doggydayjob:

migrainepup:

shotinthekidney:

Here’s my latest concern, and it’s not a law, yet. There is a draft proposal for the voluntary regulation of Service Dogs in Canada. You can request a copy at this email here because
technically I’m not supposed to share it with  you. They don’t want it
shared, because the only feedback they will accept is the feedback from a
specific comments form if you request a copy. That way they can reduce
public input. The problem is, this could very easily become law, simply
by any level of government making reference to it in their own
legislation. It will also make it very easy to make these training
restrictions on methodology and equipment a standard part of laws and
bylaws that don’t pertain to strictly service dog regulation.

So let me give you the long and the short of this proposal without actually sharing it. It includes:

• Stringent requirements on the part of the handler in terms of proof of their disability and need for a service dog
• Onerous requirements about the
  handler’s ability to care for a service dog including a long list of
  first aid knowledge that most pet owners don’t have and many disabled
  handlers may not be able to administer.
• A requirement for record keeping of all
  grooming, exercise, feeding, veterinary care, training log, problem
  behaviors and humane training methods to deal with those.
• Mandatory spay and neuter
• Training methodology to the point of micro management
• No aversive consequences at all of any
  kind. No negative reinforcement, no positive punishment of any kind. You
  can withdraw rewards (negative punishment), withhold rewards
  (extinction) or train an incompatible behavior, or you can live with a
  bad behavior and manage it.
• Regulation of where the potential
  service dog is acquired – vague terms here about acceptable breeders and
  rescues vs. unacceptable breeders and rescues.
• “Unacceptable tools” citronella
  collars, vibrating collars, sound emitting collars, any collar that has
  been previously paired with an aversive stimulus even if the aversive
  stimulus is no longer used, choke collars, prong collars, low voltage e
  collars, significant voltage collars and devices, throw chains,
  mousetraps, shepherd’s crook, whip or crop.

The other thing this draft includes is a list of breeds that shouldn’t be used as service dogs:

American Pit Bull Terrier, American
Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, English Bull Terrier,
American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Bullmastiff,
Portuguese Mastiff, Mastino Neopolitano, Majorca Matiff, Dogue de
Bordeaux, Cane Korso / Dogo Canario, Belgian Malinois, Akita, Tosa Inu,
Alabai, Kangal, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Tornjak, South-Russian Shepherd,
Black Russian Terrier, Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog, Anatolian Shepherd,
Central Asian Shepherd, Portuguese Sheepdog, Rottweiler, Doberman,
Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boerboel, Bandog, Komondor, Kuvasz, Reisenschauzer,
Wolfdog or Chow Chow.

[…]
So please, scroll up, click the email to request a copy, and
fill out the comment form. The public review is only on until June 30,
2017.

Angela Gilbert, “We Interrupt Our Regular Program For….”.
Chianti’s Blog (3 May 2017). [Emphasis added by me.]

Please, if you’re Canadian, fill out a comment form.
The breed restrictions are particularly ridiculous, my trainer has a Rottweiler as her service dog and I almost got one too. They’re calm, obedient, steady dogs, so I can only imagine all the dogs on the list were picked for seeming scary.
Disabled people already have to go through so much trouble to get the support they need; this extra regulation poses no benefit and will only reduce the number of people who have access to service dogs.

The documents are available for download on that page, no need to email requesting them.

Please all Canadians take a look at this. Many of these regulations would make owner-training virtually impossible for much of the disabled community. People with invisible, and under-researched, illnesses are especially at risk. Many people may not have access to a knowledgeable doctor to diagnose their illnesses or approve their need of a service dog.

Clear regulations for service dog training would be fantastic, but they should be decided upon with heavy consultation from the disabled community.

@allthecanadianpolitics