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Posted by KDiamondDavis on January 22, 2003 at 11:20:08:
In Reply to: Ok so now what...... posted by Linda D-H on January 21, 2003 at 11:50:37:
:Hi All,
:I am so frustrated....I have taken every step required and needed to train Sassy as an Assistance dog. She is doing wonderfully. She is respectful she is very well mannered she is some many things. My husband and I moved into a mobile home park in July. It is a very nice park and Sassy is bigger than the limits. The owners of the park have been very supportive and have really helped this process in many ways.
:But here is the challenge...there are people in the park that are upset because they can not have a dog that is bigger than the limits. I have been yelled at. I have been flipped off. I have been blocked into and out of my parking space. I am so tired of trying to educate this community of people, because nothing changes. Frankly it hurts and all I want is to live in peace.
:This group is trying to force this issue. I know that I have the right to not only own my dog, but also to live without being treated in this manner. I know that retaining a lawyer is most likely in sight but does any one have any other ideas that might help before taking that final step? I know I have said it before and now I am saying it again....I hope until the world understands I just hope I can be like Sassy.....loyal forgiving and faithful. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. I am open to just about anything.....
:Thank you so much,
:Linda
:
>>>>>
In cases like this where it's a whole group that is feeding off each other in attitudes toward the dog, there are a couple of approaches that can work. One is to befriend the ringleader in some way. Another is education. In a school it might be done through an assembly, but in a community a party might work better. If you're comfortable getting up in front of the group and explaining assistance dog work and assistance dog access rights, perhaps you could represent yourself. Otherwise, try to hook up with someone more experienced to do it for you in this case. You might start by contacting the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, www.iaadp.org.
A disabled person has the legal right to have the assistance dog there, but your quality of life enters into this, too. If you can "win friends and influence people" among your neighbors, it will yield a better quality of life for you than to be in constant conflict with them.
Years ago I was in the business of selling pianos and electronic musical instruments. Visiting with a couple at their mobile home after delivering an instrument, they told me a very interesting story. They had lived in a mobile home park for years. Then they decided to buy a house and change to a different kind of neighborhood lifestyle. Neighborhood kids were such vandals and thugs that their home life became miserable. They moved back into a mobile home park and were very happy.
There are good people everywhere. Sometimes a mob mentality takes over a group, but it can be helped to work for you just as it can work against you. I'd give the "Dale Carnegie approach" of winning them over a really good try. That includes making sure you leave no dog poop lying around, govern your dog to use a spot for urination that isn't going to impose odors or dead plants on anyone, prevent barking that would disturb the sleep of others (remember the day sleepers, too), prevent your dog from jumping up on people or making them feel uncomfortable when they are outdoors, and anything else you can think of to make sure you and your dog are good neighbors. BE SEEN picking up poop after your dog and disposing of it properly. That alone will absolutely astound most people!
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinarypartner.com