Falling in love is like owning a dog

"Falling in love is like owning a dog" by Taylor Mali


First of all, it's a big responsibility,
especially in a city like New York.
So think long and hard before deciding on love.
On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
when you're walking down the street late at night
and you have a leash on love
ain't no one going to mess with you.
Because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable.
Who knows what love could do in its own defense?


On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.
Love doesn't like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.


It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.
Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.
Love makes messes.
Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Sometimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain,
just to let love know Don't you ever do that again!


Sometimes love just wants to go for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise.
It runs you around the block and leaves you panting.
It pulls you in several different directions at once,
or winds around and around you
until you're all wound up and can't move.


But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.
Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.

No Shopping for Service Dog

RINDGE — A Massachusetts couple has filed a human rights complaint against Walmart after the wife was allegedly turned away by employees in Rindge because of her service dog.

Melissa Formica, 20, of Gardner, Mass., said she visited the Walmart in Rindge on May 1, but was told by an employee she couldn’t have her dog in the store. She and her husband have since filed a complaint with the N.H. Commission for Human Rights.

“They watched me walk in and one of them chased me down,” Formica said. “They said, ‘You can’t have your dog in here because it doesn’t have the proper leash.’ I showed her the paperwork (identifying the dog as a service dog), but she said that because it’s not a seeing eye or hearing dog, it’s not allowed in the store.”

Formica has a seizure disorder that her service dog, a 6-month-old black Labrador mix named Isabella, assists her with. Federal law requires that all service dogs be allowed in commercial establishments.

In Formica’s case, Isabella is trained to recognize the onset of a seizure before it happens, and alert Formica, she said.

Formica recalled one time in a mall when Isabella dragged them out of a store and sat her down on a bench, moments before she had a seizure. Isabella also alerted a neighbor once when Formica collapsed in her apartment building hallway.

During the incident in May, the Walmart employee allegedly told Formica she would have to put Isabella in the car while she shopped, which Formica said she refused to do.

“At that point I felt I was being watched,” she said. “I felt paranoid, and I felt completely disgruntled. People use service dogs for all kinds of conditions — diabetes, mental disorders and seizures.”

The Formicas said they filed the complaint with the N.H. Commission for Human Rights after Formica’s husband, Steven Formica, 29, spoke to a store manager in an attempt to resolve the situation.

“I felt like (a manager at the store) didn’t care,” he said. “His attitude and his demeanor on the phone were unprofessional.”

Christopher Kaczmarek, a Boston-based attorney for Walmart, submitted a response to the complaint in July, denying Formica’s charges.

In a letter to the commission, Kaczmarek stated that Formica entered the store carrying her dog, without a leash.

The letter also stated that, while an employee did approach Formica when she entered the store, the employee “simply asked her what kind of dog it was.

“Ms. Formica responded that it was a hearing and seeing eye dog,” Kaczmarek said in the letter. “The associate responded that the dog was ‘really cute’ and told Ms. Formica that she hoped her shopping experience at Walmart was a pleasant one.”

Kaczmarek’s statement says that Formica then “inexplicably began a rant towards the associate, stating that ... she did not have a vest or patch logo because she had just gotten the dog.”

Formica said she didn’t have the vest or patch often worn by service dogs for Isabella because it isn’t required by law.

The letter states that Formica then continued shopping in the electronics department before leaving the store a short time later.

Formica denies continuing to shop, carrying the dog into the store, or telling the employee that it was a seeing eye and hearing dog.

Steven Formica said he wants to view the store’s security camera tapes from that day to prove his wife’s claims.

The Formicas are in the process of submitting a rebuttal to Walmart’s response, they said. They’re also deciding whether to take their case to court.

Joni N. Esperian, executive director for the commission, said a party filing a complaint has six months to decide whether to keep its complaint with the commission, or transfer it to court.

If the complaint stays with the commission, “any number of things can happen,” Esperian said.

