July 10, 20179 yr Wounded Marine vet says boss won't let him come to work with PTSD service dog | Fox News An ex-Marine awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded in combat says his bosses won’t let him come to work with his trained service dog. “I was told by my supervisor that HR said that if I showed up with the dog I’d be fired,” Yaunce Long told Fox & Friends Saturday. Long said he installs phone lines for Cincinnati Bell in Ohio. He has a service dog, named C4, to help him control anxiety caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He was diagnosed with the condition after a 10-year stint in the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was with counter-intelligence. Long said that each day for a week he was sent home without pay when he showed up with C4. “Basically, they’ve treated the dog as if it's an option,” he said. Long said he has requested an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. “I’ve pleaded with the company,” he said. “I’ve gone through all the necessary paperwork. I provided everything that they asked for and I even followed up with them to make sure I had everything in proper order because I wasn’t sure of the process either.” He said his application has languished for months because the company is stonewalling. “Despite repeated effort we have yet to receive any information regarding the current status of Yaunce’s condition and its effect on his ability to perform his duty,” Cincinnati Bell told Fox & Friends.
July 10, 20179 yr Not shocking with them...Horrible customer service, so no surprise they'd treat employees the same.
July 10, 20179 yr Author It is my understanding that this guy is a technician that goes into peoples' homes. How would you feel about a utility worker wanting to bring a dog into your home? As a non-dog lover, I would be against it.
July 10, 20179 yr It is my understanding that this guy is a technician that goes into peoples' homes. How would you feel about a utility worker wanting to bring a dog into your home? As a non-dog lover, I would be against it. I would not be OK with that either.
July 10, 20179 yr I would be okay with a service dog but I understand many people would not be okay with a strange dog entering their castle.
July 10, 20179 yr I'm all about service dogs and actually dogs in general. I however, would not want an employee of Cincinnati Bell bringing their service dog into my home. But I also wouldn't want an employee of Cincinnati Bell bringing themselves into my home either.
July 10, 20179 yr I think we as a society have an obligation to the people who fight in our wars, and that should include accommodations for their job when they return home. With that said, and assuming installing phone lines means he has to enter customers' homes, it seems the simple solution is to find a position in the company where a service dog won't be a liability. The article says the dog is "trained," but I'm not certain what that means. I know some people pay a small fee to have their pets labeled service animals to more easily travel with them, so it seems possible that the dog could have that designation and not be well trained. I've seen poorly behaving dogs with vets in public too. (I'm not saying that's the case here, but in absence of more information that's a possibility). That could expose the company to certain legal liability if the dog bit someone or their pet or destroyed their property while he is at work, or at the least puts their customers in a no-win situation (insert joke here). I think it's a bad look for Cincinnati Bell that they aren't accommodating him, but I don't think the accommodations need to involve taking the dog into customers' homes (again, if that's part of the job description).
July 10, 20179 yr I guess I probably need to be educated on the subject a bit more; however, the definition of a "service" animal seems to have broadened considerably in recent years. Obviously I understand how a service animal helps those that are visually impaired and have no issues. Help me understand how a service animal helps with anxiety? It feels a bit ripe to be taken advantage of by anyone who wants to have their pet with them in situations they normally could not.
July 10, 20179 yr It feels a bit ripe to be taken advantage of by anyone who wants to have their pet with them in situations they normally could not. And I'm sure that it is by many. I'm not the most knowledgeable but I believe that service dogs help vets quite a bit when it comes to anxiety because they can sense when the vet is on the verge of some type of anxiety attack because of the PTSD and somehow serve as a calming force.
July 10, 20179 yr Author I guess I probably need to be educated on the subject a bit more; however, the definition of a "service" animal seems to have broadened considerably in recent years. Obviously I understand how a service animal helps those that are visually impaired and have no issues. Help me understand how a service animal helps with anxiety? It feels a bit ripe to be taken advantage of by anyone who wants to have their pet with them in situations they normally could not. I'm with you. Seems like more and more people are having what I like to call "comfort" dogs to deal with social anxiety and for some former service members, PTSD. Where is the line drawn and why aren't we teaching some of these people other ways to actually deal with their fears in a more realistic way?
July 10, 20179 yr No issue with the tech bring the dog in my home as long as I get to play with the dog. :clap:
July 10, 20179 yr Author No issue with the tech bring the dog in my home as long as I get to play with the dog. :clap: You are not supposed to touch service dogs whatsoever. It interferes with their training.
July 10, 20179 yr I guess I probably need to be educated on the subject a bit more; however, the definition of a "service" animal seems to have broadened considerably in recent years. Obviously I understand how a service animal helps those that are visually impaired and have no issues. Help me understand how a service animal helps with anxiety? It feels a bit ripe to be taken advantage of by anyone who wants to have their pet with them in situations they normally could not. The definition of service dogs really hasn't changed. Service dogs are trained to do specific tasks, such as assisting the blind, deaf, etc, and those tasks must be related specifically to the owners disability. Under ADA, trained service dogs should be allowed to go almost anywhere. However, The ADA does not require covered entities to modify policies, practices, or procedures if it would “fundamentally alter” the nature of the goods, services, programs, or activities provided to the public. It also does not overrule legitimate safety requirements. If admitting service animals would fundamentally alter the nature of a service or program, service animals may be prohibited. In addition, if a particular service animal is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it, or if it is not housebroken, that animal may be excluded. So in this case, I think it could be argued the Cincy Bell is within their rights as I would think that it would be difficult for the dog to always be under the direct control of the employee, simply due to the nature of the job. The new trend in emotional support dogs, however, is not covered by the ADA, and businesses/organizations do not have to allow those dogs in or grant any exceptions to normal rules.
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.