Blog #5

I'm still not sure exactly what approach I am going to be taking on my argument of fact paper.  I'm not sure whether I want to go into the difference between service dogs and "emotional support animals", or if I should stick with public access problems.  The biggest new information I would be bringing to the table if I write the paper on the difference between service dogs and emotional support animals/therapy dogs, would be the differences, that they aren't the same, and that service dogs have many more rights than emotional support animals or therapy dogs do.  If I go with the public access standpoint I will more or less be pointing out exactly what you can or can not legally ask a person with a service dog, and where they are or are not allowed by law.  Realistically I would just like everyone to understand both points that I have mentioned, that service dogs are not emotional support/therapy dogs, and that service dogs have legal access almost anywhere, whether a business owner likes it or not.  I still have a lot of research left to do to find more facts that will convince everyone of my stand point.

Blog #4

As you already know, the topic that I am researching is service dogs.  More particularly, I am researching the public access problems for people with service dogs.  In general, I have been able to find out more information on research being done on the effect that service dogs generally have with their owners.  While researching, I have only been able to find one scholarly journal that has been on public access.  This is really problematic for me, and I will definitely need to start looking elsewhere for more information.  It was extremely interesting though to learn that both dogs and people have a higher level of chemical balances in their brains than people who don't have dogs.  The most interesting thing was that dogs have a more regulated chemical balance when they spend at least 15 minutes a day with a person who makes eye contact with them.  All in all I have learned a lot, and I'm not exactly sure where I will need to look to finish my research.

Blog Assignment #3

The key terms that I have used in my research that work the best have been "service dog" and "working dog".  There really weren't that many sources for my topic, at least not after I narrowed them down by what they needed to be.  Which wasn't all that surprising as service dogs are generally not thought about all that often.    Most of the approaches that the sources have taken are that people with service dogs should be treated as equally and fairly as someone without a service dog would be. Most of the sources were from the same area of study, and some from the study on how service dogs are a benefit to the people who have them.  The main criteria that I used to figure out if a source would be useful to me or not was whether or not the writer focused on places and entry of service dogs or not.  The biggest thing that I learned was that people with service dogs were treated unfairly much more than I had previously thought.

Service dogs.

It seems that the general public has a misunderstanding on the rules and regulations of service animals in the United States.  The American's With Disabilities Act provides an entire book of rules and regulations, what is and is not allowed to be done towards someone with a service animal, or what an owner can do.

Why is the general public so ignorant to the guidelines for people with service animals?
How could the public become better educated on service dogs?
Should business owner's have the option to turn away someone with a service animal?
Would life be easier for people with service animals if the rules and regulations were the same throughout all the states?

Service dogs relating to the general public is a subject that most any business owner or run of the mill person is/can be affected by.  Service animals can have an affect on what their owner does and where they can go.  The general public can cause all sorts of problems in distracting service animals, and business owners tend to turn people with service animals away because they are ignorant to the laws.

Service animals - misunderstood because of ignorance?  Educate yourself, they're not just run of the mill house pets.

Mini-Biography

My name is Elizabeth Jeffery.  However, I prefer Liz or Eliz.  I was born on October 20, 1989, making me one of the oldest students in all of my college classes.  West Texas A&M University is the fourth college I have attended and moving to WTAMU was my 28th move.  I was raised in Cincinnati, Oh until I was 12, when my family uprooted to North Carolina.  I have one dog and one horse.  I have been rodeoing, riding, and showing horses since I could walk.  With 3 buckles, 18 trophies, and over 600 ribbons, mostly blue, I’d say I’ve done pretty well for myself in the horse industry.

I have another blog http//:elizjeffery.wordpress.com and I feel very passionate about my writing.  I started writing poetry as a child and lyrics at the beginning of high school.  My writing does leave room for improvement on topics that I am forced to write about, but I try anyways.  Like this blog post for instant, I would probably have a three page blog post typed out, if it weren’t for the fact that I was being told what I had to write about.  Agricultural classes and anything business related I seem to put more effort towards, because I’m more interested in them.  That doesn’t mean I don’t try in my other classes, I just tend to subconsciously leave something to be desired.  

There is nothing in particular that I care to know more about one way or another, the way I see it, everyone can stand to have more knowledge in all areas and subjects.  Most of what I enjoy writing about or learning about, aside from agriculture are relationships and the way that peoples minds work.