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TW WEIGHT TALK (IN DOGS)

So while Bijou was living with my mum, due to her getting a lot more food than she should have and her meds causing weight gain, she's a bit of a chonk rn! So I'm going to use this as a masterpost of her chunk levels week by week as we try and work off some of those extra lbs!

(Note: Her healthy weight is 55 lbs, she's currently 70. While being 15 lbs OW is not a big deal in humans, it is in dogs. Poodles in particular are a naturally thinner breed. Being overweight in dogs can cause early onset arthritis and several other health issues, none of which she needs to be dealing with, considering she already has Addison's)

With that said!

Here is her current body condition. Pictures taken 04/20/24!

#dog #standard poodle

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"Well my Lab was never that energetic! He was such a couch potato!"

Well Susan, that's because your lab was 110 lbs and shaped like a bean bag chair and could barely walk around the block and died at age 8

Labradors are supposed to be very energetic dogs

They are a working breed

Just because your's physically could not function due to neglect doesn't mean that that's the standard

#SO Real

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Solidly in the Bat Ears Phase [5 m/o]

#Bonnie Mutt #Lab Mix #Puppy

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Toy Is Life

-Bonnie, Probably

Nomnom nom

#Bonnie mutt

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PINNED POST!!

Main Characters:

Aara: Handler and Trainer - 19, Transmasc He/It

Bijou: Brown/White Parti Standard Poodle, 3 y/o - Semi-Retired SD (She still comes out when needed) 💙

Nova: Black Solid Standard Poodle, 2 y/o - Washed SDiT (Washed due to Anxiety, assumed Genetic) 💜

Bonnie: Black and White Mutt, Under 1 y/o - SD Prospect (She's still learning basic OB, we'll decide if she's fit for SD work in due time.) 💕

Side Characters:

Dollface: Tortoiseshell w/ White Cat, 8 y/o - Task Trained ESA - She was task trained before we got Bijou! (She does NOT do any form of PA, as ESAs do not have public access rights according to the ADA!)

Nebula: Tortoiseshell Cat, 4 y/o - Just a Pet! She's a very good polydactyl girl, many beans.

#service dog #service dog in training #service dog prospect #nova the poodle #< new nova tag #bijou the service dog #bonnie mutt #< bonnie's tag may change if shes suited to SD work #handler post #pinned post

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character in a movie: Oh no, angry dog, please don’t bite me!

the dog: I’m at work! I’m doing so good at being at work! I’m barking because my handler gave the sign ‘bark’! I am going to get such a good grade in being a dog actor, which is completely possible to achieve, and normal to want! I am doing a great job! I am proud of myself for doing such a great job! I love this, because I’d make it physically impossible to get anything done if I wasn’t enjoying it! I’m barking!

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Tips on having the public ignore/respect your service dog or dog in-training:

Keeps vests/capes/patches simple and easy to read; the more you put on it, the more attention you'll get since people are trying to figure out what it says/what the pictures are (try to stick to 1-2 lines of text max ("[x] Service Dog, Do Not Interact"; "Service Dog, Ignore"; "Mobility Dog, Do Not Distract"; etc))

Any additional safety gear is going to draw attention, your best bet is to either find low profile styles or reassess your working conditions to see if they can go without (boots, goggles, jackets, etc)

An off leash dog is also going to draw more attention, if you're able to work them on-leash, you typically get less stares

Having colored fur and pretty much any breed that isn't a lab is going to warrant more attention

Additional tools are going to draw more attention. Finding a way to use them discreetly/use less gear will help you avoid a lot of questions

Having ADA cards for businesses will make it a lot easier to avoid access issues

Obviously some things are necessary and having a dog somewhere where there typically are no dogs is already going to draw attention

But if you keep them and their gear very simple and professional, it'll be a lot easier

That being said, if you don't mind needing to answer questions/having some extra stares, then do whatever you like!

A dog will already be drawing attention but there are certainly ways to lesson it

#Good post!

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love giving my dog fun shreddable enrichment to entertain him and give him an outlet for all the destruction he wants to do. seeing him go wild and turn everything into confetti is so fun

until I have to clean it up. and then I regret my choices

#amen

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On the note of the off leash thing, yeah no I don't think there's a situation in which your dog should have No leash at all. I have POTS, I'm an active fall/faint risk any time I stand. I use a traffic leash for Nova's safety on my bad symptom days. That way if I feel I'm about to go down I can just let go and not trap her underneath me.

