THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT STATES: a service animal must be individually trained to do work or perform tasks of benefit to a disabled individual in order to be legally elevated from pet status to service animal status. It is the specially trained tasks or work performed on command that legally exempts a service dog … Continue reading A sampling of PTSD service dog tasks
An unfortunate incident at PetSmart
SOME VERSION OF THIS has likely happened more than once to anyone training a service dog. Someone is inappropriate with you. Whether it's the public, business owners, or even family members, here's my advice: choose whether you want to stand and fight, let it go, or deal with it later. Choose your battler. Sometimes you … Continue reading An unfortunate incident at PetSmart
Emergency preparedness
Wildfires, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes. Any one of these natural disasters may someday require an evacuation plan for your family. The ASPCA provides complete guidelines on their website, including evacuation recommendations for dogs, cats, horses, birds, reptiles, and other animals. Here is an excerpt for dog and cat owners. Prepare Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits … Continue reading Emergency preparedness
What happens when your service dog doesn’t work out?
YOU'VE CHOSEN A DOG to train as your own or a loved one's service dog. You researched. You decided on a breed (or mix) that seemed to be the right. And then ... weeks, months or years into the process something goes sideways. Let me tell you a story about two dogs: Angel and Elle. Debbie, … Continue reading What happens when your service dog doesn’t work out?
There’s a Law for That: Standing Firm When Confronted with Ignorance
So many people just do not understand the concept of a service dog. I keep telling myself that this is the issue, not just a general lack of etiquette and social awareness. I try very hard to use every less than perfect interaction as a learning and teaching experience and as a model for Micah. … Continue reading There’s a Law for That: Standing Firm When Confronted with Ignorance
The Importance of a Good Support System
I think the prospect of training your own service dog is very scary. And it should be! It is an enormous amount of work and requires ironclad commitment, not only from you but from everyone in your household. When you are dealing with a disability, this may seem like a daunting task. But it IS … Continue reading The Importance of a Good Support System
How many spoons did YOUR dog wake up with today?
THE SPOON THEORY IS EVERYWHERE these days. What is it? It's a way for a person living with a disability to explain the amount of energy available to him or her on a particular day. The kinds of things that can impact a person's spoons are quality of sleep, level of pain, amount of stress, etc. … Continue reading How many spoons did YOUR dog wake up with today?
