August 3, 2024 • 14 mins
There are lots of very good dogs with jobs out there, helping people with physical and mental disabilities live more accessible lives. Through the years, the folks at NEADS World Class Service Dogs in Princeton have noticed more and more people are trying to pass off their pets as legitimate service dogs, which can put businesses, public facilities, and cultural centers in a bit of a bind. Cathy Zemaitis, the Chief Development and Programs Officer at NEADS, joins Nichole to talk about their new "Red Vest" initiative which offers information and training to help tackle this sensitive problem.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England
Weekend where each and every week we come together we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to be back
with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. You can
imagine it takes a lot of love and care to
try to train a little pup to become a reliable companion.
Not only do they need to learn regular dog things,
(00:29):
but they also have to go through rigorous training to
make sure they can carry out essential tasks around the
house and then provide the critical support their handlers might need.
These pups are facing a big challenge when they're out
and about doing their jobs. More and more people are
trying to pass off pets as service dogs in public,
and that's something that needs world class service dogs in
Princeton says could actually be dangerous to both the handler
(00:51):
and the dog. It can also make for an awkward
interaction when somebody calls them out. Enter the red Vest program.
Let's talk about this with Kathy's Amidas, Chief Development and
Programs Officer at NEEDS. Kathy, thank you so much for
your time and before we get into this red Vest program,
tell us a bit more about the work you do
at Needs.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Sure, the easy way to put it is that Needs breeds, raises, trains,
and matches world class service dogs. We've been doing that
since nineteen seventy six. We have placed over two thousand
dogs with folks who need them across the country, and
of course a large number of our dogs, our working dogs,
(01:31):
are located right here in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Now you talk about a world class service dog, what
makes a dog? I mean, every dog is a good dog,
I feel, But what makes a service dog a world
class service dog?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yes, you're right, every dog is a good dog. However,
Needs dogs and other working dogs are exactly that. They
are working dogs. They are not pets. Our dogs are
purpose bread at our own breeding center, and they begin
they're soation and training at the very tender age of
(02:03):
three days old, and that may sound extreme, but it's
definitely not. At three days old, the pups begin to
be handled, They're feet are handled, they're padded, and they
engage with humans, which is very, very important for our
service dog to really want to engage with their human.
(02:23):
And we pull that all through until they're about eight
weeks old, where they are put through the BCL testing
to see if they will make a good service dog. Basically,
all the BCL testing is is the pups are put
from the litter, are put in a big room with
all kinds of things to play with, and we begin
to watch their reactions, for example, to a loud noise
(02:44):
or how they might deal with an unusual object, and
we watch that very closely until we decide which pups
are going to make good service dogs. And of course
it's not you know, it's not over until at the
end of two years, when they're training is done. But
from there they either go to an incarcerated invidual in
(03:06):
one of the many prisons that we work with, or
they go to a full time puppy raiser, which are
amazing volunteers out in the community who bring our dogs
into their homes so that they can begin the basic
training and socialization process with them. They are well cared
(03:26):
for and loved and played with and schooled and trained
for two years, and then we determine where's the dog
going to be happiest. What type of work is it
with someone with a disability, Is it with a child
on the autism spectrum? Is it in a classroom with
a teacher or perhaps in a hospital, therapeutic or first
(03:48):
responders setting. Those are our assistance dogs. So a lot
goes into these dogs. It needs. Our staff works very hard.
Our volunteers, from the incarcerated individual to the the full
time or weekend puppy raiser, work very hard and put
forward a lot of love and expertise to bring forward
(04:08):
truly one of these world class service dogs. We are
thought of as thought leaders in the industry. We are
sought out all the time for advice from other service
dog organizations. We are part of a breeding co op
where we share puppies and moms and dads to keep
our genetic diversity going. So it's not an easy job,
(04:31):
but it.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Is so worthwhile and you probably develop a bond with
these dogs. I mean, they're so easy to develop a
bond with and you have over two years you go
to love them, and you know pet them, you know
exactly where they like to be scritched, and the treats
they like and all that stuff. Essentially setting them free
to go do their work must be painful, but it
also must be very rewarding knowing that you are helping
(04:55):
somebody live a more free and accessible life by doing so.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah, I think, you know, it's very rewarding for the
folks who raise the pups. I think it is difficult
for them to let the pups go. We're very careful
to make sure that our dogs are not with one
person or one family all the time, that they get
very used to socializing and bonding with a variety of people,
(05:22):
so that when they do come to back to campus
to meet the person that they're going to train with
for two weeks and then live with for the rest
of their lives, the sort of bounce is easy for
the dog. So if an incarcerated individual has the dog,
they have them five days a week twenty four to seven.
