Helena SHRM Meeting: Thursday, October 15, 2020 - Service Animals in the Workplace

ONLINE Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84360485574?pwd=N1BjVWdIWi9FTW04b3VLQUpPUVBVUT09

Service Animals in the Workplace

Session Description:

Attendees will learn about:

•        ADA and Montana law as it relates to emotional support animals and service dogs in the workplace and in the public

•        Updated Montana service dog access law

•        Brief history of service dogs

•        How to identify service dogs and what to do when a dog is being misrepresented as a trained service dog

•        Resources to assist with individuals who require service dogs and reasonable accommodations

Speaker: DeeDe Baker, Founder & Executive Director

Through her tenacity and passion, DeeDe has grown Dog Tag Buddies from a kitchen table conversation to the organization it is today. She is the wife of a combat veteran with 21 years of service and founded Dog Tag Buddies after seeing the relief their own dogs brought her husband when he returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. She spent the bulk of her career at the Montana Department of Labor as an unemployment investigator and adjudicator, eventually retiring as a business and security analyst. She takes a hands-on approach to driving the growth of the organization and works directly with program participants, trainers, staff, volunteers, and our Board of Directors to achieve her goals. She is a member of Pet Partners with her dog Oliver, is an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen evaluator and as a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals has successfully completed the Dog Trainer Foundation Examination. In 2019, she successfully completed the PTSD Service Dog Trainer Essentials and PTSD Service Dog Academy through This Able Veteran