Rebecca “Becky” Floyd, who is blind and has used guide dogs since 1964, has had her own problems with emotional support animals.

Untrained dogs will bark at her dog, Mae Berry, when Floyd tries to go shopping in public.

One dog even slipped out of its collar and attempted to attack her dog at a restaurant. 

“Whether they’re trained and can behave in public is another story,” Floyd said. “That’s the kind of thing that’s ruining good service dogs.”

Floyd’s school, Gallant Hearts Guide Dog Center in Madison, currently only trains to assist the blind, turning out eight to nine trained dogs per year with each trained at their handler’s home, whether it’s in Canada, California or Kentucky.

Her breeding program has golden retrievers, Doberman pinschers and German shepherds. Floyd said she works best with Dobermans, such as Mae Berry, and German shepherds.

“Until (everyone) is on the same page, with the same definition, we’re going to have problems,” Floyd said. “I’m not saying that Emotional Support Animals aren’t helpful… but they’re going to need to be trained.”

The ADA permits anyone to train their own service animal, however, meaning trainers have to build up their reputation by word-of-mouth, rather than with a certificate. Floyd cautioned that regulating all dogs may not be the answer either because the ADA’s current wording gives trainers their own freedom to judge the best way to train guide dogs – and match them with their owners. 

Hammett said Mazie Grace had been trained to respond to commands in English, German and sign language. She helped Hammett navigate streets and guided her away from danger.

Recently, Mazie Grace, a British black labrador retriever, helped Hammett circumnavigate sidewalk construction that hadn’t been barricaded to the public. 

“I was walking on the sidewalk and nobody said a word, there was no barricade,” Hammett said. “Mazie stops and I put my hand and foot out but I couldn’t figure out what it was… eventually my friend, a bank president, ran over and offered to give me a ride. He said he’d watched the whole thing and that he saw how she turned around and took me completely away from that.”

Hammett talked about other ways dogs help individuals with disabilities, such as dogs for diabetes who smell their owners breath to determine glucose levels, dogs that sense their owner’s cortisol levels before panic attacks and lead them away to quiet, dark places or lay on their chest to help them calm down.

“These dogs are not pets. They’re working,” Hammett said. “People just need to respect them.”

Hammett said she worked diligently for outreach, visiting local children at the library or Boys and Girls Club and helping others with disabilities educate business owners.

“You’ve taken away my freedom, my individuality, my safety and my dignity… it just kind of rips your heart out,” Hammett said about businesses who deny service animals. “We’re not asking for much.”

Hammett said she hoped that the potential passage of HB 944 could help everyone with a service animal in the state.

“I do know that I’m for HB 944. It’s going to open the world up to some other disabilities,” Hammett said, hoping for the inclusion of a state protection for children with autism. “I see so many possibilities.”

The bill passed the House on Thursday, Feb. 1. It moved to the Senate for more debate.