What can a Medical Alert Service Dog do for you?

Future in the horizon

Trimethylaminuria Medical Alert Service Dog
Medical Alert Service Dog
What it can do for you
by Liz Norris

---

Dogs work off scent. Here are some facts about dogs that many of you do not know:

• Dogs primary ability - sense of smell.
• Humans "see" at a glance - dogs, "scent" at a glance.
• Humans acclimate to scent in a room - dogs never do, they fade scent they are not interested in to background "noise" like we do t.v.s, music, our work place sounds, etc.
• A dogs nasal plane (outside of nose area) and nostrils stay moist so they can dissolve and release scent particles.
• Every dogs nasal plane (nose area) is as individual as our fingerprint is to us. No two are alike.
• Dogs have sinuses. They play a role in scent work detection.
• Humans have 5 million scent receptor cells.
• Dogs have millions depending on the breed (Doxies for example have 125 million while a Beagle has 220 million. The only breed and size of dog to have the same amount as the large German Shepherds who also have 220).
• Dogs have a huge amount of brainpower devoted to scent (size of large walnut, matched to a humans pea size area).
• Dogs can scent/smell under water thanks to the Jacobson Organ or vomeronasal organ in the floor of their nose.
• A puppy can not see or hear when it is born due to these orifices being sealed. However, they can scent immediately. They use this to find mom, milk, litter mates, you and their surroundings. Called imprinting...the smell, matches the person, matches what is going on or happens.
• Dogs can register the same scent for hours or even days.
• Dogs can separate one odor into all its components. We smell beef stew, they smell potatoes, peas, carrots, etc.
• Dogs can choose which odor/scent to concentrate on.
• Dogs have been used to detect gas leaks 20 feet below ground. The best human instruments could not. In Ontario on a natural gas pipeline leak, over 90 miles of pipeline, dogs found 150 leaks (1974).
• Dogs scent detect ability is so good they can pick a schizophrenic out of a crowd by tuning in on the apocrine gland sweat. This is the gland schizophrenics sweat from all the time.
• Fear in people produces sweat from the apocrine glands. Hence the old saying of dogs can smell fear...they can. Regular work sweat is produced from a different body gland.
• Bloodhounds are perfect scent machines. Built for it from head to toe. Bassett is second and designed for perfect scent work.
• Squash faced dogs have more issues with scent detection thanks to man designing them this way.
• Air scenting breed examples, collies, Dobermans, standard poodles, labs, goldens.

Why would this pertain to a TMAU person?

• Because dogs have been used by mankind thru out history to do scent work. Hunting for example, tracking down prey or people, another example.
• For over 50 years we have honed the dogs talents to do Search and Rescue, track criminals, track lost children, lost animals, and medical tracking uses (Diabetic Alert Dogs, Seizure Alert Dog, Blood Pressure Alert, Emotional Support Service Dogs, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, etc.). Drug dogs, bomb dogs, first responder dogs, etc.
• Dogs can be taught to find the "hottest scent" source on a human.
• Dogs can be taught to tell the difference between your right hand scent and left hand scent. If you have a scent article you picked up with your left hand and laid it in the row or unscented from you, the dog should match the scented article to your left hand. Same with any body part. For example, I am right handed. Therefore I put more scent on an article with right hand than left because I touch more things with my right.

Dogs trained to do scent work must have a "high will to serve" not a, "high drive to power". Not all dogs will be suitable for service dog work due to their personalities and temperaments. Aggression is not acceptable. Towards people, dogs, anything. Training a service dog for guard protection work is not acceptable. Dogs that could care less about you and have a, "user" personality are not good candidates. They will do anything if something is in it for them, but when you need them, they could care less. Therefore, leave the choosing of a service dog to a professional. Make sure if you are working with a service dog trainer they use positive, motivational methods, not shock collars, choke chains, prong collars or slip collars. This is training by bully methods, intimidation methods and will shut the dog down.

