Louisiana Warriors Unleashed is dedicated to providing service K9s to Military Veterans and First Responders in need, free of charge to the Warrior. Our goal is to improve their quality of life, prevent suicide, and empower them to return to civilian life with dignity and independence.
Louisiana Warriors Unleashed is a Guide Star Accredited, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization.
Trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.
Therapy animals provide people with therapeutic contact, usually in a clinical setting, to improve their physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning.
These support animals provide companionship, relieve loneliness, and sometimes help with depression, anxiety, and certain phobias, but do not have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities.
By providing Assistance Dogs to veterans and first responders that are diagnosed with emotional and psychological conditions, Louisiana Warriors Unleashed will improve the quality of life of our Nation’s Heroes and deserving animals.
Sudden or gradual changes in the way someone typically behaves.
When someone seems uncharacteristically angry, agitated, or moody.
Withdrawn or isolated from other people; pulling away from family and friends.
When someone has stopped taking care of themselves and may engage in risky behavior.
Seem overcome with hopelessness and overwhelmed by their circumstances.
1.800.273.TALK (8255)
www.veteranscrisisline.net
1.800.622.HELP (4357)
www.samhsa.gov
1.877.222.VETS (8387)
www.va.gov/health
www.ptsd.va.gov/PTSD/apps/ptsdcoachonline
www.dcoe.mil
www.vetcenter.va.gov
Louisiana Warriors Unleashed is based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Our area of operations consist of East & West Baton Rouge Parishes, Ascension Parish, St. James Parish, St. John Parish, Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Washington Parish, and Livingston Parish. We will accept clients from other areas on a case by case basis, and as funding will allow.
All animals involved in our programs are sourced from shelters.
Louisiana Warriors Unleashed is fueled entirely by volunteers and donations from people who share our passion and support our pursuit of excellence while providing our programs at no cost to the heroes that we help. The animal companions we provide to our heroes are sourced exclusively from shelters. They’re in need of a hero, just as much as each hero needs them.
Many people with disabilities use a service dog trained to perform important tasks that they can’t handle on their own. For example, a service dog may pick up items for a person who uses a wheelchair, provide stability for someone who has difficulty walking, alert a person with hearing loss, or prevent a child with autism from wandering away.
The ADA (American with Disabilities Act) requires that state and local government agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations providing goods or services to the public make “reasonable modifications” in their policies, practices, and procedures to accommodate people with disabilities.
The important thing to know is that the service animals fall under this category of law. Entities that have a “no pets” policy are generally required to modify the policy to permit service animals into their facilities.
When it isn’t obvious what service an animal provides, limited inquiries are allowed.
What you can ask:
If you’re staff, you can ask if the dog is a required service animal due to disability, and what work or task the dog has been trained to perform.
What you can’t ask:
Under the ADA, you can’t ask about the person’s disability or ask for medical documentation. You can’t require that an identification card or documentation be produced to show that the dog is an official service animal, nor can you request that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task that it’s been trained to perform.
How should I address someone with a disability who is using a service animal in my facility?
What you should do:
Make sure that the person with a disability who is using a service animal isn’t isolated, treated less favorably, or charged extra fees than other patrons without animals. If your business requires that a deposit or fee be paid by patrons with pets, make sure that you waive the charge for the person who is using a service animal.
What you shouldn’t do:
You shouldn’t deny access or refuse service, due to allergies or fear of dogs, to people using service animals. You shouldn’t ask the person to remove their service animal from the premises, unless the dog isn’t housebroken or is out of control (and the handler doesn’t take action). If you must ask that a service animal be removed, you should offer the person the opportunity to obtain goods and services without the animal’s assistance.
Keep in mind that you’re not required to provide care or food for a service dog. You’re not required to absorb the costs of damage caused by a person with a disability or by his/her service dog if your business customarily charges for such damage (for example, if you are running a hotel business).
Credentials:
Copyright: Louisiana Warriors Unleashed
A service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Tasks performed can include, among other things, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, alerting a person to a sound, reminding a person to take medication, or pressing an elevator button.
Federal agencies that regulate S.D.’s:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Fair Housing Act (FHA)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)
Service animals – For evidence that an animal is a service animal, air carriers may ask to see identification cards, written documentation, presence of harnesses or tags, or ask for verbal assurances from the individual with a disability using the animal. If airline personnel are uncertain that an animal is a service animal, they may ask one of the following:
1: What tasks or Functions does your animal perform for you?
2: What has your animal been trained to do for you?
3: Would you describe how the animal performs this task for you?
Even though some states have laws defining therapy animals, these animals are not limited to working with people with disabilities and therefore are not covered by federal laws protecting the use of service animals. Therapy animals provide people with therapeutic contact, usually in a clinical setting, to improve their physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning.
Emotional Support Animals or Comfort Animals are often used as part of a medical treatment plan as therapy animals, they are not considered service animals under the ADA. These support animals provide companionship, relieve loneliness, and sometimes help with depression, anxiety, and certain phobias, but do not have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities.
Federal agencies that regulate E.S.A.’s:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Fair Housing Act (FHA)
Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)
Individuals who travel with emotional support animals or psychiatric service animals may need to provide specific documentation to establish that they have a disability and the reason the animal must travel with them. Individuals who wish to travel with their emotional support or psychiatric animals should contact the airline ahead of time to find out what kind of documentation is required.
Examples of documentation that may be requested by the airline: Current documentation (not more than one year old) on letterhead from a licensed mental health professional stating (1) the passenger has a mental health-related disability listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV); (2) having the animal accompany the passenger is necessary to the passenger’s mental health or treatment; (3) the individual providing the assessment of the passenger is a licensed mental health professional and the passenger is under his or her professional care; and (4) the date and type of the mental health professional’s license and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued.16 This documentation may be required as a condition of permitting the animal to accompany the passenger in the cabin.
