Your dog can count!
First public Service Dog census launches
Make sure your dog
guide, hearing dog
or other service dog counts. The Service Dog Census Project is conducting
a count of all service dogs in use in the United States, starting
on June 9. It is the first public census of service dogs.
Eighteen years after
the U.S. Department of Justice passed the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) which ensures the rights of disabled people to access
public areas with their service animals, many still have to educate
the public about their rights and the need for their service dogs.
Blayne Douglas, who works at a deaf counseling, advocacy and referral
agency in California, often runs into acceptance problems with
his hearing dog. “The lion’s share of my day is educating
the public about the use of hearing dogs. I’m always surprised
by the number of people who think only guide dogs for the blind count
as service dogs,” said Douglas. “I’ve even experienced
doubt by business owners who hesitated in providing us access because
they didn’t understand.”
The Service Dog Census Project and the United States Service Dog Registry
are working to change that. The Registry offers free service dog registration
through a central online database. This allows service dog owners to
register their animals and receive a unique ID number. A look-up feature
allows others to securely verify the registration status while protecting
the medical privacy of the individual.
The purpose of the Service
Dog Census Project is to provide detailed statistical data about
the large number of service animals currently working in the United
States. The data can be used for various positive purposes including
advocacy, media references, university studies and public support. “The response has been phenomenal,” said
Marc Battaglia, executive director of the project. “Even during
our beta-testing phase we had people registering from New York to California.
We’ve received emails from people thanking us for initiating
this project.”
The census is open to all
service dogs and their handlers, regardless of certification or training
status. Individuals using a service dog for any disability covered
by the ADA qualify for this count. (Please see (www.ada.gov/animal.htm)
A service dog is any canine trained to provide assistance to an individual
with a disability. Therapy dogs and other working dogs provide many
great benefits but are not covered by the ADA law and therefore not
eligible to be included in the census.
The United States Service
Dog Registry collects the data for the Service Dog Census Project.
To participate in this census please go to usservicedogregistry.org.
The Service Dog Census Project
is looking for help from the news media, bloggers and other individuals
to help get the word out about their efforts. There are also several
affiliate membership levels available at censusproject.org/affiliate.
The Service Dog Census Project is headed by Battaglia who leads the
four-person team in his spare time. Battaglia is the associate creative
director for an advertising agency where he works with his German Shepherd,
Indiana, by his side.
Battaglia was diagnosed
with epilepsy in 1999 after suffering from it since childhood. “I don’t really like
to talk about it, and that’s part of what is important about
how this registry and census are being conducted. It’s private,” he
said. . “You shouldn’t have to explain your medical history
to everyone.”![]()
More info: email marc@censusproject.org - www.censusproject.org,
- www.usservicedogregistry.org