If I have TMAU issues how can this help me?

• Dogs can be trained to alert to a scent of any kind.
• Dog can alert you before a human could smell you. Keeping you in a "safety scent zone".
• Dog is trained to give a "physical signal" as its alert.
• Tell me if the scent is really High or relatively Low (requires 2 signals physically from dog).
• Service Dogs can go into any public place with you (work, ballgames, dances, sports bar, weddings, cruises, airplanes, hotels, etc.)
• Backpacking Medical Related supplies, Cell Phones, Money, Credit Cards, Emergency Instructions for EMT personnel.
• Respond to Panic Attacks by redirecting you to something else like stroking the dogs fur.
• Assist Emotionally Overwhelmed in workplace or at home.
• Public Fear Management Tasks.
• Reduce fearful state of mind or hyper-vigilance.
• Helping you cope with living alone and fear of intruders in home or on way to work or to parking garages.
• Increase feelings of safety in Public
• Provide emotional and spiritual support.
• Lower your stress level leading to better health mentally and physically.

Before you jump on the Service Dog band wagon, ask yourself:

• Am I ready for my medical disability to be public? By having a service dog and taking it everywhere with you and the sign on its pack that says, "Medical Alert Dog" you are saying to the public, "I have a disability".
• Am I ready to care for a living, breathing thing each and every day of its life until death do us part?
• Do I have the financial means to support the feeding, vetting and life of my service dog?
• Am I willing to take the time to learn the training commands, scent work, Public Access Work, required canine manners that it takes to work a service dog in public?
• Am I willing to keep the work up each day?
• Do I want to live with a 3 year old for 14 - 18 years even though it can learn 300 plus commands and help change my life for the better?

The only 2 questions a facility may ask you:

• If you are entering a restaurant, they can ask you, "is this a service dog".
• You say, "yes it is".
• They can ask you, "what does it do for you"?
• You say, "it mitigates my medical disability".
• End of story. They do not have the right to ask you what the mitigation is. That is telling them what your disability is and crosses over to your right to privacy.
• If you do not care who knows what your medical disability is you can put TMAU Medical Alert Service Dog or Trimethylaminuria Medical Alert Service Dog. If you care about your privacy just go with Medical Alert Service Dog.

Examples of your rights under ADA vs. the Publics Rights:

• You have the right to take your dog to hotels, motels, etc. You do not have to tell them it is a service dog coming. They can not charge you a pet room fee. It is not a pet. They can not charge you a cleaning fee. However, if your dog chews up the tables, eats the dresser, tears down the window sash, then you pay the bill and they have the right to charge you.
• You have the right to take your dog into a restaurant and thru a buffet. Your dog does not have the right to get up, shake hair into my plate and slobber into my water glass. It must lay under the table out of site.
• You have the right to take your dog to work with you. You do not have the right to let it jump on me, slobber on me, run around the office, etc. It must lay under your work station out of site and be invisible as possible.
• You have the right to take your dog to school. You do not have the right to let it sniff people, nudge people, or interfere with anyone else in the school system.
• You have the right to live in the same apartment building where I live (even if pet animals are not allowed, this does not matter. You have a service dog), but your dog does not have the right to leave poop all over the lawns and dig holes in the lawn or bark all night and keep me awake.
• You have the right to shop in grocery store with your Service Dog, but it does not have the right to sample food, pee on things, eat off the displays, etc.
  

Liz is a former U.S. Air Force K-9 unit trainer, including search & rescue (SAR), cadaver detection, drug detection, and K-9 obedience. She has also trained Malamutes as sled dogs, shown on the AKC circuit, been an AKC judge, and has volunteered with her own dogs in multiple SAR missions...

Liz Norris is the founder of Pawsibilities Unleashed. She is an official tester for the Therapy Dog certifications and Canine Good Citizen (CGC) tests and Service Dog Public Access Test.

---

MeBO Research