where people go. We rely on the kindness and understanding of the owners/managers of properties to allow us to bring our dog in, and we are on our best manners when we go into such places. People who claim their tiny dog with a homemade vest as a service dog just so he can fly on airplanes with them, or a woman who thinks it's ok for her to bring her dog into the grocery store just because it can fit in her purse, also piss me off.

- If this was a real service dog in training, she likely wouldn't have any official "documentation" other than a contract. People used to ask me to show my documentation when I was out and about with my CCI puppies, and I had to tell them I didn't have any. Um, the perfectly behaved dog and the very official vest were my documentation. I don't carry contracts around with me.

I encourage you to question this young lady, because I think she's full of BS. And if it does turn out she's full of it, give her a smack on the behind for me and tell her those of us who REALLY go through the tremendous effort to raise service dogs don't appreciate efforts like hers.

OK, this sounds like a Seinfeld episode. A Yorkie as a service dog? It weighs a pound. What service does it provide? I would love to see the looks she gets.

A lot of people are claiming these days that their dog, pig, whatever-animal-they-choose, calms their anxieties. They basically claim that it comforts them. Well boooo-hoooo, that's the primary purpose of PETS. I once saw a woman get on one of my flights with a potbellied pig who she claimed kept her from having panic attacks on planes. This bothers me because there's a big difference between situations like these, which could be addressed with medication or counseling, and ones like epilepsy (some dogs are being trained for this now), autism, paraplegia, and vision or hearing loss. I think it's horrible some people are so selfish as to fake an illness or try to place themselves into the same category as people who have the conditions I just listed in the second group. You won't find a reputable service dog organization training dogs to simply "comfort" people; they are in the business of providing highly and specially trained dogs for people who otherwise have truly not-so-great quality of life. Not dogs for lonely people...that's what pets are for.

[QUOTE=

- No organization I know of uses pit bulls as service dogs in training. They are simply too aggressive. A service dog must be confident but very at ease with following direction from its handler, and must never growl, bark or show any signs of distraction or aggression toward other dogs or people. Particularly children. I know of no organization that would ever train a pit bull. Most use labs, golden retrievers, standard poodles, german shephards, belgian tervurens, labradoodles/golendoodles. Hearing dog organizations may use these dogs but also use corgis, as corgis are herding dogs with very confident/stubborn personalities. All of the big service dog organizations have their own breeding programs, and I'm telling you they do not breed pit bulls. There are a few small organizations that I think use pound dogs or donations, but if they accept a pit bull into the program I promise you it is not a reputable or large organization.

QUOTE]

One of the vets I work with is training a service dog right now and she is a pit bull. She was rescued from the local shelter and is very gentle and gets along with her 3 kids, 1 cat and 2 other dogs. Personally I would not trust a corgi around anyone except its owner. They are a breed that is known to bite (at least among vets and I think we have a pretty good concept of what breeds will or will not bite). When a corgi comes in I automatically have the muzzle waiting.

[QUOTE=aggieAXO;1840948]Your vet is training a pit bull. Not a service dog organization. Or are you saying your vet is training a pit bull for a service dog organization? If it's the latter, I'd be curious to know which org. it is, because I would be very shocked to hear if it was one of the big ones. Temperament is the most important trait in selecting a service dog and standards are so high in the leading organizations that only about 30% or so pass.

If your vet is training the pit bull to do something like Delta Society, that is different. Delta is a great organization for individuals who want to certify their pets to become therapy dogs. Anyone can do it if they go through the proper training and certifications - and of course your dog has to have the right manners. People volunteer in their own time, with their own dogs - it is very different from a puppy raising program from one of the organizations I'm talking about.

Yes, Corgis nip heels, as some herding dogs do. They have been known to herd children and nip at them. If they're nipping fingers, I'd chalk that up to poor training :rolleyes: But that is one of the reasons why CCI stopped training them as hearing dogs - that and the breeding of them was difficult.

I will find out which organization it is. As far as corgis go-they nip more than just heels. One of my professors at school bred and raised corgis and she even would tell us to be careful around them.

Yeah, I know they're not recommended for families with kids. But I've never trained one, only seen them at the dog park and stuff, so don't have personal experience.

I agree with you all the way!!

And BTW: this thread needs to be renamed from "Training a service animal in sorority house? " to "Selfish, lying people, smuggling an animal into a sorority house, and then lying about it to everyone and misrespresenting it as a service animal just so that they can keep it in the house".

[QUOTE=PeppyGPhiB;1840952][QUOTE=aggieAXO;1840948][QUOTE=

- No organization I know of uses pit bulls as service dogs in training. They are simply too aggressive. A service dog must be confident but very at ease with following direction from its handler, and must never growl, bark or show any signs of distraction or aggression toward other dogs or people. Particularly children. I know of no organization that would ever train a pit bull. Most use labs, golden retrievers, standard poodles, german shephards, belgian tervurens, labradoodles/golendoodles. Hearing dog organizations may use these dogs but also use corgis, as corgis are herding dogs with very confident/stubborn personalities. All of the big service dog organizations have their own breeding programs, and I'm telling you they do not breed pit bulls. There are a few small organizations that I think use pound dogs or donations, but if they accept a pit bull into the program I promise you it is not a reputable or large organization.



Your vet is training a pit bull. Not a service dog organization. Or are you saying your vet is training a pit bull for a service dog organization? If it's the latter, I'd be curious to know which org. it is, because I would be very shocked to hear if it was one of the big ones. Temperament is the most important trait in selecting a service dog and standards are so high in the leading organizations that only about 30% or so pass.

If your vet is training the pit bull to do something like Delta Society, that is different. Delta is a great organization for individuals who want to certify their pets to become therapy dogs. Anyone can do it if they go through the proper training and certifications - and of course your dog has to have the right manners. People volunteer in their own time, with their own dogs - it is very different from a puppy raising program from one of the organizations I'm talking about.

Yes, Corgis nip heels, as some herding dogs do. They have been known to herd children and nip at them. If they're nipping fingers, I'd chalk that up to poor training :rolleyes: But that is one of the reasons why CCI stopped training them as hearing dogs - that and the breeding of them was difficult.[/QUOTE]


The organization is Austin Alliance (she mentioned something about assisting deaf people). I looked at their website and Delta Society was mentioned. Her dog unfortunately did not pass due to aggresion towards other dogs but did find a permanent home. She will likely be training another one -we shall see what breed she gets this time.

Hijack.

Thanks for that. I was actually thinking about getting a Corgi.

You need to post in the in-law venting thread my friend. :)

Umm first of all, no reputable person should give away a five week old puppy. Puppies shouldn't leave the litter until they are at least 8 weeks at the bare minimum. Secondly, pit bulls are rarely if ever used as service animals. She seems like a big old liar to me. I'm in with everything PeppyGphi said.

It goes for a lot of herding dogs, not that they're not great for families they can be, but it's their instinct. My friend had a border collie and while his cousins were having a party for their 5 year old the dog was trying to herd the kids. :) Must have been funny to watch.

hijack
If you're looking at a fun small companion dog, might I suggest the French Bulldog? Fun, fun, fun. :) But I'm biased as mine is totally awesome, and is an official AKC canine good citizen.

end hijack