Service Dog thrown out of Hospital

[qara_isuke]

Amanda Figueroa says she's had her pit bull medical service dog Sir Doogan for nearly two years and had never had an issue taking him to public venues.

Comments

[aviv_b]

I'm so sorry to hear this. You would hope that people in hospitals of all places would be a little more enlightened on this topic.

[primeling]

I have a small one as well.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

[londonsquare]

I'm getting my Cavalier puppy in March. I am SO excited. It is driving me up the walls trying to wait, but I know he'll be worth it. I'd love to train him to be a therapy dog as well as get him certified for me due to my social anxieties; I'm always better around my family dog but he has to stay with my parents.

[qara_isuke]

CAVALIERS. ♥

They are such adorable dogs, but seem crazy-expensive and with the potential health issues, I dunno whether I would want to chance it with a rescue.

[londonsquare]

Yeah....I'm getting mine from a breeder. But I do plan to donate money to a nearby Cavalier rescue to help rehome fellow Cavaliers once I'm financially able to.

And once I move into a bigger home with a yard I definitely plan on rescuing a few dogs. But I've wanted a Cavalier for years.

[qara_isuke]

Yeah....I'm getting mine from a breeder. But I do plan to donate money to a nearby Cavalier rescue to help rehome fellow Cavaliers once I'm financially able to.

I love this sentiment so much.

But yeah, it's definitely one of the breeds I am favoring for my Next Dog (tm) because I need something apartment-friendly. And they are such beautiful, sweet dogs. But....I am sincerely not wanting to deal with another dog with chronic health problems, and the ones Cavaliers can have are a big deal.

[londonsquare]

Aww thanks.

What dog did you have before?

Also, if you go through a breeder with a Cavalier, it is always best to ask the breeder if the parents are heart clear and healthy and have had no history of early onset disease within their line. If they are a good breeder and worth their salt, they will be happy to give you any and all information dealing with their health problems.

And in my reading I've found that you really have to watch what Cavaliers eat and also their weight. If they become overweight their ability to contract these health problems are increased exponentially.

My roommate just got a mini schnauzer and took him to the vet and she came home with a bunch of pamphlets about pet insurance. Might look in to that, especially if it will help in the long run.

[qara_isuke]

Rottweilers and Pit-mixes, primarily. Our first Pittie had epilepsy, and it was extremely stressful to manage. We finally had to put her to sleep, after she suddenly started having them for two days straight, with increasing frequency. It was awful.

Yeah, I'm familiar with all the important stuff to discuss with breeders. But they're definitely one I'm very concerned about in terms of the potential health problems.

[wrestlingdog]

Oooh, I didn't know Cavaliers could be service dogs!

[qara_isuke]

I remember when I worked at McDonalds, one night a couple came in with a Medical Alert dog. He was this adorable, scruff little Terrier. So well-behaved, didn't move from his little blanket the entire time they were there except when given some nuggets as a treat.

I'm so sorry people treat you badly because of such a stupid reason.

[chaya]

It never occurred to me that some people might have smaller service dogs because they literally can't keep a larger dog. Thanks for teaching me something today.

[shadwrayvn]

I'm sorry you get treated that way. People really need to get educated on service animals.

[rhysande]

A guy in my neighborhood has a dachshund. He's told me all sorts of wonderful stories about his dog. It saved his life on more than one occasion by waking him and bringing him his medicine when his blood chemistry was off and even called for help once when he was unresponsive.

[soleiltropiques]

That is really horrible.

I'm really really sorry for what you've gone through.