The American legal history of tracking goes back to the dark days of slavery, as discussed by us elsewhere. That tradition produced a case law, and principles of evidence, very different from what began to arise in the 1970s for narcotics and explosives detection dogs. Tracking dogs were often trained as an economic activity, and well-known dogs could be brought over state lines—sometimes over several state lines—to track in notorious criminal cases. There was also a long tradition of prisoners training dogs, dogs that would be...
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Law Student Training Service Dogs Can Sue Law School for Refusing to Admit Dogs to Classes
Nicole Lara Shumate enrolled in Drake University Law School in Des Moines in 2006 and graduated three years later. Shumate is a service and therapy dog trainer and founded a non-profit organization called Paws and Effect the same year she started law school. It is not clear when she first tried to bring dogs in training to classes, but her complaint stated that the law school dean notified her in September 2009 that “access to law school facilities with a service dog in training would not be tolerated per the university policy.” ...
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Do Dogs Detect Hypoglycemia? Two Studies Say Yes, but a Third Raises Serious Doubts
Three UK scientists, one of which is the CEO of a dog training organization that specializes in medical detection dogs, have published a study (Rooney et al. 2013) that “points to the potential value of alert dogs, for increasing glycaemic control, client independence and consequent quality of life and even reducing the costs of long term health care.” Another preliminary study (Gonder-Frederick et al., 2013), also using self-reporting, largely confirmed the results of the first study. A third study (Dehlinger et al., 2013), however, found...
Monday, November 25, 2013
When a Therapy Dog Bites
A handler who belongs to a national therapy dog organization, as I do, is required to certify annually that the dog has not bitten anyone or shown overt aggression since the previous renewal of membership. This requirement is not limited to incidents that happen during visitations. A recent case from New York involved a therapy dog that bit a guest at a party in the home of his owner. The certifying organization was not informed of the bite (until I sent them an email asking for comment), and the dog's certification continued...
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Psychiatrist’s Letter Proves Crucial in Patient's Dispute with Landlord over Dog
Dr. J.L. Thomas and I wrote an article for psychological and medical professionals regarding letters that such professionals are asked to write on behalf of patients with service and support animals. In the article, which appeared in the Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, we analyzed letters that were influential in legal cases where patients sued to gain access to public accommodations, transportation, or housing. We also analyzed letters that had the opposite effect, either not helping patients or actually harming their cases. ...
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