Is this just another discrimination against Pit bulls?

Is this just another discrimination against the Pit bull breeds?

Shasta and I have worked together through trial and error for her to meet my needs. I wasn't even aware I was eligable for a service dog since I suffered from Agraphobia and social phobias, just to name a couple. It was Shasta that got me out of both those phobias and gave me back my life again from phobias, and helped me with illnesses and disabilities I suffered with since 1994.

Through meeting diffeent people, I found out that I was eligable for a service dog and I right away phoned or emailed trainers to have her trained. All of them told me that over the years, without realizing it, I had taught Shasta to meet my needs and didn't require any further training from them. She had even earned her CGN which I didn't know then was a requirement for service dogs.

Once I did find answers on how to get her legally certified, we worked hard at getting those certificates too.



I was estatic when finally our last results came in as a congratulation letter, stating Shasta had passed and was now certified and life became so much easier for me with less stress as she was by my side 24/7.

My one doctors letter even stated that my panic attacks had dramaticly decreased since me using Shasta. My family and long time friends could see the vast diffeence in me from before to after I received her and unconcously worked together to make life easier for me. She was and is a willing and quick learning student.

It's like having two dogs in one. When she works, her complete focus is on me even if someone asks to pat her and I allow it. She sits mannerly, but the whole while she is still focused on me. Once off duty, she is like other dogs that run and play and make you laugh for hours. She's a real comedian and a loving sweetheart.

But should suddenly my health change for the worst, without me saying a word, she will go into working mode on her own and stay by my side doing things that I never taught her, but that she somehow taught herself. One being, if I'm sick and sleeping through my medication times, she will gently nuzzle me awake until I take my medicications and then we can go back to sleep.

The first time she did this, I didn't understand. It wasn't her usual way for asking me to take her outside to do her business, but I headed for the patio doors only she wasn't following. I told her to come and she refused. I was mumbling away frustrated and irritated that she woke me up for nothing and as I was going to go back to bed, I decided to look at the clock to see how long I slept for. I realized it was my medication time, so I took it. At that point, Shasta went and laid back down to bed. Of course I thought it was coincidence, until she did it again and I automatically looked at the clock and she was right on again. I took my medications and again we both went back to bed.

There are other things that she learnt on her own, like Alert and Resonse for if I'm about to go into a panick attack. She knows sooner than me and will alert me to calm down. Should I go into one, she knows exactly how to bring me out of it in the most gentliest way. I'm in awe on how she has leart these things on her own, but have been told that the bond between her and I are so great, that she can smell and feel changes in me that even I'm unaware of.

I feel completely safe even though I live alone with her with me and now with her certified, I felt all the more safer as I no longer needed to tie her outside which was very frightning and I'd forget what I went into the stores for. All I could think about was someone could steal or harm her and with her muzzle on she had no defence and I'd go into high anxiety that finally I'd just leave and go outside to make sure she was alright. She at the same time could feel my anxiety right from outside.

No longer did we have to go through that and I was confident and we would go out more as I got everything I needed. She would use her wagon or sled to pull my groceries or shopping home. Now life was much simplier.

At the end of 2006, it was time to get her new license. The bullie owners have to appear in person at London Animal Care Centre with all the approprate documentations and two recent mug shots of their dogs. Because we did this last year for the first time, I knew this year exactly what to bring and a good friend of mine gave me a ride there as it's far across on the other side of the city.

ACC was full of bullie owners trying to get their dogs registered and once it became my turn, it was already closing time and the staff locked the outside doors so nobody else could come in. The place was still packed.
I brought out all her papers and that was easy enough, and once processed I then brought out her letters and certificates showing she is a certified service dog. Guide dogs and certified service dogs are no fee.

The staff there was unprepared for registering a certified service dog and none of them were sure what to do. Rather than hold up the rest of the bullie owners, I opted to pay for her license and when not so busy we could remedy the situation then. At the same time, one of the staff members gave me a number to call at City Hall and who to see.

All government building were closed for the holidays, so I waited until January 2nd and took my chances rather than phoning, but to appear in person. My first stop was the licensing department where I showed them her documents and they gave me a license for no fee. If I had of known then what a hassel I would be getting, I would have kept that license and go after a refund for the one I paid for at ACC, but it never occurred to me the struggle I was going to get into.

I went to the 5th floor and saw who I was suppose to. He said he was under the impression that it was only guide dogs that were no fee and needed to research the bylaws and get back to me early the next week. When I didn't hear back from him, I called him at the end of the week. He appolized for not phoning but said this could take several months to sort out but out of good faith, he would refund me the $50 for the license for this year. I told him I had a letter that would answer his question from the goverment of Ontario and would send them to him if that was more hepful and he asked me to mail it to him.

I gave him more than enough time to receive the letter and to loook it over before I phoned him again. Now I was getting his voice mail and left numerous messages with no replies. Getting very frustrated, I looked up his email address from the City Hall directory on the net and sent him an email along with up-to-date information for 2006 - 2007.

When I received his email back, I was so shocked and frustrated at his responce. That was the first time it dawned on me this was nothing to do with certified service dogs, but a Pit bull issue even though it's not what he stated in his email He did however tell me that what I had was a legally registered Pit bull in accordance to the law and the money for the license was not something that was abliged to do, but was sending it to me in good faith. *CLICK* Now I realized this was a Pit bull issue and was not going to be an easy matter.

The next morning, I just wanted to really find out if I was correct. I called London ACC and asked the clerk is certified service dogs were no fee for their licenses the same as the guide dogs. The man answered, "Most definately!"

I then told him my name and told him I would like Certified Service Dog added to Shasta's files along with all her other information. It was at this point his tone changed from pleasant to gruff and he said there was a note stating that my case was being taken care of by Mr. So and so at City Hall and it was him I needed to contact. Now I was getting angry as well and I asked him directly, "Is this a Pit bull issue rather than a service dog issue?" Rudely he told me to keep in communication with Mr. So and so and he had nothing further to discuss with me!

I was so upset being so frustrated and knowing another battle was on hand that I cried for two days. By the end of two days, I regained my composer and just got fighting angry. Again the bullies are being discriminated against only this one had never posed a problem or even considered by them before. I'm afraid this waiting period is just a way of stalling while London makes a new bylaw that no bullies are allowed to be service dogs. I don't know, can they take her certification away from her? She's earned everything to bring her to this point and I would go back to square one if I wasn't avle to use her.

Am I scared? You better believe it! But I'm also fighting mad that I will fight for my rights as hard as I fight against the BSL.