Service dogs play an important part in the lives of students Hannah Fullerton and Logan Sprouse. Fullerton, a senior majoring in Pacific Island studies from Arizona, said having Bear, her service dog, has changed and helped her life. “Before I got Bear, I wasn’t living too good. I was kind of miserable and not having great relationships with other people. I couldn’t manage my life.
“Having Bear trained to do his two [plus] jobs has enabled me to go out and live my life again. Not only does he do his job but also he is emotionally supportive and he is like a family member to me."
According to Fullerton, Bear is a full-right service animal with public access meaning he is not a pet but a working dog with rights. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Bear qualifies as a certified service dog, she said, which she can’t be refused service, medical care, or housing on the basis of having him.
Fullerton shared how Bear was a pound rescue dog and was found on the streets. “He’s about 2 years old. I’ve had him [for] 10 months.”
Although having a service dog has helped her, she said she has also faced some stigma. “There’s something about having a labeled disability. Not everyone walks around with a sign on their forehead saying they have a disability. But I have one and that’s why I have a service dog. You get targeted sometimes.”
Sprouse, a senior majoring in Pacific Island studies from California, also has a service dog. He said, “I think a lot of people view having a service dog or emotional support animal is a cry for attention and that it’s not necessary. I wish people would look past their own views and put themselves in that person’s shoes.”
The role of a service dog
Sprouse said service dogs and emotional support animals are not pets and are constantly working. “Service dogs are used for alerting the owner that they might be having a seizure or have low-blood sugar. These dogs typically cannot be petted in public because they’re constantly working to keep their owner safe. My dog is different, and he’s allowed to be petted because my issue is not life threatening.”
He added, “Some service dogs or emotional-support animals can be pet, it’s just important to ask first. And don’t be offended if somebody ever says not to pet their dog. I promise they want to share him or her, but he or she just might be working.”
With Sprouse’s thoughts in mind, Fullerton added, “Service dogs can be trained in multiple capacities. There are some that are seizure alert, diabetic alert, psychiatric service and for physical disabilities. Service dogs do two specific tasks related to the owner’s disability.”
She continued, “I think people need to be more respectful of service animals. When you see a service animal, you’re supposed to ignore them. If you distract the dog, it may miss an alert. The best thing to do is ignore the dog and leave it be so it can do its job.
Leilani Auna, a clinical counselor and Disability Services director for BYU–Hawaii, said, “Service animals have specific tasks and have legal rights. Service animals are always working. People are legally able to ask what tasks the animal does. If people want to have a service animal, they come to Disability Services to see if they are eligible and to get verified.”
Auna said more information about service dogs is available on the Disability Services website, https://disability.byuh.edu/.
Business venture
Fullerton said she saw a need to create better products for service dogs and emotional support animals as a result of her experience in owning a service dog.
“This business idea came because I noticed Bear’s service animal gear kept falling apart. I would shop around and felt like most of the gear was minimum effort.”
According to Fullerton, her personal experience as an owner of a service dog helped jump start her idea. “I made Bear a dog collar before and thought that I could do this and turn it into a business.”
Fullerton said, “Service dogs can go through their vests and equipment very easily because of their daily tasks and how they are being used. They need equipment that isn’t gonna fail them and equipment that isn’t going to be damaged or rust easily while still being economical.”
Although the business is still in its infancy, Fullerton said she is taking an entrepreneurship class this semester and said she has experience with running a small business before. She said she is this business starting with collars; nice leather collars that are handmade.
Training service dogs daily
Fullerton said having a service dog keeps her day very busy. “... It requires a lot of work to have him. Hours of my day are dedicated to feeding, training him and taking care of him.”
She continued, “I’m not really okay with people around campus that want to pet Bear. He’s always working. I can’t run the risk of him missing an alert and him getting distracted from what he’s supposed to be doing. Sometimes as part of training, I will allow people to pet him. He’s a really friendly dog.”
Sprouse said he is also training his service dog every day. “We are doing most of the training for our service dog, however we did enroll him in obedience training when he was a young puppy. But we work with him every day to train him for specific cues. Training him is a lot of fun. As a person who is hard of hearing, we are training my dog, Indie, to tell me when someone’s knocking at the door, when the phone is ringing or when someone says my name.”
Sprouse added every owner of a service dog has different needs and are trained in various ways according to the owner’s needs, ranging from physical conditions such as hearing or vision impairment to treating mental illness.
Sprouse concluded, “I would say don’t treat anyone [with a service dog] differently. If anything, they should be your friend more so they can come hang out with a dog.”
Writer: Will Krueger