But on the weekends, weekend puppy raisers come to the
(05:45):
prison and take the dog to live with them, so
it's not like, you know, for the weekend to be socialized,
to get the experiences that they're obviously not going to
get behind the walls. And so the dog is used
to being super happy to be with pretty much anyone,
and so it's probably more difficult on the human side
(06:08):
than it is on the canine side when it comes
time to make the match.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, I believe that. And when you talk about accessibility.
Let's focus on this program that we're here to talk
about today, the red Vest Accessibility program. Tell us about
how red Vest came to be.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, thanks for asking about. This is a program that
we're very, very proud of. About ten years ago, we
began to work on the legislative side to try to
bring forward a law that would make it illegal to
pass your pet off as a service dog. It had
begun to be it had begun to be a very
(06:45):
widespread problem when the airlines began to let quote unquote
emotional support pets on the planes, and people decided, oh,
this is emotional support pet. I can bring my dog anywhere.
And we found that not only were pets who were
not socialized and trained to be in public settings were
interfering with the normal course of business at that public setting,
(07:08):
but they were also perhaps interfering with a working service
dog team and perhaps leaving a really sour taste in
the mouth of the business who had an unruly pet
in their place of business who had passed themselves off
as a service dog. So we started this legislative effort
which we are still working on. It has not gone
(07:31):
through yet. I hope Massachusetts very soon joins the twenty
three other states in the Union that do have this law.
But just before the pandemic, our Directive of Communications had
this great idea for the red Vest initiative, and what
that was is what we found was people who allow
public access were not fully aware of their rights and
(07:54):
responsibilities regarding service dog access, and so they would let
a dog in because the owner said it was a
service dog, and then the service dog was disruptive, but
they were afraid to ask the people to remove the
dog because they didn't think that they were quote unquote
allowed to. So what we did was we put together
(08:15):
this program where we go into a place of business
and we train the staff on what their rights and
responsibilities are regarding service dog access. We encouraged them to
ask unruly dogs to leave their premises because that's only
doing a favor to those who are working with legitimate
(08:37):
service dogs. And we explained to them that legally they
are allowed to do that, and so many times they're
so relieved. They're like, I didn't know what we could
ask someone with an unruly dog that's presented as a
service dog. I didn't think we could ask them to
leave and they can. So the red Vest initiative is locally,
(08:58):
we go in personally, we do training with staff. We
leave behind this great little card that can be handed
to anyone when they want to get into that place
of business, so that they are fully aware, as a
service dog team or even a fake service dog team,
what their rights and responsibilities are. And if they're then
(09:21):
asked because of the behavior of the dog to leave,
they have been fully i would say, warned that that
could happen, and here's why, and here are the behaviors
that are simply not allowed in a public setting. And
so the relief from the service dog side, the legitimate
service dog side, and the relief from the business side
(09:46):
is palpable. And we're really really thrilled to be able
to do this. We've worked with Boston Symphony Orchestra at
Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, the Boston Public Library, most recently, various
hotels and B and B's. Fenway Park has a red
(10:07):
vest designation, as does as do the WUSS at Polar Park,
and so we're really looking to expand this so that
everyone understands their rights and responsibilities regarding service dog access.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, I was going to ask, how do you determine
which facilities you want to work with, because I know
that it's critical for you. You say here on your
website that it has to be a welcoming, accessible facility
for people who have disabilities, which of course is critical
and every facility should be if you ask me, But
how do you determine which teams or which businesses or
(10:41):
groups you want to work with?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
We're very non discriminatory on that. Anyone who reaches out
to us and is interested in this type of training
and this type of knowledge, we are happy to go
and speak with them. If while we're at the facility
there are visible signs that this might be a difficult,
a physically difficult place for someone with the disability to
(11:04):
get into, we'll talk about that and tell them, but
we will go pretty much anywhere that allows public access
to help them understand what the rights and responsibilities are.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
How do you find these people and how do you
connect with them?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
That's a great question. They've largely found us through various outreach.
