'Primal People' Discusses Community About Service Dog Education And Support

September is National Service Dog Month, and Green Country organization Primal People stopped by the Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch to talk about their organization.

Primal People was founded in 2022 by Jessicca Yeager and Renee Michaels with the goal of educating, advocating, and empowering the service dog community.

"Primal People was born out of necessity after experiencing so many access issues, not only with information but physical public spaces," said Yeager. "After hearing reports from others and experiencing some of this firsthand, we learned the majority of combative behavior we had encountered was simply due to a lack of access to education and outdated wording on our laws."

Image Provided By: Primal People

Michaels shares her motivation behind founding Primal People, saying, "When I got my first service dog, Harper, I realized how very little support and education there was for service dog handlers. Unfortunately, there is a lot of gatekeeping within the community with a lot of made-up rules."

Michaels' experience led her to recognize the need for proper education and support for service dog handlers, both within the community and among the general public.

Regarding who is qualified for a service dog, Yeager said the process is individual for each person and is best diagnosed and treated by your health care provider.

Image Provided By: Primal People

"Those who have a disability that interferes with their day-to-day life could benefit from the assistance of a service dog," said Yeager.

"The key words are, 'interferes with their day-to-day life,'" Michaels adds. "Everyone has off days when they don’t feel they can function normally. That doesn’t mean they should have a service dog."

In terms of training, the steps involved in training a service dog range from temperament testing to task training. She emphasizes the importance of public access training to ensure the dogs are ADA-compliant and capable of assisting their handlers.

Image Provided By: Primal People

Addressing the laws surrounding service dogs and their handlers, Yeager highlights the importance of etiquette when interacting with service animals. "The law states that you’re not to distract a working dog because this could harm the handler. Questions asked by curious individuals need to be addressed to the handler without prying into their medical history by asking what the dog is for. Service dogs are NOT required to be labeled or vested."

Michaels adds, "Most people know that they should not pet a Service Animal, but talking to them, trying to make eye contact with them, making kissy noises, or any attempt to pull their attention away from their job is considered a distraction and could be harmful to the handler."

For more information, you can visit Primal People's Facebook page.