Bill approved to make VA service-dog friendly

The House of Representatives could vote as early as next week on sweeping legislation that makes the Veterans Affairs Department more dog-friendly.

A House committee has approved legislation that would allow service dogs to be used on any VA property or in any VA facility, including any facility or property receiving VA funding.

“I’m really pleased this legislation is moving, just for the sheer fact we have been trying to do this for so long,” said Christina Roof, deputy national legislative director for the veterans’ service organization AmVets. “VA could have done this itself, by regulation, a long time ago if they wanted, but they haven’t done anything so it looks like Congress will.”

Under current law and regulation, VA is required only to allow guide dogs for the blind onto its property and into facilities because those are the only type of assistance animals specifically covered in federal law. Individual facilities directors can be more flexible, if they wish.

VA officials have been working since March on trying to come up with a new service dog policy but discussions have been bogged down, in part, over the question of whether the policy should specifically list the types of service dogs that should be allowed or to leave that open to interpretation.

Language included in HR 2074, a veterans’ health care bill passed Sept. 28 by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, would end the discussion. The provision is very direct, saying the VA secretary “may not prohibit the use of service dogs in any facility or on any property.” The bill makes no effort to define what constitutes a service dog.

Roof said she expects common sense would be used, with eligible dogs having received some specialized training in order to be considered a service dog and with facilities still able to have restrictions on where dogs could go on the premises. For example, a service dog would not be allowed into an operating room but might be allowed in the waiting room of a medical clinic, she said.

In addition to opening the buildings and grounds to service dogs, the bill would create a three-year pilot program in which veterans with post-traumatic stress or other post-deployment mental disorders would be involved in training service dogs for other veterans. The idea of the test is to see if being a dog trainer has any rehabilitation benefits for veterans.

Veterans who have service dogs would have priority in being hired as trainers under the pilot program.

Source: airforcetimes
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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

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

Family Pets Get Trained to Become Service Dogs

We all like to think of our family pets just as that, part of the family. But for local veteran Kimberly Cunningham, her "man's best friend" goes even further than that.

Cunningham and her 5-year-old daughter rescued the Pitbull mix Beans two years ago. Their bond might initially seem just like any other four legged and two legged friendship. On a typically Sunday afternoon Beans is hanging out on Kim's lap, just enjoying being petted by her owner.
"She's a lap dog. She's a snuggler. And she has to just be with you all the time," Kim says.

The bond between Beans and Cunningham reaches far beyond the realm of just a lap dog, though. Kimberly has severe post traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD.

"It's inside and it's a very terrifying thing for me it's traumatizing on a daily basis. I want to be so normal and it's just not there," Kim explains.

That's where the 2-year-old rescued pit bull comes in. About a month ago, Kim read about Canine Angels, a local group that adopts dogs and then trains them for PTSD veterans. Rather than give Kim another dog, she thought maybe Beans could undergo training.

For about the past month, the family dog has been training to become Kimberly's service dog. She says the strong bond between human and pet is what makes the training so easy.

"She picked up on it right away, and it was pretty incredible to watch him work with her and then deal with me," she says.

Rick Kaplan, the owner of Canine Angels says this is the first time he has ever trained a pet that was already in the family, but Beans took to training very quickly. Already the dog's presence is already a calming force to Kim's symptoms like anxiety and panic attacks.

Kim says even though she rescued Beans as a nine week old puppy, Beans is the one giving her a one of the greatest gifts of all.

"Beans will be able to give me my life back. I realize that there's a light at the end of the tunnel and with her I know I will eventually have a life again."

Source : WPDE news

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Lets face it, you love surfing. You love everything about it, the sound of crashing waves, the freedom you feel, the refreshing feel. Chances are you'd rather be surfing right now. No time for sleep, no time for work, no time to eat, it is surf24/7 for you.

Not a surfer but a spectator? Thats cool too. Why not? Surfing is for anyone who cant get enough of it, who someday dreams of riding the big ones, be it for competition, or just for the love of doing so. Share your passion with your pet with surf pet ID tag whether he/she loves to surf with you and just enjoy watching you surf!




resource: surfcitysurfdog.com
huntingtonpost.com

service and therapy dog

For all service and therapy dogs regardless of whether or not their status is legally defined by federal or state law, how they are trained, or whether or not they are "certified, they all need the proper service dog identification to reduce or eliminate frustrating situations and confrontations. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, about 49.7 million Americans have a disability, which includes people of all ages.

There are millions of service dogs across the U.S. Each day these dogs significantly impact their partners' lives. However, many businesses and employees may not be aware of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) law, but if the owner/handler has a good identification tag and the service dog has a proper vest or patch, public will understand easier and reduce confrontation.

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New Year! New Pet ID tags for your pet!

The only way to start the new year off for your pet is with a new pet ID tag. And big yellow Anger Management Pet ID tag a bang at that, how can you find fault with this feature?

You all knew that ID4PET team is passionate about dog ID designs and our love and enthusiasm for pet ID tags continue into 2011. I find it hard not to love this Anger Management Pet ID tag. Not only it still contains the important info that a real pet ID tag should have but also it is so much fun and everytime our friends and customers look at this special design, it wins everyone's attention and laughter!

Do you want to bring your dog to your favorite restaurants or hotels? Have you ever wondered what you need to do to get your dog certified as a service dog ? ID4PET has all the answers for you. Click Service Dog FAQ to learn more. For your convenience, ID4Pet offers wide range of service dog ID tags for your four legged friend.

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You watch dog 101 on Animal Planet lately? It is a very educational TV show talking about dog breed. Every breed was created for a reason, and the companion dogs are no exception. Their job is to keep people company, perhaps the most important thing a dog can do. Human on the other hand need to be a responsible owner. Being responsible means to protect him/her and avoid leaving your dog alone in the yard for any period of time. Dogs crave companionship and become easily bored if left alone. They might jump out or dig out the fence or find a way out from unclosed window or gate. You can prepare for this frightening possibility by getting a proper pet ID tag with your contact information on it. Many local laws or regulations require that dogs wear ID tags, so you will need one to be in compliance.

Dog song

"The Dog Song" -- NELLIE MCKAY

I'm just a walkin' my dog
Singin' my song
Strollin' along
Yeah it's just me and my dog
Catchin' some sun

But how to walk your dog the right way? Here are some tips provided by Cesar Millan.

Position matters.
Walking in front allows you to be seen as the pack leader. Conversely, if your dog controls you on the walk, he’s the pack leader. You should be the first one out the door and the first one in. Your dog should be beside or behind you during the walk.

Use a short leash. This allows you to have more control. Attaching the leash to the very top of the neck can help you more easily communicate, guide, and correct your dog. If you need additional help, consider the Illusion collar. Always keep your dog's safety in mind when giving corrections.

Set aside time. Dogs, like humans, are diurnal, so taking walks in the morning is ideal. I recommend setting aside thirty minutes to a full hour. The specific needs of each dog differ. Consult your vet and keep an eye on your dog's behavior to see if his needs are being met.

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photo source: crazyartideas.com