b'Pella was a rock star the whole may have to be escalated to corporatetime. She had my back, and kept me after the fact. calm, which helped me stay focused, DidyouknowthatatrainedsaidSean. Themanagerapologized service dog does not need to wear aandexplainedhisemployeescon- vest? A service dog is trained to workduct,whileinexcusable,wasasa well without the vest, which is usedresult of a prior evenings experience moreforthepublic.Onourfirstwhen someone came in passing their meeting with Sean at the Clearwateruntrained dog off as a service dog. In MarineAquarium,Nickwasnotadditiontobeingunrulyandnot wearing a vest. He was clearly work-under the handlers control, the dog ing,withhisattentionandgazeurinated in the dining room.always on Sean. This was especiallyPella,whowasdiagnosedwith apparent when we were photograph-severe storm anxiety, retired in 2021. ingNickagainstoneoftheShe is now the family dog and seems Aquarium windows. Nic the dolphinto relish her life of leisure as Sean and seemed to want to catch Nicks atten-hisservicedogNickheadoffto tion,swimmingeverywhichway,work.PellaandNickarebest including upside down. Alas, it wasfriends, said Sean. But, it took Pella all in vain. Nick only had eyes for hisa couple of weeks before she realized handler, Sean.T-Rex Lizzie is part of the Dino Rescue exhibit her position in the family.at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. While she Seanadded,WhenNickfirstroared and moved menacingly, service dog Nick Only Two Questions Allowedwas fully attentive on his handler, arrived, wed throw the ball, and PellaU.S. Army veteran Sean Brown. would run for it and bring it back to In situations where it is notme. Then, one day, it all switched. obvious that the dog is aAlthough the ADA is consistent in their She and Nick ran for the ball, and service animal (not all disabilitieswording of the law, each state does she let him bring it back to me. are visible) staff may ask thehave its own set of laws and rules.On Seans bad days, Pella is still following two questions:From the ADA.GOV website: there for him. She alerts someone in 1)Is the dog a service animalMany people with disabilities use a myfamilytoletthemknow,hey, required because of a disability?service animal in order to fully participate hes not doing well, said Sean. 2) What work or task has thein everyday life. Dogs can be trained There are still incidents of peo- dog been trained to perform?to perform many important tasks to plequestioningNicksaccessibility.assist people with disabilities, such as Onesuchincidentoccurredwith Staff are not allowed to requestproviding stability for a person who has PellaatHartsfield-JacksonAtlanta any documentation for the dog,difficulty walking, picking up items for a InternationalAirport.Surprisingly, require that the dog demonstrateperson who uses a wheelchair, prevent- not every airports TSA knows about its task, or inquire about theing a child with autism from wandering service dog accessibility. They swear nature of the persons disability.away, or alerting a person who has aservicedogcannotwalkthroughhearing loss when someone is thewalk-throughmetaldetectors,approaching from behind. andthatwecantwalkthrough Did you know that dogs-in-train-The ADA requires State and local together, said Sean.ing do need to wear a vest? Trishgovernment agencies, businesses, and With Pella, and now with Nick, GorryhasbeenavolunteerforSeansaidtheyreallusedtoit.I SoutheasternGuideDogsfor12non-profit organizations (covered enti- remind people who have service dogs years.SheandherhusbandTerryties) that provide goods or services to to know their rights. Know how to havebeenpuppyraisersforthethe public to make reasonable modifi- standupforyourrights.And, organization since 2018.cations in their policies, practices, or dependingonthesituation,know Puppy raisers volunteer to bringprocedures when necessary to accom- what to ask for, said Sean. Airports apuppyintotheirhomesforjustmodate people with disabilities. The havesupervisorypersonneltrained over a year. The experience providesservice animal rules fall under this gener- and knowledgeable in the ADA that a good base for the puppy to learnal principle. Accordingly, entities that can correct a gate/ticket agent and so good house manners and basic skills. have a no pets policy generally must does TSA. In a hotel or department We have made lifelong friendsmodify the policy to allow service ani- store situation its usually the general throughourvolunteerworkwithmals into their facilities. manageryoullwanttoaskfor.It Southeastern Guide Dogs,said Trish. 26 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'