“The parties can decide to settle on their own, or they can use mediation (offered by the commission at no charge) at any stage,” she said. “Ultimately, a commissioner decides if there’s sufficient or insufficient evidence to find probable cause that discriminating occurred.”


Source : www.sentinelsource.com

Dog Driver License

This is such a cute story that my reader forwarded it to me and I would like to share with all of you. And I think getting our fur friends an up to date ID Tag is a must. Birthday is a perfect time for you to remember and exam the tag. Do you check your pet’s tag recently?

Here is the story.
Since we're talking about how much we spoil our pet, I immediately thought about how I recognized my puppy's birthday last weekend.

Little Luna Lovegood, my black Labrador Retriever, just turned two years old. Here's the thing: My dog makes me smile often throughout my day. She listens when I tell her to behave. She's a goofball when I need to see some silliness. When the kids are in chaos mode, she walks over to me as if to say, "Sister, we have a problem." And she cuddles into the cutest little ball next to me at night while I'm reading.
So Luna is definitely worthy of a birthday celebration.

My kids wanted to bake her a cake, but I had to talk them down by letting them know how sick it would make her. We settled on making her a really crazy-filled Kong (peanut butter, chunks of cheese and her favorite dog treats), the boys sang to her, and we put her birthday hat on for a few photos (and more treats).

But there are some dog owners who throw birthday parties for their canine companions. And I can't be snarky about that because you know what? I think it would be kind of cute to do that one day...just without hiring a party planner and spending a wad of cash. And instead of having other dogs over, it would just be the boys and my husband (who is probably rolling his eyes in embarrassment right now).

Source: shine from yahoo
ID4Pet.com

Dont Pet the Service Dog

Greg is a 19 year old from New Hampshire. Like most teens his age, he'll be going to college in September—taking classes, living in a dorm...

But unlike other freshman, Greg will have a four-legged roommate: his service dog, Sprinkles.

"When you first get a service dog, you set targets, like: 'I want my dog to help me with balance, stability and mobility," said Greg, who came to Dobbs Ferry this week for his bonding week with Sprinkles, who will be his second service dog. "But then you realize the dog helps you emotionally. My dog doesn't judge me; I can tell him anything."

Sprinkles was trained by ECAD (Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities), a local organization that trains dogs—mainly golden retrievers—to accompany people with physical and emotional disabilities ranging from orthopedic problems to post-traumatic stress disorder.

On Wednesday, ECAD hosted an open house at its training facility in Dobbs Ferry's Children's Village to honor International Assistance Dog Week. Assistance dogs include guide dogs, service dogs, hearing alert dogs, seizure alert/response dogs and medical alert/response dogs. International Assistance Dog Week was established as a result of the efforts of Marcie Davis, a paraplegic who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"The main idea for Assistance Dog Week is to spread awareness of the prevalence of assistance dogs and to teach people proper etiquette surrounding them," said Carrie Picard, daughter of Lu and Dale Picard, ECAD's founders. "People know not to walk up and pet seeing-eye-dogs, but they don't realize you shouldn't touch service dogs either. They can be the arms and legs of a disabled person."

ECAD is a unique program in that it trains dogs to serve people with all disabilities—except sight and hearing impairment. It is also unique because much of the training is performed by students in special act school districts like Children's Village, Greenburgh Graham and Green Chimneys.

Greg, whose first service dog will stay home with his parents when he and Sprinkles head off to Salve Regina University in Rhode Island, said most public places are accommodating to people with service dogs.

"Hotels can be difficult though," he said. "Sometimes they want to charge more 'because of the mess'—which is ridiculous! Would you charge extra for someone with crutches?"

Greg believes "bonding week," or a service dog recipient's first week with the dog, is the most important time in their relationship.

"It's when you familiarize yourself with the dog," he explained. "Trust between a master and worker goes two ways. We have to work as a cohesive unit."

Rubbing Sprinkles, he added: "Everything flows so nicely with Sprinkles. I have a feeling we'll be just fine together."