There are people who just kind of fall on needs
on the Internet and do a little digging and then see,
oh my gosh, and they offer you know, red Vest
Redvest dot needs dot org is where you find that information.
But largely because of our advocacy work on Beacon Hill
(11:40):
and because our dogs are out there, people kind of
almost find us organically, and also being on and just
chatting with you will help our reach significantly.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Yeah, I believe it. Well, then, how can people either
nominate somebody or go sign up themselves get in touch
with you? How can they do that?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
If you go to red Vest dot needs any ads
dot org, you can see what the program is all about.
You can nominate a business if you would like, and
we will get in touch with that business, or you
can ask to get in touch with us to perhaps
have this training come to your own business.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
And is this a paid training? Is this a free training?
Is it a sliding scale? How do you go about.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
That completely free? We're a nonprofit, so we will always
accept donations, but we do not charge for this training
at all. We've had we had a generous donor come
forward a few months ago to make a donation to
help cover and defray the costs to kick off, because
obviously the pandemic slowed us way down, so we're almost
(12:45):
considering this a kickoff now to help cover the costs
of for example, producing the cards and the travel and
so we're okay for a while, but always happy to
accept donations, especially regarding.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
This program phenomenal. Of course, donations are critical. And when
it comes to these pups. If people want to help
out with the pups, if they want to connect with
you about maybe getting a service dog, where can they.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Do that at anyads dot org. Once again, our website,
and it's pretty clear when you look at the top,
you know, apply for a dog, make a donation, donate
to our capital campaign to build a veterinary clinic, you know,
come to our event in the Sport in September. There's
so much going on and so it's like a wonderful
(13:32):
menu for people to choose from.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Kathy, I really appreciate your time and good luck with
this relatively new program. You say, it's a bit of
a kickoff here, So good luck with your new quote
unquote program, and seriously, thank you for all the work
you're doing to make this a more accessible world for everyone.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Thank you for helping to spread the world.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Deeply appreciated and of course, have a safe and healthy weekend.
Please join us again next week for another edition of
the show. I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ news Radio on
iHeart Art Radio
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England
Weekend where each and every week we come together we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to be back
with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. You can
imagine it takes a lot of love and care to
try to train a little pup to become a reliable companion.
Not only do they need to learn regular dog things,
(00:29):
but they also have to go through rigorous training to
make sure they can carry out essential tasks around the
house and then provide the critical support their handlers might need.
These pups are facing a big challenge when they're out
and about doing their jobs. More and more people are
trying to pass off pets as service dogs in public,
and that's something that needs world class service dogs in
Princeton says could actually be dangerous to both the handler
(00:51):
and the dog. It can also make for an awkward
interaction when somebody calls them out. Enter the red Vest program.
Let's talk about this with Kathy's Amidas, Chief Development and
Programs Officer at NEEDS. Kathy, thank you so much for
your time and before we get into this red Vest program,
tell us a bit more about the work you do
at Needs.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Sure, the easy way to put it is that Needs breeds, raises, trains,
and matches world class service dogs. We've been doing that
since nineteen seventy six. We have placed over two thousand
dogs with folks who need them across the country, and
of course a large number of our dogs, our working dogs,
(01:31):
are located right here in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Now you talk about a world class service dog, what
makes a dog? I mean, every dog is a good dog,
I feel, But what makes a service dog a world
class service dog?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yes, you're right, every dog is a good dog. However,
Needs dogs and other working dogs are exactly that. They
are working dogs. They are not pets. Our dogs are
purpose bread at our own breeding center, and they begin
they're soation and training at the very tender age of
(02:03):
three days old, and that may sound extreme, but it's
definitely not. At three days old, the pups begin to
be handled, They're feet are handled, they're padded, and they
engage with humans, which is very, very important for our
service dog to really want to engage with their human.
