Service, therapy, emotional support dogs

Dr. Jose Hernandez-Gil met me at the Coffee Garden to talk about advertising in QSaltLake. He is a DMD (Doctor of Medical Dentistry), a designation earned with further study at Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry. With over 23 years practicing in public health, he had just relocated to Salt Lake from New Mexico and purchased a dental practice, Taylorsville Emergency and Family Dentistry and wanted the LGBT community to know he was open for business; hoping for its patronage.

As we got acquainted, we discussed his service dog, Boscoe, who died a little less than a year ago. Boscoe was Jose’s second service dog and was a Saint Bernard. It quickly become clear this was more than a dog who had passed; it was a deeply loved, appreciated, and needed companion who helped Jose lead his life. When asked if he had replaced Boscoe a look of hurt, anguish and anger flashed. He explained that a service dog isn’t just replaced.

“First of all a service dog is incredibly hard to find. Not only do these dogs have to have stable temperaments and near perfect conformation and structure to perform their jobs, but they must also be deep thinkers, serious, intuitive, alert, attentive, non-aggressive, confident, and self assured. They look at situations before they act.” Jose says they are often confused for shy because they think about a situation and how it affects their handler before they act.

A dog with these attributes is so rare, it makes service dogs (also known as assistance dogs) very hard to find. Then there’s the training. Jose says it takes up to three years and between $17,000 and $80,000 to train a service dog, depending on the functions they are required to perform.

He says there is a huge difference between a service dog, a “therapy dog” and an “emotional support dog.”

Non-aggression and a stable temperament are the key attributes for a therapy dog. Anyone can train them to meet the standards set by a particular organization and participate within that organization. Jose says if someone wants to train their dog, they can contact the American Kennel Club or Therapy Dogs International.

Emotional support dogs are not required to undergo specialized training. They only need to be well behaved, minimally trained, and bonded to its owner since their only jobs are accompaniment and emotional support. A doctor’s note generally suffices for these dogs.

Why Saint Bernards?

“My first service dog, Pele, was a Kuvasz, and in 2010 I found out there was one function she couldn’t do on her own and required help to execute. That meant I needed a bigger dog, and because of my work with the elderly and children, it meant I needed a bigger dog that was face friendly and evoked calm.”  Watching John Hughes’ movie “Beethoven,” “I realized what I needed was a Saint,” says Jose.

Besides characteristics and training, another key difference is the way the laws and regulations empower the dog’s guardian. The American Disability Act, Federal Housing Authority and Department of Transportation rules protect the rights of people with disabilities to be accompanied by their service dogs in housing and in public places, like businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, as well as transportation.

Not so with therapy dogs and emotional support dogs. People with these dogs do not have the right to be accompanied in establishments that do not permit pets. The FHA does allow an them to reside in housing that has a “No Pets” policy, as a reasonable accommodation. The DOT’s Air Carrier Access Act also allows those with proof of a disability to be accompanied by an emotional support dog.

Losing the loves of his life, Pele and Boscoe, has not kept Jose from the companionship of dogs. He has Gelsey, a Saint Bernard and ZsaZsa, an English Bulldog. Both dogs are deeply loved but not trained as service dogs. Reading Jose’s Facebook pages you’d think he gives them as much “service” as they give him. The love and affection he gets back makes the “service” a labor of love.

There is another Saint looming in Jose’s life. He is actively seeking another Saint Bernard puppy. As he mentioned though, finding one with the characteristics generally needed, and combined with the deep emotion he feels for Pele and Boscoe, is taking Jose a bit more time.

Dr. Jose Hernandez-Gil is accepting new patients at Taylorsville Emergency and Family Dentistry, 2852 W. 4700 South, Ste B, 801-969-3752.