Is she fully registered? 7


We had a not so great visit to the lab to get my blood drawn this morning.

I walked up to the window and the woman said “No puppies in here”.

I replied, “She’s a service dog”

The woman said, “Is she fully registered?”

I said, “There’s no such thing”

She said, “Yes, there is!” with a lot of force.

So I responded “Well they sell them online but they’re legally useless scams. The Americans with Disabilities Act says you don’t need them”

She haruumphed loudly, rolled her eyes, and said “Whatever”

UGH!!!!! It’s been so long since we’ve been challenged (well, we haven’t really been going anywhere because of the pandemic) that this really threw me for a loop.

I gave the woman my test orders, and went to stand to the side to wait my turn.

I was having a hard time of things, given the interaction that just took place, and the only empty spot in the room was near the door. Every time the door opened or someone walked by, I jumped.

So Hestia was a very good girl and positioned herself in front of me, and faced the door. By watching her body language, I was able to know that the people coming up to the door and coming and going through the door were not threats. It was really calming to be able to watch her calm assessment of everyone who passed, and know that we were going to be OK. I got a couple of pictures of this, the second one is while the door is opening for someone to come in.

Then it was my turn to get my blood drawn. The lab technician was also not pleased about Hestia. I needed Hestia on my lap to get the blood draw because my anxiety levels were quite high, and getting my blood drawn always raises them higher.

So I picked her up and sat down in the chair with her on my lap. The woman harrumphed and said “She can’t be there”.

I replied “I need her here. She’s done this loads of times before, she won’t bother you.”

So the woman harrumphed again and turned back to her computer. I snuck a pic of Hestia while the woman’s back was turned.

Then I had Hestia lie down and pulled the arm rest down over top of her. Like always, she just lay there calmly, and didn’t move a muscle.

When the technician turned her back after the blood draw, I snapped another secret picture of Hestia.

I was very happy to get out of there! What a stressful encounter!

I miss the lab techs at my old GP’s office who LOVED Hestia and were super happy to see us and always very accommodating for however they could best support me. Unfortunately my current new GP is long distance, so I have to get all my lab work done at Labcorp.

I hope I don’t have a lot more lab work to get done, though, because I surely don’t like going here! And they surely don’t like me going there, either.

Below are a few pics I snapped. Hestia is a small white and black dog with a smushed nose and googley eyes wearing a purple and black galaxy vest.


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7 thoughts on “Is she fully registered?

  • Elaine Jordan

    So sorry you went thru that…..I usually ask, registered by who? what registration company do you recognize? Which ones do you refuse?
    Usually they cannot answer this, o I then explain, the reason they cannot answer this is because the companies that do these registrations are not regulated, like doctors are, so anyone can make one up
    Hugs

  • debandtoby

    I rarely have a problem. I usually use Quest Diagnostics for blood draws – which don’t bother me – and the biggest problem is having to wait while they talk about Eowyn and/or their dogs, LOL. Some places I get asked if she’s a service dog, and when I say yes, that’s the end of it. Except for the mandatory comments about how beautiful Eowyn is. Just to be on the safe side, I usually carry a card from Pup’parel with the relevant sections of the law.
    Dumb comment. Is she a service dog? Yes. Wow, I didn’t know they made them that small. Oookay.

  • Jennifer and Bunny

    And the answer to the question “Did anyone there ever look at an ADA business brief?” is a resounding NO. 😛

    I would hate going there too and I’m so glad Hestia was able to help you so well.