Though seeing-eye dog have been Allowed in public Places for almost 30 years, dogs for other disabled people have been left in the Legislative lurch, new bill may change that.
By Bev Rudolfsen Staff Writer (St Albert Gazette) May 3, 2000)
Help educate the class about Service Dogs Guylaine Perkins fixes her visitor with an apologetic gaze. She's just poured two cups of steaming coffee, but can't carry them to the kitchen table. It will be empty when I get there, she explains, a tinge of resignation in her voice. Carrying dishes, the simplest of tasks for most people, isn't the only one that has become impossible for the 42 yr old St. Albert woman Since being diagnosed with spinal cerebellum degeneration (a condition similar to multiple Sclerosis) 22 years ago, she has Had to resign from her position With the Canadian air farce as an administrative worker. She can't drive a vehicle anymore and walks with a cane to avoid toppling into shelves when she shops. Some times people think she's drunk. New lease on life Her ailment left her with a poor sense of balance and, before she met a dog named Sammy, a sense of hopelessness. But since meeting the wriggling pup three months ago, the mot her of one has gained a new lease on life Sammy, an energetic black Labrador/Australian cattle dog cross, is being trained as Perkins' service dog, much like a seeing eye dog serves a blind person. She'd rather use Sammy than a cane, to preserve her dignity. A dog would look more normal than having a cane. She finds it hard to endure the glances she gets or the questions on why someone her age needs a cane. The dog is so important to Perkins quality of life she'll use the animal even though there is no Legislation allowing Service Dogs into stores, restaurants and other public places. Having Sammy is the answer to having a life, said Perkins, who hopes to take Sammy home in August. Currently the dog lives with trainer Debbie Lees in Edmonton When Sammy turns eight-months-old, Perkins will embark on a three-week course, where she and the dog train together. Perkins said if she and Sammy were refused admittance by a business, they�d go elsewhere. Rejection won 't stop her, said Perkins She can't let it. Without the reassuring, solid assistance of Sammy, she can't leave the house on her own, even to take a walk around the block or do yard work. On her own, she falls five to 10 times a day. The failure of the Alberta Blind Persons' Rights Act to recognize service dogs has left Perkins and other Albertans like her in a frustrating dilemma, said Lees,39. Disabled herself by failed lumbar surgery syndrome, Lees got her own service dog, Smokey, in 1994. She'd undergone repeated Surgery on her spine to treat a genetic disorder. The last operation in 1998 left her in a wheelchair for the most part. She can walk on a good day but not for extended periods. Smokey, an energetic elkhound with perked ears and a round doughnut of a tail, has been with Lees six years and is trained to watch over her mistress and performing simple tasks like picking up dropped items, opening the refrigerator door or helping Lees put on shoes and socks. The dog also knows how to stand rigidly, acting as a brace for Lees. Lees knows she could have hired a human aide but felt it would have affected her own state of mind negatively. The thought of having a person didn't appeal to me at all. It's a very blatant reminder of what you can't do. Smokey doesn't really threaten that. Lees arrived with her husband, daughter and Smokey in Edmonton in 1996 after moving from Ont. Her young dog was ready to be certified, but Lees discovered that provincial legislation doesn't include certification for service dogs as it does for seeing-eye dogs. In fact, she discovered there is no legislation anywhere in Canada recognizing service dogs, which leave a segment of the population helpless, said Lees. It means there is no regulated training for the dogs and, more important, no access to public places such as malls and restaurants for people who need them. The province passed legislation in 1977 first allowing seeing-eye dogs for the blind, but there are no allowances for people who suffer from other disabilities just as restricting as visual impairment, said Lees. Candidates for service dogs include people with uncontrolled epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, hearing problems Parkinson's disease, and any type of mobility problem or disease that causes mobility problems. She admits that could mean a lot of service dogs on the street, but counters, why shouldn't we have them? The blind people need a dog, but we do too, said Perkins. As well as access issues, Lees also sees a need for legislation to train service dogs, ensuring that unscrupulous people aren't training bad dogs. Lees defines a poorly trained service dog as one who steals food, doesn't respond to orders or attacks other dogs. Trained service dogs are worth about $10,000. The seven dogs she is now training are all spoken for and in the space of one week in April; she had requests for four more. The demand is greater than the supply right now. She and her husband, a soldier, use a lot of their own money to finance training the dogs, but hope to build a boarding kennel to offset those costs. Hundreds of Letters Lees began advocating four years ago for legislation to include service dogs but has found the experience frustrating slow. Her efforts fell by the wayside for two years as she grappled with her own surgery. But along the way, she's written hundreds of letters to every level of government in every province, including the Senate She's been unable to get a yes or no answer from anyone, only assurances claiming the issue is being reviewed That's as far as it's gone. A letter from Premier Ralph Klein's office, written Dec.1, 1999, stated that Lees' concerns are being reviewed and that a response would be provided. I'm sure you will be hearing from the department as soon as possible, the letter read. Likely approval It doesn't smack of commitment to Lees, but service dogs will likely be recognized eventually said Tory MLA Rob Lougheed. The Fort Saskatchewan-Clover Bar MLA has put forward a private member's bill, Bill 219, asking for amendments to the Blind Persons' Rights Act, which would include service dogs. Similar bills were brought forward by other MLA's in 1989, 1992 and 1993, but never made it to the floor for discussion. Not because the issue was a hot potato but because of the system used to bring private bills to the floor, said Lougheed. All the bills are put on a list and numbers are randomly assigned for the order in which they're debated. Only 12 to 15 of these bills are dealt with in each sitting, he said. If Bill 219 does make it to the floor for debate in this session, I think there's a good chance it will pass, said Lougheed. My perception is there is enough support If Bill 219 does make it to the floor for debate in this session, I think there's a good chance it will pass, said Lougheed. My perception is there is enough support among the MLAs that it will pass. It hasn't been a big issue because it's never been a topic of discussion. The hold-up in large measure is as common here as it is with you and your neighbors. We just never though of (service dogs) before. As chair of the Premier Council On The Status of Persons With Disabilities Lougheed said he'll continue to bring the bill forward even if I doesn't see the light of day I this session. With the proper guide line training and regulations, it appropriate that these people have the opportunity to access public places, as does all Albertans He has heard some concern aired against the bill, relating to the rights of those other than the disabled, such as those who suffer from allergies to animal Lougheed said, and there is question of how to balance the rights, he admitted. The issue of educating businesses about service dogs also needs work, he said. It's a matter of public acceptance as well. Meanwhile, Lees said she wouldn�t let go of her cause anymore than a dog would let go of a bone. Every time she's asked to leave a business or refused access because of Smokey, it stings. She at least wants people with service dogs to have some recourse under the law, as visually impaired people do when the are refused the same right. I truly hope nobody ever has to feel the humiliation of being thrown out of a place.
