Autism Service Dogs

I've recently been thinking about harnesses, and guide-dog harnesses in particular. Let me explain.

One of the functional things that Glindy does for me is to provide an external, non-human focus in social situations. However, because of the leash system we currently use, I'm finding that I sometimes have to multitask in order to keep track of Glindy's physical whereabouts. This is obviously sub-optimal, as I have a hard enough time with social interaction without being distracted. A rigid harness of some type would certainly help me to ensure that I knew exactly where Glindy was at any given time.

I've also been thinking about tactile feedback. Tactile feedback, especially in my fingertips, often helps me deal with stress and anchors me to the external environment. A guide-dog style harness would certainly provide that, with the possible downside of leaving me with one less free hand.

In addition, I have a weirdly lumbering gate that I am usually able to consciously suppress, but which causes me to weave and bob around when I'm not really focusing on it. Having a guide dog harness would accomplish two things here. The first is to help me orient myself a little better, using tactile feedback from Glindy's harness, and perhaps make me a little less clumsy. The second might be to keep me from tromping on Glindy's poor little toes, as I often do now, when my gait and her loose-leash walking intersect.

So, other than losing a free hand when using the harness, there are two main problems that I foresee with using a harness. The first is that I wouldn't be able to use Glindy's lovely embroidered (and very noticeable) service dog vest from The Raspberry Field; however, I would hope that a guide harness would be equally as obvious in announcing that Glindy is a service animal. Secondly, and perhaps more socially awkward, is the increased likelihood that people will snark at me about not being blind. I've mentioned before that a lot of folks seem to think that service dogs are only for the blind, and have received more than my share of "Hey, you aren't blind!" comments from ignorant strangers and uninformed gate-keepers. While that wouldn't dissuade me from doing something constructive, I have to at least consider the possibility, and be prepared for the social consequences.

Ultimately, the addition of a harness to our working gear represents an experiment at this stage, and isn't and idea to which I'm wedded. So, I'm currently exploring my purchasing options, and will have more to say on this subject in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned!

It's important for Glindy and I to know the configuration of the airplane that we'll be flying on. For example, some airplanes have bulkhead seats, and some have designed their cabins so that the forward-most seats are now technically an exit row where disabled individuals may not sit.

SkyWest Airlines is the Delta partner that I'm flying on most frequently these days, and I've learned the hard way that regional jets require different tactics than I'm used to using on the larger carriers. Most of the flights operated by SkyWest are on small commuter jets such as the CRJ-100 or CRJ-200. The important things to note about these two aircraft models are:

• The bulkhead seats actually have less legroom than the regular seats. This pretty much ensures that there will be no room for a service animal unless the airline blocks the seat next to you, which they won't do on a completely-full flight.
• The regular seats are configured with two seats on either side of the aisle, and each set of seats are bolted only under the aisle and window armrests. Since the seats don't have a center stanchion between the seats, the entire area (around 35 inches wide) under the seats in front of you is available. This means that a moderately-sized service animal can fit at least partially under the seats in front of you, and that sharing foot-space with a fellow passenger is at least possible.

Most of the time, reservations agents have been taught to steer disabled passengers to bulkhead seats. This is definitely sub-optimal on these particular planes, though, so I now request forward non-bulkhead seats on segments using the CRJ-100/CRJ-200. However, I still request bulkhead seats on segments using the 737-800, which have three seats and two center stanchions on each side of the aisle.