Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 1.

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1 ADC s Next Meeting will be held in January 2018 ADC s January meeting will take place at TACID on January 27, We ll see you there at 12:00. This meeting will kick off We hope you join us. The Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Our tax ID# is WA Secretary of State Charities Program Registration Number is Website org Address assist_dog_club@hotmail.com Mailing Address Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound 2522 N. Proctor Street, #459 Tacoma, WA Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound Board of Directors President Jeanne Hampl Vice President/ Sarah Biesold Secretary Jack Pearce-Droge Treasurer Tanya Carter At-Large Members Janelle Ellen Pat Kessler Editor s Corner by Jack Pearce-Droge November 2017 The end of the year is once again around the corner. That means festivities and friends. I feel very fortunate to have gained the support of several leading service dog trainers to help us and our readers enjoy some stress free solutions that will help us actually these couple of months and all that is brought to our doors. I believe that this has been a year of advocacy as our members have been out talking with students off all ages from elementary school age to college students preparing to enter their world of occupational therapy. It is always interesting when the questions begin, no matter the age. Young children can often be expected to correct their parents when it comes to petting the dogs in public and students beginning a career path have a better understanding of how a service dog can benefit individuals with a wide variety of disabilities. This is a time where the organization as a whole can help us take a hard look at what we expose our dogs to that might not represent the norm of our daily activities. An action that might be new and different could easily require new tasks or even different ways of performing these tasks. During our October meeting we talked about alternative veterinary care, public access, planning for the future of our lives and learning to read our dogs. Each year these suggestions tend to cover a wider spectrum of ideas. I have wondered if we are exposed to more activities and events and as a result are gaining more independence. Are we seeking new tasks that we might need or should we heighten our awareness of all that can make our lives simpler with our dogs? Just as I talked about the year moving by so quickly, our reality is that when age stops by to visit our lives will change as will the lives of our service dogs. I hope that all of our friends enjoy the many holidays belonging to us as we move towards the year end. Activities and meetings will be held at TACID unless otherwise noted. TACID s address is: 6315 S 19th St, Tacoma, Washington Mission Statement The Mission of the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound is to provide a safe, supportive, educational environment for persons with disabilities partnered with assistance dogs and to provide educational opportunities for the local business community and the general public, including persons dedicated to the raising and training of assistance dogs Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 1.

2 Training Tips Keeping Your Dog Safe During the Holidays By Jeanne Hampl With the holidays just around the corner, there are many things to consider in order to keeping your dog healthy, safe, and happy. ~ Alcoholic beverages - Drunken dogs are very sick dogs. An ounce of a beverage that is 20 to 40 proof can cause alcohol poisoning or coma in a small dog. ~ Angel hair - This is made from spun glass. It can irritate the skin, cause cuts, and damage the eyes. If eaten, it can cause intestinal blockage. Tinsel can also be ingested with the same results. ~ Artificial Snow, flocking - These are possibly poisonous, can cause digestive upset or be a respiratory irritant if inhaled. Spray only the upper corners of high windows. ~ Candles - Flame or dripping wax can burn dogs or singe their whiskers or hair. Also, they are a fire hazard if the dog knocks them over. Save candles for the dining room table. ~ Christmas trees Place your tree away from a normal traffic pattern. Tie the top of the tree with the fishing line and then secure this to the ceiling. By using this system the tree cannot fall over. Use non-breakable ornaments on the lower section of the tree. Don t leave a gift containing food under the tree. ~ Costumes and dressing up - If you like to dress up your dog for the holidays, beware of anything that might cause strangulation or choking. Also be sure to introduce your dog to people in costumes. Let Santa say hello and give your dog some treats. ~ Electric cable - Dogs can be shocked, burned or electrocuted by chewing on cable. It is safer to run cables through PVC piping. ~ Decorations - Glue, rubber bands, staples, string, tacks and tape can cause mild pain, serious complications, or death if swallowed. Store them in a secure place. Discard used items when decorations are removed. ~ Decorative lights - Dogs can become tangled in the strands leading to burns and cuts. They can create the same hazards as electric cables. ~ Fire/fireplaces, including ashes, popping wood - These can cause bronchial irritation, burns, skin irritation and digestive distress. Keep a fire screen in front of a fireplace while in use. Keeping Your Dogs Safe During the Holidays (Continued on page 3.) Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 2.