(02:23):
And we pull that all through until they're about eight
weeks old, where they are put through the BCL testing
to see if they will make a good service dog. Basically,
all the BCL testing is is the pups are put
from the litter, are put in a big room with
all kinds of things to play with, and we begin
to watch their reactions, for example, to a loud noise
(02:44):
or how they might deal with an unusual object, and
we watch that very closely until we decide which pups
are going to make good service dogs. And of course
it's not you know, it's not over until at the
end of two years, when they're training is done. But
from there they either go to an incarcerated invidual in
(03:06):
one of the many prisons that we work with, or
they go to a full time puppy raiser, which are
amazing volunteers out in the community who bring our dogs
into their homes so that they can begin the basic
training and socialization process with them. They are well cared
(03:26):
for and loved and played with and schooled and trained
for two years, and then we determine where's the dog
going to be happiest. What type of work is it
with someone with a disability, Is it with a child
on the autism spectrum? Is it in a classroom with
a teacher or perhaps in a hospital, therapeutic or first
(03:48):
responders setting. Those are our assistance dogs. So a lot
goes into these dogs. It needs. Our staff works very hard.
Our volunteers, from the incarcerated individual to the the full
time or weekend puppy raiser, work very hard and put
forward a lot of love and expertise to bring forward
(04:08):
truly one of these world class service dogs. We are
thought of as thought leaders in the industry. We are
sought out all the time for advice from other service
dog organizations. We are part of a breeding co op
where we share puppies and moms and dads to keep
our genetic diversity going. So it's not an easy job,
(04:31):
but it.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Is so worthwhile and you probably develop a bond with
these dogs. I mean, they're so easy to develop a
bond with and you have over two years you go
to love them, and you know pet them, you know
exactly where they like to be scritched, and the treats
they like and all that stuff. Essentially setting them free
to go do their work must be painful, but it
also must be very rewarding knowing that you are helping
(04:55):
somebody live a more free and accessible life by doing so.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah, I think, you know, it's very rewarding for the
folks who raise the pups. I think it is difficult
for them to let the pups go. We're very careful
to make sure that our dogs are not with one
person or one family all the time, that they get
very used to socializing and bonding with a variety of people,
(05:22):
so that when they do come to back to campus
to meet the person that they're going to train with
for two weeks and then live with for the rest
of their lives, the sort of bounce is easy for
the dog. So if an incarcerated individual has the dog,
they have them five days a week twenty four to seven.
But on the weekends, weekend puppy raisers come to the
(05:45):
prison and take the dog to live with them, so
it's not like, you know, for the weekend to be socialized,
to get the experiences that they're obviously not going to
get behind the walls. And so the dog is used
to being super happy to be with pretty much anyone,
and so it's probably more difficult on the human side
(06:08):
than it is on the canine side when it comes
time to make the match.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, I believe that. And when you talk about accessibility.
Let's focus on this program that we're here to talk
about today, the red Vest Accessibility program. Tell us about
how red Vest came to be.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, thanks for asking about. This is a program that
we're very, very proud of. About ten years ago, we
began to work on the legislative side to try to
bring forward a law that would make it illegal to
pass your pet off as a service dog. It had
begun to be it had begun to be a very
(06:45):
widespread problem when the airlines began to let quote unquote
emotional support pets on the planes, and people decided, oh,
this is emotional support pet. I can bring my dog anywhere.
And we found that not only were pets who were
not socialized and trained to be in public settings were
interfering with the normal course of business at that public setting,
(07:08):
but they were also perhaps interfering with a working service
dog team and perhaps leaving a really sour taste in
the mouth of the business who had an unruly pet
in their place of business who had passed themselves off
as a service dog. So we started this legislative effort
which we are still working on. It has not gone
(07:31):
through yet. I hope Massachusetts very soon joins the twenty
three other states in the Union that do have this law.
