How Frustrating

It appears to me that Delta Society has sold out.  Their new harnesses & badges are sporting their "sponsor" Purina's logo on them.  Now, Delta Society teams are no more than a walking advertisement for Purina.  They should be soooo proud.....

ETA:  Link

Barf.  It's one thing when Purina sponsors dog shows, another when their logo is on the Delta Society harnesses/badges. I wonder just how much money Delta gets from them...

Just last night I was telling a stranger about the benefits of TDI vs Delta.

There's a pretty good article about Delta's new rules in the latest issue of the WDJ:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_7/features/Raw-Fed-Dogs_20025-1.html

That's sad all around, because a lot of good therapy dog teams will have to go elsewhere. Barf is right.

That said, it's no better here for me here where I am in Canada. There are two main therapy dog programs here. One insists that you have to vaccinate annually. The other will allow titre testing, but discriminates against pit-bull based breeds. I don't even own a Bully breed, but I don't support any organization that discriminates so blatantly. So I don't do therapy work. It's a shame, because I know Zipper would make the best therapy dog, as he is actually one of the most bombproof, and stable, dogs I have ever seen.

But.....it doesn't matter. I will not change my dog's diet, or put my dog's health at risk with over-vaccination, in the name of therapy work because somebody says I should. As much as I would love to do it to help others, my own dogs come first. So until something else becomes available.....I will not do therapy work.

Hmm, I wonder what would happen if Purina started selling a raw based food?  (if it were to ever happen)  LOL

Kim_MacMillan

That's sad all around, because a lot of good therapy dog teams will have to go elsewhere. Barf is right.

That said, it's no better here for me here where I am in Canada. There are two main therapy dog programs here. One insists that you have to vaccinate annually. The other will allow titre testing, but discriminates against pit-bull based breeds. I don't even own a Bully breed, but I don't support any organization that discriminates so blatantly. So I don't do therapy work. It's a shame, because I know Zipper would make the best therapy dog, as he is actually one of the most bombproof, and stable, dogs I have ever seen.

But.....it doesn't matter. I will not change my dog's diet, or put my dog's health at risk with over-vaccination, in the name of therapy work because somebody says I should. As much as I would love to do it to help others, my own dogs come first. So until something else becomes available.....I will not do therapy work.

Kim, I'm certified with TPOC, based out of Ontario. When they came down to do our testing, I asked out right if I could certify a pit bull.  They said the only reason that I can't is because of their insurance company. Thanks to the stupidity of the masses that passed the breed ban, there are many bombproof bully breeds here that would make amazing therapy dogs, but they can't. Because the home office is in Ontario, I'm forced to follow the rules if I want to do therapy work.  There is no other choice here on the coast, sad as that is.   If and when another therapy organization makes it Canada, I'd consider certifying with them if I agree with their conditions.

This just keeps getting more and more concerning to me.  I could deal with the raw diet thing because I don't feed raw myself, so while I don't know where I stand on the policy, it at least doesn't cause problems for me directly, but the Purina logo thing is new to me and quite applicable since I needed a replacement vest for Maggie, so I emailed them to see if I can confirm the logo placement mentioned above.  We'll see what I find out...

 If I had to sport a Purina logo, I'd take up another hobby and ditch therapy work altogether.  My dogs have no problem wearing the qualifying organization's insignia, but I'll be darned if they'll work for free for some pet food company.  That's appalling if it's true. 

Liesje, I defer to your superior knowledge of the protection sports, but my point was really that the dogs that do those sports are supposed to be very stable dogs, and as such, many of them are actually better at therapy work than others.  Although, I must admit, I've probably failed more GSD's than any other breed when it comes to the CGC - a lot of them have "supervised separation" issues;-)

I have found that the people I have come into contact with who were either registered or representative of Delta, have had an attitude of superiority that is irritating and without basis in fact.  TDI and TDInc. both register hundreds and hundreds of wonderful dogs who are out there in their communities doing the same great job as Delta dogs do.  It is always the humans that ruin everything........

stardog85

I could deal with the raw diet thing because I don't feed raw myself, so while I don't know where I stand on the policy, it at least doesn't cause problems for me directly

****Disclaimer****  Erin, I am not picking on you with this post, but I have to comment on this mindset.

I have to ask this question....where do you draw a line?  When do you take a stand?

Dog owners are being stripped of more & more of their rights.  The reason that this continues to happen is because people, who aren't directly affected by the decision don't stand up & fight with those who are affected by a decision.  For example...For now, raw fed dogs aren't allowed to perform therapy visits.  What if six months from now, they decide that home cooked, & dehydrated raw dogs are no longer elgible to perform therapy visits?  Do you stand up then?  Or, do you change your dog's diets, & plug along?  What about if they mandate purina fed dogs?  Who stands up then? 

This attitude seems to be very common.  People don't act until something affects them.  Breed specific legislation is a very good example of why this attitude is detrimental to dogs everywhere.  This is something that I tell people when we are discussing BSL & stripping away rights of dog owners.  Someone else said it, originally, but it rings so true in MANY different situations.

First they came for the Pit Bulls, and they banned them and killed them.

