GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — One of the most important parts of training assistance dogs is making sure they get real-world experience. It's sometimes difficult to find businesses that allow them inside. But now a new law in Michigan allows dogs training to become assistance dogs to enter businesses.
It was sponsored by State Representative Tommy Brann. He stresses that the law does address one big concern for business owners.
"They're worried about businesses that maybe have the service dog act out, the businesses wouldn't have the opportunity to have them leave, but they do. So the bill is flexible that way."
Meghan Swers is a trainer for Paws With A Cause. She says prior to the new law it made training assistance dogs more challenging, "And we can try and replicate that as much as possible on our campus. But we can't really replicate the predictability of people different things in the environment. And so the more that we show them those pictures and show the dogs like, hey, even though there are all sorts of crazy stuff going on, you can still do the tasks that you were trained to do. It makes them much more competent in their task work."
Meghan explains that it takes time and several repeat outings before assistance dogs are trained to ignore distractions and to always focus on the needs of their person.
"We look at where that client is going to be going. And then we can pick places to visit based on where they're going to be going with their dog. If they're working for their person, those distractions could cause them to miss a cue or something that they need to alert to."
Remember: if you see a Paws With A Cause dog, they are training to be the best assistance dog they can be. So please, no petting.
Paws With A Cause is always looking for puppy raisers. They have the important job of raising the puppy for their first year and giving them a good start to their assistance dog training. Here's information on how to apply If you're interested.
13 On Your Side Health Reporter Valerie Lego
Val has been reporting on health and medical stories in West Michigan for 16 years. She is an 18-time Emmy Award Winner. Her health reporting credentials include fellowships from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association of Health Care Journalists
Contact me: vallego@13OnYourSide.com
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