Service dogs can learn new tricks
Group teaches owners to train their canines
By Marjorie Cortez Deseret News staff writer
Annie Petty doesn't intend to make a fuss.
In fact, the fewer distractions the better.
But people can't help but stare when her group enters a discount store, a restaurant or a building supply outlet. It's not every day that you see eight people—some in wheelchairs—accompanied by a like number of dogs traversing the aisles of a department store.
What appears to be a social outing is actually a carefully orchestrated training mission for a group of service-dog wannabees. Petty is evaluating how well they stay on task in public settings. It's doggie report card day.
No one fails, per se, but their performance dictates whether they've mastered certain skills or they need more work.
"We go on the assumption there are no wrong dogs. We just haven't found the right way to train them," said Petty.
Petty volunteers to teach people to train their dogs for needs, whether they need a guide dog, a signal dog (for the deaf and hard of hearing) or a service dog that can be trained to open doors, pick up objects and manipulate light switches.
The training group meets every Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at VCA All Pet Animal Hospitals, 2530 W. 4700 South. Petty doesn't train dogs. She teaches people how to train their dogs. Each program is individually tailored to their specific needs.
There's no charge for the instruction, which is offered by volunteers, but students are required to join the Great Salt Lake Dog Training Club.
"The only thing people are going to get out of this program is what they put into it. If they expect us to train the dog, it isn't going to happen," she said.
They meet weekly to hone their skills, get a few pointers and socialize their dogs. Petty or another volunteer assigns homework.
When the dog owner and Petty deem the dog is ready for some experience in the field, Petty hosts outings to assess their skills and challenges.
The field trips also become learning experiences for store and restaurant managers and employees.
On a recent outing, a group member and her dog were asked to leave a discount retail store by a well-meaning clerk. A store manager, who knew the law, intervened.
"There's a lot of misunderstanding about Utah's access laws. Any dog in training has the same access rights as any certified program dog. That includes restaurants."
Petty, who has been teaching service dog training techniques for about five years, fell into dog training "by accident."
"I was profoundly hearing impaired and because I had a dog, I couldn't get a (signal) dog from a program," she said.
So Petty set about training her own dog to be a signal dog. Signal dogs "tell" their owners when the door bell is ringing, when the morning alarm clock sounds or the timer on the stove goes off.
Unfortunately, her dog was struck by a car. The dog survived but its injuries were such that it could no longer work as a signal dog.
So Petty sought out another dog. She adopted Cheater, an Australian shepherd mix, from an animal shelter. She started over.
"Everyone told me why I couldn't do this. My philosophy is, if you don't try, you can't possibly succeed. I said, 'Let's try it anyway.'"
Petty read books, researched the Internet and joined animal training chat rooms. "I surrounded myself with extremely competent groups and people."
Cheater was an eager learner and he worked as Petty's ears for three years until her hearing was restored through surgery.
Petty is now training him as a service animal—to open doors, pick up coins.
"There's always something new to teach them."
For more information, call Petty at 967-6880.
This article originally appeared in the Deseret News on June 7, 1999. It is reprinted here by permission of the Deseret News
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