My mother has a SD, one of their hands is nearly unusable due to disability. Their dog is off leash trained, and on most days she is off leash (with a traffic lead attached in case of emergency) (note being physically unable to hold the leash like this does count under "the person’s disability prevents use of these devices.")

Wanted to throw in my anecdotal experience to see how we feel about it ^-^

Just a little reminder:

Service dogs, demo dogs, and dog trainers are not above the law

Leash, handling, and behavior laws and regulations apply to them too

I do not care how well trained the dog is

I do not care how well behaved the dog is

If there is a law, you too must follow it

The only time that service dogs are permitted off leash in on-leash areas is when the leash specifically makes their tasking impossible or dangerous

Personally, I use hands-free leashes, traffic handles, and flexi leashes to best suit our needs

For @fairytalepsuedonym

There are so many options; being completely off leash is not necessary unless the tasks or disabilities deem it so

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Training Nova to pick up items day One

#service dog #nova the service dog #service dog in training #task training #dog training

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Reminder that Service Dogs in the USA are not required to be labeled in any way! Here's Nova in my @theeretblr Hoodie at Denny's, because it's Cold out!

#service dog #Nova the Service Dog #service dog in training #service dog education #eret feel free tp reblog because its your merch and shes cute

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First time in an arcade babeyyy!

#service dog #Nova The Service Dog #service dog in training

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On the Topic of Allowing people to pet my Service Dog -

PSA: THIS IS NOT A BLANKET STATEMENT FOR ALL HANDLERS. THIS IS HOW I PERSONALLY HANDLE BEING ASKED. 

So. The dreaded question for all Service Animal handlers: “Ohhhh can I pet him??” How do I respond?

Honestly, it depends on the situation. If we’re outside and she’s actively guiding, the answer will always be a hard no. “Sorry, she’s working right now.” This also goes for if someone asks while she’s actively taking in any way, or if I’m having a bad symptom day.

On some very rare ocassions, I will say yes though. If I’m having a decent health day, or B has been on it all day, I’ll allow it to give her a bit of a break. She’s very polite, and waits for her “Say Hi” command, which she gets after sitting and waiting, and she will walk over and do some wiggles while she’s pet, and then refocus on me when I ask. 

My friends and anyone who has met her off-duty are NOT allowed to pet her while she’s working, period. She knows these are Off Duty Fun People, so I have to reenforce the No Touchy rule harder with them, until she’s off duty at least.

#Service Dog #Service Dog Handler #Don't Pet The Dog

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PSA: Faking Service Animals Has Lead to Medical and Psychiatric Providers Refusing to Accept Patients With Service Animals

I know a lot of people really don't see the harm in someone taking their pet into non pet friendly locations, especially if they tack a service dog patch onto the harness. The damages caused by these untrained dogs is numerous and a lot of people have discussed issues such as cleanliness/health dangers, (pets sniffling and licking food in grocery stores), property damage (pets urinating or defecating in stores, chewing on things out of fear) fear aggression from untrained animals leading to injuries of humans and legitimate service animals.

These damages and concerns impact housing for individuals with service animals and access into public places. It also impacts our ability to get treatment.

Let that sink in: even with telehealth appointments, medical professionals will try to avoid seeing patients with service animals simply to avoid the risk that they will be held liable if that service animal, even one they did not recommend, winds up being a fake. Even if the service animal has no bearing on the appointment. Even if it is illegal to discriminate. Because of fear of being held legally accountable for someone taking their pet where it doesn't belong.

Yes, this is illegal and an issue of poor education within the professional fields leading to discrimination. But it is being fueled by the problems caused by people faking a service animal, which is a federal offense (and often a state offense) for reasons like this. Your actions don't exist in a vacuum. The damages your pet caused make the simple act of getting a telehealth appointment a freaking pain just because someone is scared of being held legally accountable for a pet's actions.

Sincerely, someone who has been calling all morning just to get a telehealth appointment to get my medication bridged because people are too scared to see a patient with a service animal that has nothing to do with the conversation I'd have with the clinician anyways.

#This. AAAALLLLLL of this

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Ever wonder what guide work looks like from the handlers POV? (I am photosensitive, which means it hurts to have my eyes open in sunlight, so I keep sunglasses on and eyes closed while outside!) Here’s a video!

Enjoy! Ask anything you want to know in the comments!

#Service dog #guide tasks #poodle

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Hello everyone! This is my Service Dog, Bijou. She is a 2 year old Standard Poodle who does Psych and Medical tasks. This is a post to just kinda throw out to all of Tumblr, ask me any questions about her!