3 Keeping Your Dog Safe During the Holidays (Continued from page 2) By Jeanne Hampl ~ Food - Bones can cause choking, internal punctures, possibly death. Chocolate can cause Theo bromine poisoning, which is an over stimulation of the nervous system, and may be fatal. Chocolate also causes vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, hyperactivity and seizures. Fatty, spicy, or sweet foods lead to gastric upset, dehydration and pancreatitis. Burns and mouth or throat ulcerations can result from hot food. Do not share your holiday goodies with your dog. If you can resist, give a healthy treat. Do not leave cooking food unattended or set hot dishes near edge of stove or counter. Do not leave sweets or other snacks where your dog can reach them. ~ Gift-wrapping - Ribbon, trim polystyrene foam packaging, wrapping foil and paper are dangerous if eaten by your dog. Always wrap packages in an area away from your dog. Collect and discard all the waste. Put away any wrapping paper and supplies you are not using. If you have any gifts for your dog, use plain brown paper, wrap loosely and supervise unwrapping. ~ Guests - Guests are more likely to feed your dog and just a little bite adds up to quite a lot of food. Always advise your guests not to feed your dog. Guests are also more likely to accidentally let your dog out an opened door. ~ Plants such as holly, ivy, mistletoe and poinsettia - These plants range from mildly upsetting to extremely toxic. If eaten they can cause gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, coma, central nervous system or cardiac problems, or even death. ~ Remember your dog s crate. It is a safe place for a dog to be when you are too busy to supervise your dog s activities. With a little bit of planning you and your dog can have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season Future Meetings and Events Mark Your Calendar 2017 The Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound ends each year by relaxing and enjoying the company of our members and guests during our year end holiday celebration. The Board has begun to organize meetings and activities that were discussed at our annual meeting. Please understand that we normally meet on the 4th Saturday of the month. There could be additions or changes depending on the schedules of our speakers or the availability of a venue. November 25, Off! Happy Thanksgiving!! December 9, Holiday Celebration Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 3.

4 Washington State Governor s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment Service Animal Work Group By Jeanne Hampl I was invited to represent the Assistance Dog Club at a Work Study Group put on by the Washington State s Governor s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment. The interests of the people in the group varied but all were working toward the same goal of clarity in the laws related to service animals in our state. There were representatives from housing, the food industry, the Washington State Human Rights Commission, the Prison Pet Partnership and Pet Partners and The Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound. As always the biggest barrier to the discussion was the many different words used for Service Animals. Setting a definition of terms so that we were all on the same page helped us more forward. I introduced the need for Washington States to change our definition of Service Animals to match the Federal Definition. Currently Washington State allows any animal to be a service animal for Public Access except in places where food is sold. The Food industry uses the Federal definition: Service Animal is a dog and sometimes miniature horses that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. The group agreed to present the Federal definition to the legislators. We spent time discussing the need to stop the sale of service animal certification, vests and prescriptions for both service animals and Emotional Support Animals, especially those coming from out of state. We also talked about educational and Public Service announcements for businesses and the general public on Service Animals. It was a very productive 4 hours and hopefully the legislators will implement our ideas. President s Corner By Jeanne Hampl Mother nature smiled on us at our October meeting. For some unknown reason our normal meeting place was locked when we arrived. Fortunately the weather was a beautiful sunny fall day so we held our meeting out at the picnic tables. We had a nice turn out for our Annual Meeting. We currently have 21 active members. Each member in attendance was asked to pick a topic they would like to see presented at future meetings. Your Board hopes to be able to fulfill these requests. A thank you! to Pat Kessler who has been on the Board for the last 4 years. Pat is taking a break and the members approved Connie Fuller to fill Pat s Director s position. This year s Board and Officers are: President, Jeanne Hampl, Vice President, Sarah Biesold, Secretary, Jack Pearce Droge, Treasurer, Tanya Carter, Directors Janelle Ellen and Connie Fuller. Members present at the meeting were given their invitations to the December 9th Holiday Luncheon. The rest will be sent by mail. Please note that reservation must be in by November 30th. Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 4.

