Tiny Chihuahuas may lack stature, but they can pack an emotional punch. Mijha and Mijho are helping Susan Coolbaugh of south Everett battle panic attacks.
And business owners, if you see them coming, let them in.
Because I understand the terror of panic attacks, anyone with a solution to the mental disorder – which makes you feel like you are suffocating – is dear to my heart.
Coolbaugh found enough relief through cuddling her dog babies that she even took a recent flight to Las Vegas. Flying is an emotional challenge for those of us who suffer anxiety during takeoff or in the air.
“If I get a panic attack, I take them out of the carrier and interact with them,” said Coolbaugh, 56. “With a live animal, there is a healing power of love.”
Only one casino in Las Vegas tossed her out when she wanted to gamble with her dogs in tow. Coolbaugh is a favorite at the Tulalip Casino near Marysville where staff and customers alike admire the Chihuahuas or understand a slot player who keeps pups at her side.
Just in case, the Air Force veteran carries a letter from her Seattle Veterans Administration Medical Center therapist stating she should be allowed to have the service dogs at all times because they have diminished the frequency of panic attacks.
The former journalist became agoraphobic in 1997 after her beloved mother died. Agoraphobics often fear situations that include being outside the home, being in a crowd or standing in line.
“I couldn’t leave the house,” she said. “For two years, I hardly went any place.”
Her husband, Al, was understanding. Along with his wife and his mother-in-law, they were close, like the Three Musketeers. His wife, born prematurely, was the youngest of six children. Coolbaugh said she was overly protected by her adoring mother.
Coolbaugh met her husband, who is retired from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, through a personal advertisement in The Herald. Their household is a happy place, with even-tempered service dogs Mijha, Mijho and an assortment of pet dogs named Aceman, Kato, Red and KoKo.
“I tried various combinations of medications, therapy and anything else, including carrying around a stuffed animal,” Coolbaugh said. “I found that although nothing by itself worked well, the combination of meds, therapy and the service animals seemed to be just what I needed to be able to go places and do things.”
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, privately owned businesses that serve the public – such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, concert halls and sports facilities – are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities.
The act requires those businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals inside. For more information, call 800-514-0301.
Sam’s Club in north Seattle is a shining example of such accommodation. Not only was Coolbaugh welcome to bring in Mijho and Mijha, she got her picture taken with Mijho for her Sam’s Club identification card. Coolbaugh praises cooperative businesses such as Wal-Mart, Glacier Lanes, Everett Grocery Outlet, Alaska Airlines and Value Village.
She got Mihja as a partner for her original service dog, Mijho. They go with her in a mesh carrier.
“Panic attacks are as debilitating as epilepsy or blindness,” Coolbaugh said. “There are thousands of people like myself with ‘invisible disabilities’ who, in my opinion, are denied access to places because they need their animal with them.
“Is the animal a service animal or a companion animal or pet? In the eyes of Washington state law, my babies are in fact service animals because I need them in order to live a productive life.”
Folks with service animals need to act responsibly, clean up after them and keep them under control, she said.
“The idea of me keeping my babies in their carrier in restaurants and where food is sold, although I am not required to do so, is out of respect for others who are afraid of dog hairs in the food,” Coolbaugh said. “I feel that as long as I do so, I hope I am given the same respect as those with guide dogs.”
Admire her dogs in public, but remember, they’re working.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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