The Nose Knows. With more than 220 million olfactory receptors in its nose, a dog has an impeccable sense of smell. Humans have only a tiny five million. This makes canines perfect service an- imals for individuals with food allergies or intolerances.
Lagotto Romagnolo Cry Out Cupido from Bertinoro, Italy, is one of just a handful of dogs in the world trained to detect gluten. Cupido’s human, Heather Holt, has celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. The only cure for celiac disease is to maintain a strict gluten free diet. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and some oats. It’s hard to ensure that your diet is 100% gluten free because even the slightest crumb can make someone with celiac disease incredibly ill. Although those with celiac disease strive toward a gluten free diet, it may be difficult. Errors are made and those with the disease get ill. But, now you could definitely KNOW whether or not there is gluten in the food.
Born in Italy, trained in Slovenia, and now in Minneapolis, MN, United States –he’s a world traveling canine. Cupido was trained by a world- renowned scent trainer, Maja Golob (K9 Services, www.k9services.si). Maja recommended that Heather get a Lagotto because the breed is hypoallergenic, smart, trainable, medium sized and a breed that has the stamina to work as a service dog.
A service dog is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Disabilities include physical, sensory, psychological and intellectual disabilities. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service dog can come with their handler any place the public has access to. For instance, grocery stores, restau- rants, workplaces, doctor appointments, etc. Service dogs are different than therapy dogs in that therapy dogs, while specially trained, do not have full access to public settings.
When Cupido checks his handler’s food, she places a microwave cover with holes over the food and asks him to sniff it. If he does not detect any gluten, he will look away from the dish. On the other hand, if he detects gluten, he will bite the edge of the cover alerting Heather to gluten. This means that Cupido sniffs warm, tasty food, and does not eat it! That takes discipline.
Tips about service dogs and their handlers:
Greet the handler. Ignore the dog.
Identification. Service dogs are not required to have any certifications or ID.
Not all service dogs are the same. They come in all shapes, sizes, breeds and colors.
Work. The service dog is working. Please do not touch, talk, make eye contact or pet the service dog. Ignore the dog and talk with their handler. Questions? Sometimes the handler does not want to answer ques- tions. If the handler answered every question, they would have to stop every 5 feet or so. Sometimes they may just want to grab their groceries and get on their way.
Medical Equipment. A service dog is considered the same as medical equipment. Just as people do not gawk over wheelchairs.
Feeling Lucky. Although the handler feels lucky to have their pup. Please refrain from stating that they are “lucky” or fortunate to take their dog anywhere. The handler would be grateful to not have a disability that requires a service dog.
Fake Service Dogs. There is a movement amongst the general public that they may be able to pass their dog off as a service dog because they want to have their dog with them all the time. Please do not imper- sonate a service dog. In many states, it is against the law.
Business and Public Settings. If a service dog and handler go to a business. A business MAY ask: 1) Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? 2) What tasks does the service animal per- form? Businesses may NOT: 1) Require special identification for the animal. 2) Ask about the person’s disability. 3) Charge additional fees because of the animal. 4) Refuse, isolate, segregate or treat this person less favorable than other patrons. A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove the service animal from the premises unless: 1) The animal is out of control and the owner does not take effective action to control the animal. 2) The animal poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others.
Lagotto Romagnolo Cry Out Cupido from Bertinoro, Italy, is one of just a handful of dogs in the world trained to detect gluten. Cupido’s human, Heather Holt, has celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. The only cure for celiac disease is to maintain a strict gluten free diet. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and some oats. It’s hard to ensure that your diet is 100% gluten free because even the slightest crumb can make someone with celiac disease incredibly ill. Although those with celiac disease strive toward a gluten free diet, it may be difficult. Errors are made and those with the disease get ill. But, now you could definitely KNOW whether or not there is gluten in the food.
Born in Italy, trained in Slovenia, and now in Minneapolis, MN, United States –he’s a world traveling canine. Cupido was trained by a world- renowned scent trainer, Maja Golob (K9 Services, www.k9services.si). Maja recommended that Heather get a Lagotto because the breed is hypoallergenic, smart, trainable, medium sized and a breed that has the stamina to work as a service dog.
A service dog is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Disabilities include physical, sensory, psychological and intellectual disabilities. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service dog can come with their handler any place the public has access to. For instance, grocery stores, restau- rants, workplaces, doctor appointments, etc. Service dogs are different than therapy dogs in that therapy dogs, while specially trained, do not have full access to public settings.
When Cupido checks his handler’s food, she places a microwave cover with holes over the food and asks him to sniff it. If he does not detect any gluten, he will look away from the dish. On the other hand, if he detects gluten, he will bite the edge of the cover alerting Heather to gluten. This means that Cupido sniffs warm, tasty food, and does not eat it! That takes discipline.
Tips about service dogs and their handlers:
Greet the handler. Ignore the dog.
Identification. Service dogs are not required to have any certifications or ID.
Not all service dogs are the same. They come in all shapes, sizes, breeds and colors.
Work. The service dog is working. Please do not touch, talk, make eye contact or pet the service dog. Ignore the dog and talk with their handler. Questions? Sometimes the handler does not want to answer ques- tions. If the handler answered every question, they would have to stop every 5 feet or so. Sometimes they may just want to grab their groceries and get on their way.
Medical Equipment. A service dog is considered the same as medical equipment. Just as people do not gawk over wheelchairs.
Feeling Lucky. Although the handler feels lucky to have their pup. Please refrain from stating that they are “lucky” or fortunate to take their dog anywhere. The handler would be grateful to not have a disability that requires a service dog.
Fake Service Dogs. There is a movement amongst the general public that they may be able to pass their dog off as a service dog because they want to have their dog with them all the time. Please do not imper- sonate a service dog. In many states, it is against the law.
Business and Public Settings. If a service dog and handler go to a business. A business MAY ask: 1) Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? 2) What tasks does the service animal per- form? Businesses may NOT: 1) Require special identification for the animal. 2) Ask about the person’s disability. 3) Charge additional fees because of the animal. 4) Refuse, isolate, segregate or treat this person less favorable than other patrons. A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove the service animal from the premises unless: 1) The animal is out of control and the owner does not take effective action to control the animal. 2) The animal poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others.
