Family Gatherings & The Greater Good Over the holidays, I attend my husband’s family gatherings. One was at one of my favorite places. It is a large barn that had been renovated to add a full kitchen area for catering large events. There is a pond, wedding chapel, and small petting
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MAGIC PUMPKINS
Service Dogs & Magic Pumpkins! A service dog has many wonderful benefits. Legally, it is considered a medical device, much like a wheelchair, or an oxygen tank. The trained animal can help mitigate disabilities and make life significantly easier for those of us who are handicapped. But a service dog is
Continue readingCAN’T CONTROL THE WEATHER
Health & Every Day Life The health issues I have give me some days where I can cope and be productive, and other days are not pleasant, to put it mildly. The main problem I have is that I have minimal control over when, or how severe my symptoms will
Continue readingIT’S NOT JUST THE TRAINING
Dogs – It’s Not Just the Training To have the greatest chance of success in training a dog for service work, you need to start with a dog that has a suitable temperament. One of the things I do to help people is evaluate dogs to determine suitability for service
Continue reading“NO DOGS ALLOWED”
When It Says “No Dogs Allowed” Often times I have encountered businesses where I am greeted by the comment “We do not allow dogs in here Ma’am”. While I actually appreciate the sentiment (safety and sanitation in a business are great priorities), it would be better to simply be asked
Continue reading“FAKERS”
Service Dog Awareness Education In my daily life as I go places and educate about service dogs, I am often asked what I do about “Fakers”. The answer is always more or less the same- try to help if possible, educate as much as I can. The handler may not
Continue readingIT’S A DATE!
Meeting New People I enjoy meeting new people. Often our first conversation takes place online or over the phone, where they meet the virtual side of me – energetic, focused, and blessed with a pretty good sense of humor. The natural next step is to meet in person, and by
Continue readingCREATING A MARKET
Just Another Day! A few weeks ago, on one of the first trips I took on my Service Dog Awareness missions, I ventured into a restaurant near my home with my Service Dog, Grace. I stood nervously fidgeting as I anxiously awaited a less than enthusiastic manager that plodded ponderously
Continue readingA FEW SERVICE DOG FACTS
Did you know….? There is no Federally recognized certification, identification, or registration for Service Dogs. The online registries, certificates, and fancy laminated cards you may have seen are just unscrupulous companies profiting from people’s misconceptions. Some states however, offer free registration to trained Service Dog teams, in order to assist in any access
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