The 411 about service dogs | Emilia Rak | TEDxUAMonticello
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Like thousands of Americans, Emilia Rak has a service dog. She believes that the regular discrimination she and other service dog handlers face largely occurs because the public is misinformed about them. In this educational talk, she provides listeners with all the information they need to know to calmly and appropriately coexist without disrupting the important work service dog teams like her and Rooster are doing. Mrs. Emilia Zsuzsanna Rak is a non-traditional honors student pursuing her BSW at the UALR School of Social Work. She is legally disabled and has had the privilege of having her life greatly enhanced because of service dogs for the past three years. First by, Chester, The WonderDog now Rooster, The King of the Universe. When asked for a few lines for her bio she wrote: "It's my sincere hope that I will leave this earth a better place than when I came into it. To sum up my feelings I'd like to quote my daughter, Nini. She said to me, ‘Mami, all of our pain and suffering and bad stuff that happened to us wasn't for nothing because some day we're going to help people.’" It turns out that Nini was right, because Emilia is working hard to becoming an art therapist, realizing the dreams that she and her girls could only hope they would ever see. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
This was amazing. I am also a handler of a service dog for PTSD. You're very brave for still going into the world with the things that happen to service dog handlers sometimes. Rooster is such a good boy.
*Hugs* Thank you for your kind comments!
Most Ted talks actually have a teleprompter. So they are reading from a script... It's just further away. Having the paper nice and close probably helped her be able to read it. I agree it didn't take away anything from the talk.
I can tell you had a difficult time getting through the last portion of your talk - Rooster could tell too, it seems. I applaud you for saying everything we all think and sometimes say. And saying it to a broader audience. Good luck to you and Rooster!
Thank you for sharing this and for making a stand for service dog handlers. Thank you for sharing your story. Honestly, handlers just want to be able to go to the store, get their groceries , and go on with their day. To enjoy their life just like anyone else. To be have some semblance of "normal" that we don't get because of our disabilities. I don't know what I do without my task/work trained service dog. They save my life every day.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with the public at large. The more we talk about these issues and educate the public, the better everybody's lives will be!
@@EmiliaZsuzsannaRak
This woman is so strong! Especially to be able to talk about her ordeals and share awareness to others about service dogs and their handlers despite what she has been through. she deserves so much kindness and she should have never been treated in that way, and the law is lacking there of, to support service dogs and their handlers in those type of ordeals. I hope she is doing well despite all that she has to deal with, She is amazing! God bless her and her service dog.💕😊
As a service, dog handler myself, I feel your pain so much! Keep on keeping on! We all must fight the good fight
This is so so so elegantly said!
This talk was beautiful, so well written and moving. I could tell that she had a difficult time getting through the second half, but I’m so glad she had the courage to give it.
You are so brave. Thank you.
Excellent presentation.
Vickie Jane Cowan, thank you! I feel bad that I had to read off of a script but I have cognitive impairments that greatly impede my memory at times. I'm glad that this didn't take away from the delivery of my message! :)
@@EmiliaZsuzsannaRak it didn't, you did great. good job and thank you for sharing this
@@fearlessfozzy749 Thank you so much for your kind words of praise. It's often times hard to put yourself out there when there can be great scrutiny regarding tiniest details.
Great lessons, great story.
Good to see next to no one (6k people out of 37M subs) cares about this subject. Cities should post signs about what to do when you see a service dog. Same with all businesses. Like a required disclaimer. Front door or within a few ft. Clear a lot of things up. Also require training to all employees. And when the city does food safety checks also check proficiency on laws and regulations with manager and check about training topics. This is important people!
This is second time listening to this presentation. I am currently training my own, personal, service dog for my Sarcoidosis condition. This disease affects my breathing, my heart, and my brain function. I’m training my shepherd to respond to my stressors but I’m meeting a wall.
Where does a service dog in training fall? I know that federal law requires the allowance of a service dog but what do I do when he isn’t ready yet?
How do I train my dog without making him seem like a scam? How do I explain, “I’m sorry he barked. I am teaching him.”?
Also I understand the panic. I’ve lost my bladder before during panic. You are so brave to share that humiliating story.
I've had service dogs for 15 years, all trained by Canine Companions. From what I know of their puppy training program, a dog in training does not have full public access. They only have as much access of the owner of the public place allows. So if a store/restaurant owner asks you to leave, you must do so as you are only there by the owner's invitation and do not have federal law coverage like a fully trained service dog does. With Canine Companions, their puppies in training wear yellow capes signifying that they are in training while their graduate dogs get their blue vests. You might want to look into something that states "service dog in training". I know there are badges or leash covers that say such things.
strgazr04 thanks for this. Really helpful. How much did it cost for canine companions to train your service animals?
Erica Belt Canine Companions is a national nonprofit. Although it costs them $50,000 to breed and train their dogs, they don’t charge the applicant anything at all. I’ve received two service dogs from them, completely free. They have a YT channel if you want more info.
strgazr04 thank you so much. I am going to look into it. I have not been good at training my own service dog. He is turning out to just be a loved pet.