5 Redirect Your Relatives! by Martha Hoffman Visitors need training! Use these tips to bend them to your will, and get some fun Service Dog training done. If your dog learns to behave well with visitors at home, it will also behave better with strangers in public access training. You ve probably already experienced the chaos and un-dog-training that visitors cause, but it s easy to change things for success. Family is often in denial of your need for your SD, so redirect their behavior into training your dog. Your family might start to appreciate your Service Dog s talents more! Fifteen-Second Rule Visitors knock. You open the door a crack, bribe them with a promise of treats, then ask them, Please count to fifteen, then knock (or ring) again! Shut the door again until they comply. In that fifteen seconds, you can focus your dog with a treat, and leash it if needed. The dog will be excited by the first knock, but by the second knocking, it will be a bit calmer. For Hearing Dogs, when visitors knock again, call the dog to you and give a treat for doing an alert behavior. You just did a mini training session in very difficult real-life conditions! For Service Dogs, do a fun recall for a treat or toy. All dogs benefit by learning to interrupt themselves while being excited at the door. It focuses them on you, and lets them calm down and show some good behavior you can reinforce. Public Access behavior requires that the dog focus on you, even when it feels either too friendly or too anxious about people trying to get its attention. Visitors also cause these feelings, so use this situation to practice focus at home. Then you ll have a solid foundation for training in public places. Leash First! Tie a brightly colored leash permanently to the inside of the door. It will always be there when you need to let people in. Add a sign inside the door, telling family to Leash The Dog First! Distracted people are usually the ones that accidentally let your dog escape! In chaotic situations, its a good policy. You ll have control of the dog while the people come inside. Do not leave the dog tethered. This is only a temporary safety system. Name Call and Go Get Help Training If visitors do not like dogs, tell them to wave at you and call your name or say Go Get Help! when the dog approaches. If the visitors like your dog too much, do the same! Your dog will also be learning to leave nice people who are distracting it. This is your cue to call the dog and give a treat. Tell them Thank you, soon my dog will alert me automatically without a treat! They ll be impressed. Redirect Your Relatives..(Continued on Page 6.) Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 5.

6 Redirect Your Relatives..(Continued from Page 5.) Follow Your Rules! If your guests break your dog behavior rules such as feeding from the table, or wanting to wrestle with it, it does not matter whether they are bratty children or drunk adults. Say, Nap Time! and zoom your dog away to a calm private place. Children learn quickly that their access to the dog depends on their following your rules. Drunk uncles, maybe not! Dog Safety And Security If your dog is not following your rules, and is getting fearful or overexcited, say Nap Time and whisk it to a quiet place. Shy dogs will appreciate a break, and you need to enjoy the holiday too. The point here is to get the GUESTS doing the training, but also keep your dog secure and happy. Kids You have a lot of treats to offer them. Use this leverage to get kids to do the Fifteen Second Rule door knocking routine, or play Circle of Sounds. Videotape them for a memento, and tell them what talented dog trainers they are. Here s the link to get those kids having fun while doing all the work for you Training Games If you d like a structured training game to play that involves holiday visitors and that speeds up the dog s training, try Circle of Sounds. Martha Hoffman is the Training Director for the Hearing Dog Program. She has trained several hundred Hearing Dogs and tested over 20,000 shelter dogs over the course of 25 years. She is the founder and lead trainer at Martha Hoffman Hearing Dog Academy (MHHD) and the author of the highly respected text on Hearing Dog training, Lend Me an Ear. Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 6.