But just before the pandemic, our Directive of Communications had
this great idea for the red Vest initiative, and what
that was is what we found was people who allow
public access were not fully aware of their rights and
(07:54):
responsibilities regarding service dog access, and so they would let
a dog in because the owner said it was a
service dog, and then the service dog was disruptive, but
they were afraid to ask the people to remove the
dog because they didn't think that they were quote unquote
allowed to. So what we did was we put together
(08:15):
this program where we go into a place of business
and we train the staff on what their rights and
responsibilities are regarding service dog access. We encouraged them to
ask unruly dogs to leave their premises because that's only
doing a favor to those who are working with legitimate
(08:37):
service dogs. And we explained to them that legally they
are allowed to do that, and so many times they're
so relieved. They're like, I didn't know what we could
ask someone with an unruly dog that's presented as a
service dog. I didn't think we could ask them to
leave and they can. So the red Vest initiative is locally,
(08:58):
we go in personally, we do training with staff. We
leave behind this great little card that can be handed
to anyone when they want to get into that place
of business, so that they are fully aware, as a
service dog team or even a fake service dog team,
what their rights and responsibilities are. And if they're then
(09:21):
asked because of the behavior of the dog to leave,
they have been fully i would say, warned that that
could happen, and here's why, and here are the behaviors
that are simply not allowed in a public setting. And
so the relief from the service dog side, the legitimate
service dog side, and the relief from the business side
(09:46):
is palpable. And we're really really thrilled to be able
to do this. We've worked with Boston Symphony Orchestra at
Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, the Boston Public Library, most recently, various
hotels and B and B's. Fenway Park has a red
(10:07):
vest designation, as does as do the WUSS at Polar Park,
and so we're really looking to expand this so that
everyone understands their rights and responsibilities regarding service dog access.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, I was going to ask, how do you determine
which facilities you want to work with, because I know
that it's critical for you. You say here on your
website that it has to be a welcoming, accessible facility
for people who have disabilities, which of course is critical
and every facility should be if you ask me, But
how do you determine which teams or which businesses or
(10:41):
groups you want to work with?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
We're very non discriminatory on that. Anyone who reaches out
to us and is interested in this type of training
and this type of knowledge, we are happy to go
and speak with them. If while we're at the facility
there are visible signs that this might be a difficult,
a physically difficult place for someone with the disability to
(11:04):
get into, we'll talk about that and tell them, but
we will go pretty much anywhere that allows public access
to help them understand what the rights and responsibilities are.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
How do you find these people and how do you
connect with them?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
That's a great question. They've largely found us through various outreach.
There are people who just kind of fall on needs
on the Internet and do a little digging and then see,
oh my gosh, and they offer you know, red Vest
Redvest dot needs dot org is where you find that information.
But largely because of our advocacy work on Beacon Hill
(11:40):
and because our dogs are out there, people kind of
almost find us organically, and also being on and just
chatting with you will help our reach significantly.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Yeah, I believe it. Well, then, how can people either
nominate somebody or go sign up themselves get in touch
with you? How can they do that?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
If you go to red Vest dot needs any ads
dot org, you can see what the program is all about.
You can nominate a business if you would like, and
we will get in touch with that business, or you
can ask to get in touch with us to perhaps
have this training come to your own business.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
And is this a paid training? Is this a free training?
Is it a sliding scale? How do you go about.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
That completely free? We're a nonprofit, so we will always
accept donations, but we do not charge for this training
at all. We've had we had a generous donor come
forward a few months ago to make a donation to
help cover and defray the costs to kick off, because
obviously the pandemic slowed us way down, so we're almost
(12:45):
considering this a kickoff now to help cover the costs
of for example, producing the cards and the travel and
so we're okay for a while, but always happy to
accept donations, especially regarding.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
This program phenomenal. Of course, donations are critical. And when
it comes to these pups. If people want to help
out with the pups, if they want to connect with
you about maybe getting a service dog, where can they.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Do that at anyads dot org. Once again, our website,
and it's pretty clear when you look at the top,
you know, apply for a dog, make a donation, donate
to our capital campaign to build a veterinary clinic, you know,
come to our event in the Sport in September. There's
so much going on and so it's like a wonderful
(13:32):
menu for people to choose from.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Kathy, I really appreciate your time and good luck with
this relatively new program. You say, it's a bit of
a kickoff here, So good luck with your new quote
unquote program, and seriously, thank you for all the work
you're doing to make this a more accessible world for everyone.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Thank you for helping to spread the world.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Deeply appreciated and of course, have a safe and healthy weekend.
Please join us again next week for another edition of
the show. I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ news Radio on
iHeart Art Radio
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