Jordan’s Dog

Hello again! And I do apologize, again, for not posting as often as I would want.
Well, our first leg of our journey for Jordan’s dog has ended!! We set out to raise $13,000.00 for a service dog for Jordan that would detect seizures, alert us if she has them and help her in so many other ways.
With the help of far too many people to name, we have raised the money!! Our family is overwhelmed with the outpouring of support financially and prayerfully. Everyone from churches to friends to complete strangers to little old ladies giving $5.00, we have been blessed by them given. We’ve had several business and organization give as well.
I honestly debated on taking on this task or not thinking it would be too much to ask for. We were told the average fundraising time would be 4-6 months. I figured those people were probably from bigger cities and it would take much longer for us giving the area we lived in but I underestimated the good hearts of Southeast Kentuckians.
We were able to raise these funds in about 3 weeks and that is still blowing my mind. Now, here comes the hard part!
Waiting………
Jordan’s dog is probably just being born and will begin the strenuous training program specifically for her needs. This process will take up to a year to complete. It will be trained to detect seizures before they happen, alert Ann and I when they do, help her when she falls, search for her in case she runs away from us or school attendants, stability control and many other things.
Once the training process is complete our family will travel to Xenia Ohio to begin our training with the dog. This training will qualify us and the dog to be a certified disability service dog protected under the disability act laws. It will go where Jordan goes including school, stores, restaurants, church etc… I will put the disability act at the end of this blog.
So, we wait. We have been given the training date for October 2014. This will be a 14 day training session and we will be staying in a hotel while we’re there. We are all looking forward to the training and looking forward to how this dog will help Jordan.
It’s amazing what God’s creation can do when given the opportunity. Yes, it’s a dog. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s our daughter. Yes, it will be worth it.
She’s retarded. She’ll never ask for the new tablet, the latest in fashion or a car when she turns 16 in a couple years. What we can get her is the ability to do more without getting hurt and I’m sure any parent would do the same.
If you have prayed for us, given toward her dog or simply said a kind word please know that our family truly does appreciate it!
I’ll be sure to post as we continue this journey. You can follow her story on a facebook page we created: http://www.facebook.com/jordansdog

Here is the Service animal laws I mentioned earlier:

The Department of Justice published revised final regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for title II (State and local government services) and title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) on September 15, 2010, in the Federal Register. These requirements, or rules, clarify and refine issues that have arisen over the past 20 years and contain new, and updated, requirements, including the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards).
Overview
This publication provides guidance on the term “service animal” and the service animal provisions in the Department’s new regulations.
• Beginning on March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized as service animals under titles II and III of the ADA.
• A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.
• Generally, title II and title III entities must permit service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas where members of the public are allowed to go.
How “Service Animal” Is Defined
Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.
This definition does not affect or limit the broader definition of “assistance animal” under the Fair Housing Act or the broader definition of “service animal” under the Air Carrier Access Act.
Some State and local laws also define service animal more broadly than the ADA does. Information about such laws can be obtained from the State attorney general’s office.
Where Service Animals Are Allowed
Under the ADA, State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is normally allowed to go. For example, in a hospital it would be inappropriate to exclude a service animal from areas such as patient rooms, clinics, cafeterias, or examination rooms. However, it may be appropriate to exclude a service animal from operating rooms or burn units where the animal’s presence may compromise a sterile environment.
Service Animals Must Be Under Control
Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.
Inquiries, Exclusions, Charges, and Other Specific Rules Related to Service Animals
• When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.
• Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. When a person who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or facility, for example, in a school classroom or at a homeless shelter, they both should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room or different rooms in the facility.
• A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal’s presence.
• Establishments that sell or prepare food must allow service animals in public areas even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on the premises.
• People with disabilities who use service animals cannot be isolated from other patrons, treated less favorably than other patrons, or charged fees that are not charged to other patrons without animals. In addition, if a business requires a deposit or fee to be paid by patrons with pets, it must waive the charge for service animals.
• If a business such as a hotel normally charges guests for damage that they cause, a customer with a disability may also be charged for damage caused by himself or his service animal.
• Staff are not required to provide care or food for a service animal.