7 Getting Ready for the Holidays By Veronica Sanchez Northern Virginia Dog Trainer It seems the holiday season starts earlier and earlier each year. While this is often a joyous time of year, it also can be stressful. Anytime people are stressed, their dogs can become stressed too. Add in changes of routine and erratic schedules and you have a recipe for dog behavior problems. Fortunately with a little planning, it really is not that hard to avoid dog behavior problems during the holiday season. First realistically assess your service dog s needs. If your dog is wary around unfamiliar people assess you re his or her needs. If your dog is wary around unfamiliar people, then your SD may be better off confined to a quiet crate or room away from visitors during your holiday gathering. Err on the side of caution. I have lost track of the number of people who have shared that the very first time their dog bit someone was during a holiday event. Keep in mind that a long, late party or several holiday events close together can test the patience of even the most social dogs. Watch your dog for signs of stress and be ready to give him breaks when needed. Have a contingency plan for how to handle the unexpected. If your cousin plans to bring her pet to your home for a holiday gathering, what will you do if your dog does not welcome her dog? Discuss in advance where you have an extra crate or room for animal confinement in case the dogs need to be separated. I often keep some dog treats on a table and ask visitors please ask my dog to sit for a treat so that my visitors know what my expectations are for my dog s behavior. The treats also help prevent visitors from being tempted to feed my dogs table scraps. Because more and more people are growing up with minimal animal contact, I have learned never to make assumptions. Even people who say that they are dog people may not understand what your service dog needs. Tell people how to behave around your dog but do not expect them to train your dog for you. If your dog still needs some training, use leashes, gates, crates and close supervision to make sure the holiday party does not end up being an opportunity for him to practice bad manners. Keep treats in your pocket and be ready to reward desired behavior. While a holiday gathering may be a great opportunity to practice and reinforce training skills, it is not the place to work on a serious behavior problem. The reality is that a dog with a serious behavior problem needs your full attention and you cannot do that when you are complimenting your aunt on her delicious cookies or reminiscing with your cousin about childhood memories. Instead manage your dog to prevent an unsafe situation and make arrangements with a qualified professional to address your dog s behavior problem. Last but not least, do not let family dynamics get in the way of meeting your dog s needs. My clients have often shared that they have felt pressured to do something with their dog that they did not actually want to do during a holiday gathering. Being assertive and honest and standing up for your dog s needs may feel difficult but can prevent an even worse situation Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 7.

8 Support ADC While You Shop If you are interested in supporting the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound there are a few options that are available to you! ADCPS has entered into a partnership with both Amazon.com and Fred Meyer. If you would like more information about both options offered by these two corporation you will find it on ADC s website, [ complete with links that will guide you through the process. The Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound wishes each of our friends a warm and caring holiday season. Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 8.

9 Informational Websites On Behalf of Service Dogs Given that the partnership of a person with a disability with an assistance dog is governed by legal requirements it is beneficial that each of us have access to as much material as possible. The discussions at the January meeting included suggestions that can be misleading, inaccurate or legally correct and helpful. It is critically important that each of us become our own best advocate. Here are some websites that are accessible to you that will provide you with valuable information. Many of these websites are also available on ADC s website on the Favorite links page. The link for our website is: Legal Description of Service Dogs: Legal Clarification on Rules for Assistance Dogs: Medical information: Veterinary questions: (credit card for veterinary care, people have 1 year to pay, use it if you have no other credit card for emergency surgery.) Service Dog Information: Service Dog Gear: Service Dog Training: Also remember that the Assistance Dog Club has a facebook page: Be sure to friend us for the latest information about all things service dog. Additional Information: Published through the generous support of the Dimmer Family Foundation 9.