Making Scents:
Super Saving Sniffer

Just Trying to Do My Job

Many people who observe me with my handler, Christy, notice I keep my eye on her. A lot of people comment that I only do it for the treats from the pouch she wears.

Yes, I love food, but the purpose of giving me treats is to keep “Sustained Focus on the Handler.” When I keep my eyes on Christy, I’m focused and I get a reward, but rewards are limited to a certain amount per day.

When I alert Christy to a low blood sugar and I’m correct, I get the high-value treats.

I love those treats so much; I try to get them by pretending to alert. But Christy knows I am a foody because Labradors love food, and she tells me, “Let’s check” for an immediate blood sugar result.

If I’m wrong, she will give me one regular kibble and say, “ten minutes,” since my nose is faster than a continuous glucose monitor, and her blood sugar could drop that quickly.

When ten minutes pass, and she hasn’t dropped, it’s obvious I was just looking for a treat. It’s a process both of us have been highly trained on and strictly follow. It helps keep me in line.

Is that legal?

So, we visited a new doctor’s office and as we checked in, the receptionist asked if Christy had a dog with her and proceeded to tell her she had to leave.

Did you know there is only one question that can be asked of the service dog’s handler? “What work or task is the dog trained to perform?” Anything else is illegal.

Unfortunately, Christy had to educate the new office and hopefully there will be no repercussions. All this because people try to pass their pets as service animals.

If you sign up for Christy’s newsletter, you will receive a list of how to identify imposter service dogs. Plus, you’ll learn lots more about the important role service dogs play and how to spot the real ones in this article on a veterinarian’s website, AtlanticVetSeattle.com. Christy was quoted in the article, and I’m the “cover dog!”

If you think being a service dog is an easy job, think again. My job may be to keep focused and alert, but Christy’s job is to educate and sometimes that is indeed harder than mine.