Service dog regulations set to change in Alberta

A Calgary man says changes to the provincial definition of service dogs can't happen soon enough.

To qualify as a service dog in Alberta, the animal must be trained by Assistance Dogs International and that leaves a lot of people out in the cold.

John Hardman suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and he says his golden retriever named "Dogasaurus Rex" has kept him sane and alive.

"Cancer you can fight it and cure it. PTSD you just gotta figure out how to live with it and the dog helps me ground myself," he said.

Barred from building

Hardman collects Assured Income of the Severely Handicappedfor his disability but was recently refused entrance to anAISH office by a commissionaire.

"I had enough. like this isn't the first time. This is like a hundred incidents in the last year and a half."

AISH has since apologized to Hardman but he has filed a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission.He wants the regulations changed so his animal is formally recognized as a service dog.

Blair Addams, a spokesperson forAlberta Human Servicessays the government realizes the important role uncertified service dogs play.

"They really help them stay connected to their friends and to important parts of their life."

Changes coming

Addams hopes to have updated regulations in place well before May 2017 when the current regulationsexpire.

"We`re working on amending the service dog regulations to expand the criteria and the potential training facilities for qualifying service dogs," he said."So far the exact criteria or training facilities have not been determined yet."