Articles

Service Animal Q&A

How long have you had a service animal, and what do you use it for?
I have been a service dog handler since 2014, so this is my seventh year! I worked my first service dog, Willow, for most of that time, and I am now actively training her successor, Cast. Both dogs do medical alert and response tasks: they alert me when my autonomic nervous system runs amuck, they pick up dropped items, they retrieve everything from my cane to my inhaler, and much more.

When is your service dog most helpful, necessary, or vital?
There are several occasions on which I am incredibly grateful to be partnered with a service animal. On days that my postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is difficult to manage, my service dogs make life livable. They provide alerts to medical symptoms like tachycardia or drops in blood pressure, which give me time to sit down before a potentially dangerous syncopal episode. Their retrievals of distant or dropped items also prevent syncopal episodes by preventing me from changing posture repeatedly or quickly. On the occasion that I do faint, my dogs are trained to provide response tasks, such as licking my face to help me wake up. Their numerous tasks mitigate my disabilities in ways that my other access aids (cane, walker, and/or electric wheelchair) cannot.

What could an employer do to make a service dog handler or service dog team feel safe?
I would feel safe in any job in which an employer made an active effort to inform their non-handler employees about service dog etiquette and how to properly interact with a service dog team. If an employer was willing to offer (or better yet, require) training about disability culture, how to work alongside a service dog team, and how to educate the public (be it their customers, clients, or peers) about those things, I would feel welcome and safe in the environment. Other simple and important things for employers to do include having a system for the handler to express concerns, offering diversity training on topics other than service dog teams, and not making a show over the dog’s presence. Treat the employee like you would any other employee, speak to them and not the dog, and encourage your other employees to respect any boundaries set by the handler. Most importantly, ask the handler what makes them most comfortable, and follow their lead! Ask things like: “What do you want us, like leadership, to communicate to the other staff?” or “What procedures should be in place in the event of an evacuation, medical crisis, or other emergencies?”

What do you mean when you ask employers and coworkers to observe “service dog etiquette?”
Service dog etiquette is, put simply, the proper conduct to display around a service dog handler or team. For example, it is never appropriate to talk to, pet, take photos of, or otherwise interact with a service animal (dog or miniature horse) without the express consent of the handler – no matter how cute the animal is! It is similarly inappropriate to ask a handler why they work as a service dog or what their disability is. Outside of authenticating an employee’s request to be accompanied by a service animal at work, it is not acceptable to ask any of the aforementioned questions, or how their dog benefits the employee/how the presence of their animal will impact their work. To reiterate what I said above – listen to your particular employee about their particular boundaries with their animal, and respect those boundaries!

What is the best experience you’ve had with an employer as a service dog handler? What is an experience that could have gone more smoothly?
I am lucky enough to have had very positive experiences with my past employers. The most negative experience I’ve had was with an undergraduate university I attended. When I paired with my first service dog, Willow, the university made me jump through a series of very unnecessary hoops to allow me to bring her to campus. Being a new handler, I was less familiar with my rights and with what documentation was/was not appropriate to ask for, and I wound up being forced to disclose much of my personal medical information to parties that should not have asked.

I’ve had a multitude of positive experiences that far outweigh the negative ones. During an interview for one of my previous internships, I disclosed to the employer that I was a service dog handler. She was professional and kind – by simply responding with, “Thank you for letting us know – we are happy to provide whatever accommodations you need to be successful here,” and then continuing the interview, she let me know that Willow and I would be welcome and safe in her workplace. For the duration of the internship, the employer and her staff treated me and my working dog with complete respect. They acted like Willow was not there (aside from occasionally asking me how she was doing), and they met me as a fully capable human who happened to work with a dog.

What is the most important thing you could say to an employer who is considering hiring a service dog handler?
I love this question. My most important piece of advice to an employer who has a service dog handler as a candidate for employment is to trust that the handler will be able to work just like any other employee. Evaluate the person for the capabilities and qualifications and try to “forget” that they’ll be accompanied by their service animal. Most service dog teams work like well-oiled machines, and if the candidate is otherwise qualified and a good fit, please don’t let your fear of a dog disrupting your workplace stand in your way. I’ve worked as a service dog in many jobs and internships over the years, and our presence has never been disruptive or inhibited anyone from doing what they need to do. Trust that we can handle ourselves, the dog, the environment, and the job – because we can.

Annesley Clark is a second-year law student at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, a SHRM STL member, and a disabled service dog handler.