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Malls can be a stressful place for most people in mid-November, but for Bentley, its just another day on the job.
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Even though the eight-year-old German Shepard with a bit of grey on his muzzle is technically retired, he still works with his owner Candace Bighead.
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“I got Bentley because I was diagnosed with PTSD,” said Bighead, who owns and operates Prairieland Service Dog Training.
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About ten years ago, a therapist recommended she get her own service dog. Training service dogs soon became a rewarding and healing process.
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“I went from not being able to leave my room, to being out in public all the time. It gave me back my confidence for sure,” she said.
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The city of Saskatoon’s new multi-year accessibility plan, discussed earlier this month, said that confusion or different rules can make it difficult for people with disabilities to bring their service animals into public or private spaces.
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The report said that businesses can struggle to balance their legal obligations with concerns around safety, hygiene and customer reactions. This can be challenging if people don’t understand the differences between a service animal and a pet, the report added.
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Bentley wears a vest with the words “Service Dog. Do not touch. Do not distract.”
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Bighead said people are good about service dogs in places like Midtown Plaza, but that’s often because she helps educate them.
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“I’ve personally taken the time to walk into stores to not just shop, but to educate, and say ‘hey, this is Bentley, this is my service dog, this is what he does for me’ .”
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Bighead said Bentley saved her life while she was pregnant by alerting her to supraventricular tachycardia — a fast or irregular heartbeat — before she noticed it.
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He also helps alert Bighead if she is about to experience a cardiac migraine, a headache that develops due to a lack of blood flow to the heart.
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The service dog training process can take upwards of two to three years, Bighead said. Each person will have different needs depending on what the dog is being used for.
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Bighead tells people about the different levels of service animals for different diagnoses, ranging from severe anxiety, autism, PTSD, or complex medical conditions.