Luke Sanford and his service dog, Abe
Last month Austin Agho, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Don Stansberry, interim vice president for student engagement and enrollment services, released a statement about service animals on campus. In that statement they reminded the University community that when we encounter a service animal we must remember that it is working and should not be distracted. Additionally, any handler of a service animal need not disclose his or her disability, and this fact is established by law.
At the recent Center for Faculty Development Disability Pride Salon, we had occasion to meet a service dog, Abe, and his handler, Luke Sanford, an undergraduate in nuclear medicine technology. Sanford offers some insight below on the complex training that goes into service animals like his English mastiff and the multiple ways they help their handlers:
"Abe assists in many things, but to name a few big ones, he helps with mobility from having prosthetics in my neck and spine from being injured by an IED (improvised explosive device) while serving in the Marines in Afghanistan. That's one of the main reasons he is so big. He has a strong stance that can support my weight when I need to lean or push on him in mobility-hindering situations. Also, he can alert me when I'm supposed to take my medication. He is pretty much awesome all around. He was trained by a nonprofit organization called Mutts With a Mission for two years before passing top-tier service dog ADI (Assistance Dogs International Inc.) standards. Then he was issued to me. Mutts With a Mission trains service dogs for injured or wounded service members, police men and women, firefighters and EMT's."