Auburn Releases Statement Re: PTSD Student

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

Well, Texan, I think we disagree. I don't think we disagree about the facts, necessarily. I'm not here to tell you you are wrong or are lying when you quote these sites. Rather, your perspective is different from mine.

It's like an optimist and a pessimist disagreeing about the nature of a glass of water. (I have no problem assuming the position of pessimist here. I see the glass as half empty when it comes to service dogs from the pound.)

To me, any service dog not picked from a litter bred for temperament and trained from that point forward is an inferior example that dilutes the concept of what a "service dog" is in our society. Service dogs help otherwise incapable individuals. They are more than a companion animal. If their job requires less than a guide dog's abilities, they should still come from the same process and source.

To me, rescue service animals are a liability. What is that quote about "chimpanzees, typewriters, and Shakespeare?" In a large enough population, eventually everything is a statistical certainty. You take enough dogs out of the pound and call them service dogs, eventually one will have a bad moment and bite someone. (Maybe this is why the organization is so testy about strangers petting their dogs.)

The problem with this is that the law can't and the media don't discriminate between K9s for Warriors and top tier guide dogs. So, when that dogue de Bordeaux mix with little (I don't care if it's 2 weeks or 3 months) training snaps at a free safety playing for the UC Santa Cruz Fighting Banana Slugs, it'll be all over CNN. And Diane Feinstein will be co sponsoring some knee jerk legislation to limit where service animals (including guide dogs for the blind) can be.

It bothers me further that we have someone who failed out of tech school claiming PTSD. Seems the farthest from the vet with a gun to his wife's head as 2 soldiers could be. Yet, the girl that accused the players has a dog. One more proverbial monkey at the typewriter.

We're probably both wrong anyway. The optimist and the pessimist were both wrong. The scientist will tell you the glass is completely full- half water, half air.

But you have no idea where the dog came from or how that dog was chosen or trained. Which looking at the breed it is said to have a good calm temperament but does require socialization. That dog could have been donated by a breeder.

It is always possible for a dog to bite. I had a Springer Spaniel (from a breeder) that I ran with everyday.... lol dog would unroll the TP and drag it around the house to go for a run... It potentially could of Springer raged on someone while I was jogging. UGA a dog that comes from a breeder and is socialized and accustomed to being at games took a snap at Baker one year. A German Sheppard security dog (most likely from a breeder) at a AU football game few years ago bit Powers on the hand.

Mean with those fears then pets shouldn't be allowed in the public period (just homes and private backyards) and mascots should be caged and roped off and security dogs not allowed at events with people.

Are there imposter service dogs that can attack and kill a child. Yes, and it has already happened. It is a legitimate concern. Seems what you should be complaining about is the overall process of training and certification at a national level and not this one single organization that scorned Auburn.

My mentioning my neighbor was in response to your people came home and didn't need dogs and were fine. Who knows if he would of had a dog, cause PTSD wasn't even 10 year's old yet and the 1990 ADA had not been implemented yet. So I won't compare him to the girl (which reportedly was sexually assaulted), and will just leave her out of this cause I'm not her psychologist and don't have the full background. She either legitimately needs one (and it was medically proven since the Office of Accessibility at Auburn allowed the dog in the first place) or she got a medical professional to commit fraud for her.

And people with social phobias and anxieties can be incapable individuals when it comes to venturing into society.

Truthfully the dog trained by this group has done nothing wrong. The group sucks at social media/public relations, and given the founders son suffers from PTSD took the incident personally and emotionally versus objectively. Which has now lead to individuals at Auburn taking that personally and emotionally and reacting in the exact same manner. The press, well the press just wants it's story that provides the most hits.

[Mikey 16,622]

PTSD has always been with us, only the name has changed. World War 1's generation called it "shell shock". By WW2 it was known as "battle fatigue". Now it's PTSD. I grew up seeing guys on the street and guys in the family that never got over what they saw in Europe or the South Pacific.

We, as a society, are handling it differently but it's the same ol' bugaboo. I had one great uncle that fought in Europe, came home, went to college, founded a steel business and became a millionaire. One of those "greatest generation" guys. Another great uncle fought under Patton in Africa and Sicily. He never got over it, hung around neighborhood bars and drank himself into a VA hospital where he died of liver cirrhosis. PTSD is the same old tragedy under a new name.

Quoting Texan4Auburn: "Seems what you should be complaining about is the overall process of training and certification at a national level and not this one single organization that scorned Auburn."

I think not. The question is, is this organization one of those rotten apples that gives the others a bad name? Their limited interaction with my experience makes me think so. At any rate, I can easily find organizations that support my fellow veterans without giving this bunch one dime.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

PTSD has always been with us, only the name has changed. World War 1's generation called it "shell shock". By WW2 it was known as "battle fatigue". Now it's PTSD. I grew up seeing guys on the street and guys in the family that never got over what they saw in Europe or the South Pacific.

We, as a society, are handling it differently but it's the same ol' bugaboo. I had one great uncle that fought in Europe, came home, went to college, founded a steel business and became a millionaire. One of those "greatest generation" guys. Another great uncle fought under Patton in Africa and Sicily. He never got over it, hung around neighborhood bars and drank himself into a VA hospital where he died of liver cirrhosis. PTSD is the same old tragedy under a new name.

Quoting Texan4Auburn: "Seems what you should be complaining about is the overall process of training and certification at a national level and not this one single organization that scorned Auburn."

I think not. The question is, is this organization one of those rotten apples that gives the others a bad name? Their limited interaction with my experience makes me think so. At any rate, I can easily find organizations that support my fellow veterans without giving this bunch one dime.

If his complaint is about the type of dogs that are allowed and believes that they should be from specific breeders then that is a national level thing.

[PatBoCamRob 30]

Exactly. In my experience... what I understand... is that service dogs (the guide dog variety) have typically been bred and raised as such.

I bought my golden retriever from such a breeder. My dog cost me more than a nice mountain bike. I feel that the dog's guaranteed temperament and intelligence were worth the fee.

I selected the dog knowing I would not have the pick of the litter. But, the breeder did show me her methods of selecting the most docile dogs, even as early as 4 weeks of age.

It is my understanding the better behaved dogs and the healthier dogs are the ones that go first. Dog litters are typically around 8 pups? Temperament varies. Even the best breeders have a hard time placing the last puppy. An 8th dog that doesn't sell would make for a good opportunity for a 4 figure write-off, if it's donated to a charity.

What percentage of dogs are in shelters that couldn't be placed with another family before hitting the shelters, that didn't have temperament or health issues?

That's how I see it, anyway. I think you get what you pay for. I'd rather they devoted their funds to getting good animals than taking chances on the animals and giving the veterans a subsidized trip to Florida.

The reason being it is an overall greater risk to the service dog community when a larger group of dogs are allowed to have the credentials and act as service animals.

It also debases what it means to have a service animal when so many people are allowed to have them. In that sense, people who are blind etc are the victims of those who are stretching the loopholes of society. Did I mention the old lady that bought a vest for her chihuahua and brought it into church?

Look, I'd bet any amount of money that having a dog helps PTSD vets feel better. Does taking them out in the streets with credentials help them adjust to civilian life? Well... If that were the case, we wouldn't be talking about this...

I guess a TLDR version of all this would be to say, there are "therapy dogs" out there. PTSD is a good opportunity for a therapy dog. Are there any studies or has there been any discussion about using them for such purpose? http://www.tdi-dog.org