The Sherwood Park News
Wednesday, January 5, 2000
By Kevin Crush
Clover Bar-Fort Saskatchewan MLA Rob Lougheed is hoping to introduce a private member's bill that could stop discrimination against people with Assertive animals other than seeing-eye dogs. Currently, there is no law in Canada that says animals such a hearing ear dogs, or ones that help with a disabled person's mobility, can be allowed access in to any public place. It's a problem that needs to be rectified, says Longhead's It's become apparent that the limitations in the current legislation, that only allows seeing-eye dogs to have access to public places has disadvantaged some other people who could take advantage and benefit from a different kind of assistance animal, said Lougheed. A Lancaster Park woman who runs a Web site about service dogs (www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/fair/4311) is building a training center for them as a non-profit foundation, and uses one herself, says the pro posed bill needs to be passed to help the lives of many disabled people. It's causing a lot of people not to live their lives to the fullest. Personally, I know I should get out more, said Debbie Lees. Lees has True Failed Lumbar Surgery Syndrome, a condition where she has gradually lost the use of her legs due to nerve damage. She first found out about in 1994, and has been confined to a wheel chair for two years now. Smokey, for which Lees named her Smokey's Helping Paws Foundation, helps her out with every thing from dialing the phone to put ting her socks on. But because Smokey is not allowed in places such as a grocery store, Lees is left in a bind if there is no one else around to help her out. Some of her biggest concerns in that area are if she drops anything, or for handing over money to store clerks, both things Smokey can help with. She's like an extension, the same way some one would see my chair, or a cane, or a hearing aid, said Lees. Lees says she could have a person help her out, but doing so would threaten her independence. Other dogs can do more amazing things. Lee's points out some dogs can detect cancer long before doctors can. Still more, by using their sense of smell, can detect the onset of an epileptic seizure. But there is still more to do than just pass a law, says Lees. The law being passed is just a small step. The bigger step is going to be educating the general public and businesses so that they will allow dog in. Lees says they would also have to set up a regulatory body that controls assistance dogs. That way people can't slap a vest on a dog and call it a service dog. Lougheed doesn't believe his bill will be heard in the legislature this coming sitting as the random draw for private members bills puts him too far back. But he says if he doesn't introduce it this time, it would likely be on the floor the next sitting. It's not the first time such a bill has been introduced. In 1983, a provincial law was passed expanding the Blind Persons Guide Dog Act to include hearing-ear dogs. But the law, although given royal assent, was never proclaimed. Then in 1989, an amendment to include all assistance dogs in the Guide Dog Act was proposed I Alberta but wasn't passed. Private member's bills similar to Lougheed were brought forward in 1989, 1992, and 1993, but none were brought to the floor. Despite odds against him, Lougheed is hopeful some Good will comes out of his bill if it never sees the light of day. These things will always help in the future so people will not be faced with refusal of service because of a dog.
The Edmonton Sun, Saturday, June 10, 2000
By DAVIS SHEREMATA Staff Writer
Life-saving guide dog is unwelcome guest
Smokey the service dog can do everything but prevent forest fires. If her disabled owner, Debbie Lees, stumbles during one of her short walks, Smokey will prop her up. Smokey can change the TV channel, open doors or pull a wheelchair holding Lees, who has a degenerative spinal disease, which has left her with chronic pain and numb ness in her legs. And if Lees falls down the stairs in her at her home at Edmonton area home as she's done a few time Smokey can hit the speed-dial button on Lees's telephone to call for assistance. But Smokey can't get into restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, buses or taxicabs. Although the Alberta Blind Persons Rights Act prohibits discrimination against the blind for using guide dogs, Lees has no legal protection for Smokey. It's humiliating to be kicked out of somewhere and have somebody shouting at you, 'Lady, get out of here! Said the 39 yr-old Lees. There is nowhere in Canada that certifies these service dogs or gives us public access to restaurants, shopping centers, trains and buses. You name it we don't have access to it with our dogs. Lees got Smokey six years ago. A friend trained the elkhound-cross to be a service dog. Now Lees trains Edmonton Garrison, where she lives with her husband, an army master corporal. Having Smokey here for me enabled my husband to do his job, Lees said. He's done two tours in Bosnia and Kosovo. The seven dogs Lees is training right now are planned for patients suffering from cerebral palsy or autism. Lees trained one dog for her niece, who suffers from epilepsy. The dog is trained to sense when a seizure is coming on, bark for help and keep the seven-year-old from wandering away. Unfortunately, the dog isn't allowed into the city school her niece attends.
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