Erica Belt please keep in mind that Canine Companions will not train your dog. They have their own genetics and breed their own dogs. They’ve been doing so since the 70s. They are known for being the best of the best. I wish you luck. There’s just nothing like having one of their dogs bless your life!
I love this.
Thank you so much! It was our pleasure.
Thank you for more knowledge on, service dog status.
It was our pleasure. Thank you!
6:49 i wish someone would tell Neptune township housing authority here in nj to stop asking for paperwork for a service dog
I don’t know it it’s the same where you are but here in Washington, housing is one of the few places that can and do legally require you to give a copy of your medical paperwork proving your disability. And that’s the law.
This was very beautiful. I understand
Thank you for your kind compliment!
I can’t figure out how to respond correctly. But I understand this presentation.
A service dog does not have to be vested or Alicia's long as he can perform his test and behave in public areas doesn't mean he has to be leash it is against the law to ask for a vest or leash for the dog is also against the law to ask for registry and ID cards
ADA states that they should be leashed unless it interferes with the dog's ability to task or use of a leash is inadvisable or impossible due to handler's disability.
No it is against the law to ask for a lease or a vest for the service dog as long as a service dog is well-behaved and store it is fine
@@thunderdog6127 , copy/pasted from the DOJ website:
The service animal must be harnessed,
leashed, or tethered while in public places unless these devices interfere with the service
animal’s work or the person’s disability prevents use of these devices.
@@vincearmstrong5654 I don't think you're reading the Ada law because under the Ada law does state that service dog does not have to be leased or harness to be a service animal what makes a service animal is a person steals ability and then service animals tasks
Service animals are not required to have registry either-or ID cards in fact is against the law to have an idea registry on your service dog it is fake
,💙💙
I have bpd and ptsd.
These conditions can be crippling, indeed.
@@EmiliaZsuzsannaRak they really are though. I have bp1 and it's absolutely crippling most times.
@@chriscode6431 sending you hugs
@@EmiliaZsuzsannaRak Thank you. I need it today.
@@chriscode6431 anytime :)
Service animals must be harness and Leahed unless it interferes with the handlers disability it says it in the law. please don't make up stuff.
I never said that they did not have to be leashed.
Yes they have to be leashed, as do all dogs in public places. However, what she means is that not all service dogs wear a vest saying "service dog" etc.
@@strgazr04 Yes that is what I meant. Thank you!
@@strgazr04 service animals aren't required to to be leashed or harnessed if those things interfere with a service animals tasks it says it in the ADA. if leashes and harnesses don't interfere with the persons disability or the animals tasks then they should be harnessed leashed and labeled but its not a required thing that they use a specific item so if someone wants to use a bandanna instead of a harness there free to do so if they have a guide or mobility harness they typically don't have a labele on them of someone can only afford the Amazon vest and the patch says Julius k-9 it doesn't matter what matters is training. I could have my service dog of 4 years in a clown suit going though the fanciest restaurant in America and not have him labeled, harnessed, or leashed in anyway because those things interfere with my disability and his ability to do his job and no one could tell me he's required to be leashed or harnessed. The only time someone could do something is if he gets out of control which he's not going to do or he bathrooms in the business 99.9% of the time he is fine but dogs do get sick.
So how about you read the ADA laws before trying to tell me that I'm wrong. Knowing what you are correcting someone for before correcting them is important. This lady is pushing her views on people instead of educating the public about actual laws and how it all really works.
@@dragonlover1 Yes, I know all this already. I've had service dogs myself for the last 16 years. I've been trained with them through Canine Companions, one of the top 3 service dog organizations in the US and one of the most recognized on par with Guide Dogs of America. They've been around since the 70s. So I'm all for people understanding the law and following it. The ADA states the dog "must be under control". 99% of the time, that'll mean a leash, at least for most handlers. At the end of the day, these are still just dogs, not robots. It would take an extreme amount of training to have a dog that's able to be controlled with just voice and/or signals especially when living in an urban or suburban place where the distractions are high and the surroundings are busy. Granted, I would never take my dog off leash in a public place because I don't trust other people (I've had too many negative experiences from the public - everything from trying to feed my dog without my permission or knowledge to literally getting nose to nose with my dog and yelling in his face). I use the leash and vest that Canine Companions provided me after graduating their program. However, some of their dogs use different equipment - different types of leashes, collars, vests for mobility, vests for pulling a manual wheelchair, or even a bandana. It's all dependent on the dog's needs and the handler's usage. While it's great to vary on a case by case basis, I think that does leave room for confusion and misunderstanding by the general public. Not having a standard type of gear also leads to the ability for companies to scam people by selling fake vests and "license cards". As long as we are abiding by the laws, being healthy toward ourselves and our animals, and taking care of our dogs correctly, then we should just respect each service team for who they are and leave it at that instead of arguing. We could make more positive change and enlighten the able-bodied public much better if we combined our voices instead of attacking each other. I would much rather talk about what a blessing my service dogs have each been in my life and how much independence they have afforded me than nitpick ADA semantics.