So here is my story today:
A couple of months ago, Nancy was having a conversation with one of the workers at Trader Joes. In that conversation the worker told Nancy about an incident that had happen in their store.
Someone had brought their dog into the store under the pretense that it was a service dog. Well, their so-called service dog pooped on the floor in the frozen food aisle.
I think this indicated that the dog had not gone through the necessary rigorous training that a certified service or medical alert dog needs to go through. It took me 2 ½ years of training to learn appropriate public behavior and the specific skill set my owner needed me to do to support her disability.
Why do people do this? Are they not thinking about the impact they are having on other people? Are they so self-focused that they don’t realize how they are making life more difficult for people who really need a service dog to help them maneuver daily life?
Nancy, my owner, has a very rare disease-Addison’s Disease. Only a 100 to 140 people in a million have it. It is more common in dogs, which we think is funny.
Nancy’s body doesn’t make the hormone that is needed to handle any kind of stress. This means she needs to administer that hormone manually. Often, she can detect the need to increase that missing hormone herself, but when the deficit comes on too quickly or unexpectedly my job is to jump into action.
So, what do I do?
I was taught to detect when that hormone level is low and instruct her to take the missing hormone manually. So how do I do this? I do it by smell. (Think about it—when someone is sick, they smell different.) I was taught to alert her when the smell coming off her body indicated that she needed to take the missing hormone and to not let up until the smell changed back to normal. This requires a lot of focus and concentration especially in busy stores and other stressful situations.
Over the years I have encountered a lot of what I call pretend service dogs.
How do I know if they have gone through the rigorous training needed to be a service dog? If they bark in a store, bus, taxi, or airplane they are not a fully trained certified service dog. If they pee or poop in a store, they are not a fully trained service dog. If they attack or growl at a person or another dog, they are not a fully trained service dog.
So why are more and more people having their dog pose as a service dog?
I think the problem doesn’t stem from the dog but rather the behavior or lack of integrity and compassion of their owner. Unfortunately, this behavior is making my job more difficult and ultimately putting Nancy’s life at risk.
Since I am with Nancy 24/7, I am now hearing that this lack of integrity or not thinking about the impact of their actions on others is showing up in many walks of life.
When I was a pup, my mom told my brothers and sisters and me that we are all one! That means that every action and thought we have impacts others. She also said our job was to help create more peace and love in the world. So, let’s join together and create a world that is full of more love, support and compassion.
If you would like some help figuring out simple things you can do to help facilitate more love, compassion and positive change for all, 
I suggest you explore the I Create What I Believe (ICWIB) program where my friend Luke will demonstrate the ICWIB activities and/or attend the FREE Drawing in the Now classes that are taught by Nancy Marie over Zoom the first and third Monday of the month from 4:30 pm-5:00 pm PST.
To view archived classes or for more information about the FREE Drawing in the Now Classes
visit: https://icreatewhatibelieve.com/drawing-in-the-now/
For more information about the ICWIB Online Training Program
visit https://icreatewhatibelieve.com/online-training/
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or you can email Alex at Alex@icreatewhatibelieve.com
In a recent interview Dr. Bruce Lipton said, “…Freedom is the ability to create without the limitation of generational programming. The I Create What I Believe! (ICWIB!) Program is a gateway and a pathway into a new and better future because it allows children and (adults) to fully express themselves and to not be limited by the beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation. This program also frees up children’s and (adults’) minds and allows their creative nature to create a better world for all of us, which is what we need right now!”
