221 Service Animals

Listener Julie was kind enough to provide us with research for an episode about service animals: where they come from, how they are trained, what are the alternatives to non-human assistance for disabled folks.

In This Episode

News

* Why California leapfrogged the 2020 primary schedule (CNN)* Chick-fil-A testing new vegan side dish at select restaurants (ABC)* Arkansas Outlaws Labeling Cauliflower Rice as “Rice” (VegNews)*

Joke(s) in the Middle

Do you want to hear a joke about construction? (thanks, Marja!)

What do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino? (thanks, New Amsterdam!)

Links to Stuff We Mentioned in the Middle

* AOC poppin’ off about “elitism” of Green New Deal (Facebook) – clock those gestures, yes girl!* Chipotle “Pure Imagination” commercial: The Scarecrow (Vimeo)* Check us out on Livegan! Episode #67!

Main Topic

Thank you to Julie for this wonderful research!!!

Content Warning: discussion of use of animals for service, training and breeding practices

Before you listen: we do not want this episode to be interpreted as ableist or blaming those who need animal assistance; rather to shed light on what the reality of service animals are and how we should be trying to shape the world to facilitate these functions without the use of a non-human animal, through technology, process or human assistance.

Topics covered in this episode: where do service animals come from (breeding, training), how are they assigned to folks in need, some services that these animals provide, what the working life of a service animal looks like, ethical issues with service animals, and alternatives.

Resources

* Whitmarsh, Lorraine (April 2005). “The Benefits Of Guide Dog Ownership”. Visual Impairment Research. 7 (1): 27–42.* Breeding Code of Ethics (Guide Dogs UK)* An Investigation of the Complexities of Successful and Unsuccessful Guide Dog Matching and Partnerships (NIH)* Jones, Daisy (2016) Understanding why guide dogs fail to meet their predicted qualification outcomes (MRes thesis, University of Nottingham)* Guide Dogs of America* Guide Dogs of UK* Guide Dogs of West Australia