Their owners cried out in horror but I did not object, because I did not own pit bulls.

Then they came for the Rottweilers, and they banned them and muzzled them.

Their owners cried out in protest but I did not object, because I did not own Rottweilers.

Today they have come for my dogs, and they will ban them and take them from me.

As I cry out in outrage and anger no one objects, because they do not own my dogs

 Amanda I do totally see where you stand on the "where do you draw the line" and believe me I did wrestle with the issue before coming to my conclusion.  I guess for me I *can* see where they are coming from with the raw issue to some extent and while the studies do have their flaws I can understand the desire to "err on the side of caution" with those things.  I will stand up and fight if the feeding policy gets any more strict, because at that point they would be precluding those who feed a diet very similar to what the average (and heck, immunocompromised) human eats and that would just be ridiculous. 

If they come back confirming that the Purina logo must now be displayed on any vests or other attire for dogs or people I will certainly be writing them a note explaining why my animals will not be wearing the vests we normally would choose and why I think they should rethink the change.

I'm very hesitant to do anything drastic (like leaving the org before my membership expires) at this stage because I do wholeheartedly believe in the throughness of the screening and training they require and feel that there is no other org that is quite as stringent about behavior in their teams, something that I feel is VERY important in the AAA/T field.  I've seen way too many teams from other orgs that don't have even basic manners to feel comfortable wholly supporting another organization at this time and that does factor heavily into my stance on the subject as well.

Does that help clarify my stance a bit?

BEVOLASVEGAS

calliecritturs

So does that mean Bevo can go???  Switching from Delta to TDI is good for you, right??

Yeah, it's great for us.  Both dogs are both certified through both groups, so it's no big deal.  I have always prefered TDI.  I only added the Delta certification so that we could visit the children's hospital.  I was estatic to get the news.

Hey, Amanda, someone pointed this out to me, from TDI:  "TDI Associate Members and their dog(s) may not visit, be registered by, or be active under the auspices of another Therapy Dog-related visitation program, organization, or group other than TDI."  How did that apply to you?

Also, since TDI's website says they cannot register deaf dogs, how did the Boxer get registered?:

BEVOLASVEGAS

stardog85

(For the nth time: Delta *does* register dogs (and other animals) with disabilities!)

I really think that this depends on the evaluator.  I have personally seen two dogs, who train at our club, be refused evaluations because of disabilities.  ... One of the dogs was a deaf boxer.  ... Both dogs are now certified through TDI.

Kim brought up vaccinations vs titers - Delta's policy says that Rabies is required, with this caveat about "The form leaves testing and immunization decisions (with the exception of state rabies vaccination requirements) to your animal's veterinarian. Delta Society believes that your animal's veterinarian is in the best position to decide what diagnostic tests and immunizations are appropriate. Delta Society will rely on your veterinarian's medical judgment and knowledge of your animal's health history and status.

Rabies immunizations are required for all animals, as prescribed by state law, in the Pet Partners Program." 

What the heck does that mean??  I take it from TDI's site that they don't have wiggle room on Rabies vaccinations, either.  Anne, what's TD, Inc's policy on titers vs vaccinations, and dual registrations?

spiritdogs

my point was really that the dogs that do those sports are supposed to be very stable dogs, and as such, many of them are actually better at therapy work than others. 

Well, that is correct, but I still disagree with the comment about bitework and outing.  That's not correct, biting a sleeve is nowhere near the same as biting a tug, to the handler and to the dog and if it is then the dog needs to do something other than bitework b/c he's going to meet a helper that applies the real pressure and crack, which is unfair to the dog.

I'm guessing that not accepting SchH dogs has more to do with insurance and liability than the actual training.  I don't do therapy work with my dogs but having SchH dogs it is something I specifically mention to my landlord and my insurance agent, to make sure it is OK/covered.  We train on private property that hosts another all-breed training club and the landowner has her own insurance, liability for the other club, AND another policy for the SchH club/dogs.  It is required by our parent SchH org and I really pushed for it even if my dues are higher, mainly because we host WDA events and while we can vouch for the safety of our own people and dogs, when you host events or invite in others for training and testing, you don't really know those dogs or people and something bad could happen.

If you all have to put Purina on your dogs then they should pay you like a real sponsor!

miranadobe

Hey, Amanda, someone pointed this out to me, from TDI:  "TDI Associate Members and their dog(s) may not visit, be registered by, or be active under the auspices of another Therapy Dog-related visitation program, organization, or group other than TDI."  How did that apply to you?

I am no longer a delta member. I sent all of their stuff back to them with a letter detailing my reasons for no longer supporting them. We are still registered to make visits for a local therapy group, but it has been idle for almost a year after the death of one of their officers.

We tested for TDI after delta & our evaluator knew that we were making visits for delta. She said that there was a rule against it, but that she didn't care. There are/were 4 other teams, that I know of, who are openly registered with more than one organization. It may be against the rules, but, at least here, that rule has not been enforced.

BEVOLASVEGAS

It may be against the rules, but, at least here, that rule has not been enforced.

 A quick note - I contacted Delta about the Purina logo thing and it is NOT on either vests or bandannas, the rumor is incorrect.  *Thank goodness*