The Ears Have It

If you've seen Halo lately, you've noticed that she's all ears. Just look at these things:



Kinda makes you wonder if she'll ever grow into them, doesn't it?


Those ears are starting to get Halo's mouth in trouble. This normally quiet puppy has found her voice and is using it to let me know when she hears  something she doesn't recognize. Sometimes she just does this little "woof, woof" in a low, quiet voice, and other times she starts into the territorial, protective, "I-don't-know-what-that-is-but-I-don't-like-it" bark. When she does it at the office, everyone takes note!

Some things she's heard and barked at:

• my co-worker, Terry's, ultra-deep voice
• geese and other birds
• a 3-hole punch
• some cell phone ring tones
• reverse beepers on trucks
• and, of course, other dogs.

This past weekend, an episode of "Cops" came on my tv. A K-9 officer had subdued a suspect and was barking at him while the arresting officers caught up. Look at Halo watching tv! It's the first time she's ever seemed to notice that talking box in our living room. She sat there so attentively for a minute or so...

 then moved closer to take a look. I think she was disappointed that she couldn't smell the dog through the screen....

Remember Curious George, the monkey?

Well, I've got Curious Halo, the dog.

No Halo Allowed!

Well, it finally happened. It still has me flabbergasted. Halo was not allowed into a public place for the first time today. And the most disappointing part of it all is -- it was in a school.

I've been bringing Halo to work with me at SERC for over two months now, and I've also started taking her to schools with me. Mind you, this is all with the blessings of the agency (as well as the law). SERC has been incredibly supportive of this whole adventure. Even when some employees had concerns about dog allergies, SERC worked to create a plan that would safeguard those with allergies while allowing Halo to continue her training in our office. Some spaces at SERC are dog spaces, and some are "no-dog" spaces; we've compromised in a way that allows everyone to do what we need to do. When I have reached out to schools to let them know that I am training a guide dog and would like to bring her with me to their schools, I've received an overwhelmingly positive, welcoming response. Until today. May I vent? I'll tell you what happened, but I refuse to reveal the school; don't even ask. I need to protect the guilty.

I didn't find out until 15 minutes before our meeting started. I had sent out an email last week to all of the  schools I have not visited yet this year to let them know about Halo and give them an opportunity to ask questions, bring up problems, etc. (Again, a number of positive responses came back right away!) I didn't get a response from today's school, but physically saw the principal last week at a training and they (sorry, grammar freaks -- we have no gender neutral singular pronoun in English to hide the person's identity) didn't mention it. Neither did I, for that matter, but I was busy doing the training. Anyway, I called the principal on Friday and left a voicemail because they were busy, but never got a return call. Even though it was Columbus Day weekend, I checked my email last night at about 7:00 PM -- no email. So I erred on the side of the law, "no news is good news," and the fact that schools are supposed to be welcoming places for the public and people with disabilities -- and I brought her. Only to be told at 8:15 that she couldn't stay because of district policy. The principal did apologize for not letting me know sooner than the Columbus-Day-8:00 PM-email I didn't see yet.

I could have left her Aunties Dawn, Linda, and Shital back at SERC. But now I am 30 minutes away (an hour round-trip) with only 15 minutes until start time. I could have left her at home and had Mitch feed and walk her after school. But now I am 45 minutes away (an hour and a half round-trip). I could have had a hissy fit, put on my lawyer hat, cited the law, or left to take her to SERC or home and just been late for the meeting. Fortunately, it was cool today so I was able to move my car into a shady spot with the windows down for Halo to spend the day.

I think I handled it well. I didn't let my frustration and irritation show. But, more than anything, I am disappointed. Schools should know better.

I did get the email that was sent at 8:00 PM last night when I got home today. I replied; I complimented our work today, then stated that I will make other arrangements for Halo in the future when I have to go to that school. I can accommodate that, since I don't actually need Halo myself. However, I encouraged the principal to discuss service dogs in the schools with the central office administration. I nicely said that what happened today is illegal, and it is highly likely that a service dog will become part of their school community at some point. Service dogs aren't just for visually impaired; there are service dogs for hearing impaired, physically/mobility disabled, seizure alerts, and the newest service is assisting those with autism. They aren't pets. It's the equivalent of telling someone to leave their glasses, hearing aid, crutches, or wheelchair outside.

On a positive note, a paraprofessional found out that Halo wasn't allowed in; she was visibly upset by the situation and actually confronted the principal! She was incredibly helpful by going out to give Halo water and walk her several times during the day. I intend to send her a thank-you note. She was the bright spot of the day; she completely understood!

I didn't think I'd ever have this issue in a school. It saddens me. All the more reason to continue doing what I'm doing. It's the best way to educate people.Thanks for listening.