Photo: Madison Rogers/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Local dog service organization NEADS is looking to change the culture surrounding service dogs.
NEADS has partnered with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Public Library to launch an expansion of the Red Vest Accessible Training Program.
According to a press release, the training program started as a pilot project in 2020, and the program recognizes venues “for efforts to offer a welcoming, accessible facility for those with a disability; commitment to public access rights for legitimate Service Dog teams; and ability to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of ADA regulations.”
Photo: Madison Rogers/WBZ NewsRadio
The inspiration for beginning the Red Vest Training Program originated from dog owners who have tried to pass their pets off as service dogs, and while efforts to make that illegal have stalled for a decade, the program offers a potential solution to the problem.
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“[The program] means that [people] fully understand the rights and responsibilities when it comes to legitimate service dog access,” said Cathy Zemaitis, Chief Development and Program Officer for NEADS.
Zemaitis spent some time on Thursday at a Red Vest event at the Boston Public Library teaching library staffers how real service dogs behave.
“Service dogs are highly trained to do task work to mitigate the symptoms of a person’s disability,” Zemaitis said.
She also added that dog owners who bring non-service dogs into businesses aren’t doing any favors for those who depend on real service dogs to get around.
“Should your pet misbehave or disrupt the normal course of business, you are laying the groundwork for people to look at even legitimate service dogs askance.”
According to a press release, NEADS is a nonprofit organization located in Princeton, Massachusetts that “offers the widest array of service dog programs in the industry, including Service Dogs for adults with a physical disability or hearing loss, service dogs for veterans, and service dogs for children with autism or other developmental disabilities.”
WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports: