Man Loses Assistance Dog Because It Goes Off Leash - Page 1

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14234771

This man has become very physically active again and Canine Companions for Independence says it's too dangerous for the dog.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A snowboarding accident changed his life nearly five years ago. But thanks to a service dog, Dr. Gael Yonnet got his life back.

Then last week everything changed. That's when the organization that partnered him with Elon, a yellow Labrador retriever, took the dog back, saying Yonnet's lifestyle and job were endangering the animal.

Now there's an online petition to reunite the two.

Yonnet received Elon in August 2009 from the Canine Companions for Independence. The organization provides highly trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. The organization said after a two-week training program, the participant is given "custody" not "ownership" of the dog......

Since he got Elon, Yonnet regained the active lifestyle he had before he got hurt. He said Elon helps him at home and at work. With the dog's help he went mountain biking for the first time last year and in October 2010 he was able climb the top of Snowbird with Elon by his side. ......

"But recently, his life became much harder. CCI met with Yonnet and Elon, for what he thought was a normal follow-up visit.

"They said, actually, 'Thanks for taking the whole day off, but we are just here to take custody of the dog for his own safety.'"

Yonnet said he was upset, holding Elon and crying. "I stayed 10 minutes holding him, and they said, 'If it's easier, we can call the police to take him from you.'" .......

Yonnet said he understood their concern, especially after hearing the dog was not on a leash at all times. But he claims Elon was never in danger. "He was off the leash, and I agree to that, and I apologize, but he was never in danger. I would never allow that."

Facebook page here:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/GIVE-Elon-the-companion-dog-back-to-Dr-Yonnet/185557661477534

That is nuts.  That organization will get mostly bad press out of this.  So much for helping people get their lives back.

help them get their lives back, them traumatize them by seizing the dog.  They should have done more investigating before assuming that the dog was ever in danger.  Off-leash does not mean in danger - unless the dog was seen playing in traffic - what is up with people? 

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Sounds like the dog may have been having the time of his life as well. It would be interesting to know the whole story and be sure of the facts. Sometimes a dog can be more assistance off lead than on IMO.

These two dogs are both service dogs, and I don't see any leashes!

www.youtube.com/watch

Here's another video of the vizula helping its owner. Both dogs were clicker-trained.

www.youtube.com/watch

So, they think the solution is traumatize both human and dog rather than further educate the human. Yep, I think they'll gain a lot of bad press.  

Except that they're 1) not in the USA, and 2) safely indoors, so the Canine Companions for Independence will think that's peachy keen. God forbid you try to have fun outdoors with your beloved canine companion.

To think of that poor dog pining away, in some kennel no less, wondering where his person is, when it had an active, loved life with his owner, just burns me up.

Before any situation becomes a witch-hunt, I think maybe some benefit of the doubt should be given to this organization, because we know how stories are sensationalized by the press.  "Disabled man has service dog ripped from his arms by evil crazy organization," is almost what they could call it, and we don't know if that's true.

This is what their spokesperson said:

"We've had many conversations and visits with Dr. Yonnet to help resolve numerous safety issues over the past year. We finally had to intervene to ensure the dog's health and safety."

Sounds like they have had multiple issues that may or may not be valid concerns, and it's not all detailed for the public.  So that makes me think maybe he was non-compliant.  When they say "off leash" maybe they mean the dog was a good distance away from him, not off-lead at his side.  We'd have to know more to be fair about this.

Ironically, if you go to their website, the first two words on it are "Life. Unleashed."

"When they say "off leash" maybe they mean the dog was a good distance away from him, not off-lead at his side."

Sorry, totally do not agree that just because the dog was not "at his side" that is grounds for taking away his dog.  Guess they'd take mine too when we walk across fields and they run and play like normal dogs.

Good point about the slogan.  Guess they're gonna have to change that, huh?