More Info on Service Dog Tag, Click here.
Source : Patch.com
ID4Pet.com

Miniature Driver License

This is perfect! ID4Pet's Pet Driver License ID Tag is like a miniature version of your standard driver license. It creates a cherished keepsake to carry with you daily by adding a favorite photo of your devoted pet to any one of our key chain selections. Your beautiful photo key chain is a thoughtful personalized gift for that special pet lover! Order one for for yourself, for mom, or for grandma! Great gifts for moms-to-be, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Birthdays and Christmas.

You can view your home state miniature driver license by clicking here.

Flying with Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals

It is unlawful for airlines to charge a fee for a service animal or ESA.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) allows for Service dogs and emotional support animals to travel in the cabin of the aircraft as long as the dog does NOT obstruct an aisle or any other area used for emergency evacuations.

Although general in-flight rules will always be enforced by every airline company, the processes of actually making reservations, passing the ticket counter, luggage check in, security checkpoint, and gate may vary slightly, depending on the airline and airport. By reviewing the websites for individual airlines, you'll learn most of their guidelines, including that all request and require service dog and ESA identification and identifying apparel.

What To Expect At the Airport
• Flying with a service animal or ESA for the first time can be very anxiety producing, but in reality, the experience is actually easy and low-stress for prepared handlers. It is a very good idea to contact the airlines or consult their website a week or more before the flight (or at the time tickets are purchased) to find out what the requirements are for flying with a service animal or ESA. Most airlines now require advance notification and some, like Frontier and Midwest Airlines require special forms to be completed, in addition to the letter of prescription.

• At the airport and on the plane, the animal should wear an easy identification photo ID tag attached to the leash or harness. All airlines strongly encourage this because it makes identifying your dog as a service dog or ESA much easier and will prevent unnecessary confrontations (this is also true for all other settings in which you may be accompanied by your dog).

• When you arrive at the ticket or baggage check-in counter, make sure the airline representative is aware of the service animal/ESA. Airline personnel have typically seen and managed many passengers with service animals, and have a specific process they must follow before a passenger with a service dog can proceed without delays.

• First, you'll be asked questions to determine if the animal is a working service dog or an ESA. If the animal is a working service dog, the airline representative will ask what task your dog is trained to perform for you because of your disability. You, as the passenger, must be able to provide credible verbal evidence at this point (that means you need to be prepared to convincingly tell airport personnel what task your dog performs specific to your disability.

• If the animal is an ESA (emotional support animal), then you must tell the airline representative that the dog is an ESA. You will be required to produce a formal letter of prescription for a service dog or ESA from a licensed mental health professional. A letter from your medical doctor will NOT be accepted, as the letter must be written by a licensed mental health professional (psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, counselor, social worker). There is no way around this. In addition, it is becoming increasingly common for airlines to require you to submit a copy of this letter several days prior to the flight. Some airlines (Midwest and Frontier, for example) actually require you to have your therapist or licensed mental health professional complete one of their third party verification forms.

• Once you're on your way to the boarding gate, the next step is to pass through the security checkpoint. This is easy, and your dog may walk or be carried through the scanner with you, but the dog's leash, collar, harness, or anything else with metal in or on it must be removed prior to going through. So we highly recommend non-metal ID Badge/tag to eliminate the hassle. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer may also ask about your dog, but it's just a formality.

• Having arrived at the boarding gate, it's a good idea to let the attending airline personnel know that you are being accompanied by your service dog or ESA, although it isn't required. Often, they will allow you to board first and be seated ahead of others out of convenience for you, as well as other passengers.

• Once you have boarded the aircraft, most airline policies state that your dog must be on the floor between your knees and the seat in front of you. Most of the time, however, flight attendants rarely seem to mind if small a service dog or ESA sits on your lap.


ID4Pet wish you a pleasant flight.


Source: AAA ebook
ADA