Service Animals
Horsing Around
Have you ever seen a woman ride a horse into a grocery store? You might if you lived in Fort Worth, Texas, where Tabitha Darling, a legally blind woman with a deteriorating bone condition, relies on her horse Trixie to help her get around. Donning bright pink, slip-proof boots, Trixie regularly escorts Darling to the local store.
WFAA.com
Good Grief
Zoey, a three and a half year old golden retriever has an extra-special empathetic streak. Once a week, she works at the Michigan Memorial Funeral Home as a grief therapy dog, providing canine comfort to those in need. "It's almost as if Zoey knows that her calm presence just seems to make people who are sad a little less sad," says her owner, Kelly Dwyer.
Kelly Dwyer
My Little Pony Helps Me See
For Mona Ramouni, a blind woman living in Michigan, a seeing eye dog wasn't really an option. According to her Sunni Muslim religion, dogs are considered unclean. Lucky for Ramouni, she found Mexicali Rose, a miniature horse who's been trained as a seeing-eye guide. The two and half foot tall beauty, who weighs 125 pounds, goes everywhere with Ramouni.
Carlos Osorio, AP
Read Me a Story
In Flagstaff, Arizona, an inventive program called Paws to Read pairs therapy dogs with kids who have trouble reading. By reading aloud to the dog -- a receptive and nonjudgmental listener -- children gain confidence in their reading abilities.
Mark Sauer, Mesabi Daily News / AP
Peanut-Sniffing Dog
Rock'O the Portuguese water dog can smell a peanut from a mile away. He's a graduate of the peanut-sniffing program at the Florida Canine Academy, which also offers training courses for canines to detect bombs and narcotics. Rock'O uses his specialized training to protect eight year-old Riley Mers of Monument, Colorado, who is deathly allergic to peanuts and even the tiniest amount of peanut dust.
Christian Murdock, Colorado Springs Gazette / MCT
Serving America's Veterans
Frankie, an affectionate female Labrador Retriever, helps Sergeant Allen Hill, a veteran of the Iraq war, deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and manage the panic attacks that plague him since suffering a traumatic head injury in Iraq in 2007. Raised behind prison walls, Frankie is a graduate of the Puppies Behind Bars program, in which prisoners train dogs to be service animals for the disabled.
Daniel Hulshizer, AP
Appaloosa on the Loose
Hardly bigger than a Labrador Retriever, Confetti is an adorable miniature Appaloosa horse who helps Cheryl Spencer see. In June 2004, Confetti took her first plane ride, standing in the bulkhead seating area. Cheryl and her husband Chris devised a "poo bag system" in case Confetti had an accident on board the plane, but the diminutive horse was too smart for that! Unlike dogs, horses can live up to 30 years of age.
Bob Self, The Florida Times-Union / AP
When Pigs Fly!
Pigs do fly, and in first class, no less! Charlotte, a 300-pound pot-bellied pig, was allowed to accompany her owner, Maria Tirotta Andrews, on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Seattle. Under federal law, airlines are required to allow a person with a disability to be accompanied by their service animal. Andrews suffers from a heart condition and relies on Charlotte to help relieve stress.
Getty Images
Show Me the Money
In Britain, a yellow Labrador Retriever named Endal made life a whole lot easier for Allen Parton, a soldier injured in the Gulf War, who became paralyzed and in need of a wheelchair. Endal could retrieve a razor, load the washing machine, and work the ATM for Parton, who couldn't reach the cash machine. Sadly, Endal died in March 2009, but another dog named Endal Junior (or "EJ") hopes to fill the big paw prints left by his predecessor
Telegraph UK / ZUMA Press
Monkey Business
Richard the monkey helps keep Debby Rose, a Missouri woman, from suffering extreme anxiety and panic attacks. He soothes her when she starts to unravel, petting her arm and maintaining eye contact with her until she calms down. Rose unwittingly courted controversy by taking Richard everywhere with her, including to restaurants and shopping. Some claimed that Richard posed a public health risk, but that hasn't kept him at home.
Corbis
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I have a friend who is an airline pilot and had to deal with a female passenger who wanted to bring her "Service Monkey" on board for a long distance flight.
I have experience with a co-worker who self designated her 8 dogs as "service animals" so she could bring them to work.
There is no or very little formal process for one to self designate
any kind of animal as a service animal for all kinds of self diagnosed
imaginary or questionable "afflictions".
You can buy Service Animal vests on the internet.
What a bunch of b.s.
I've got a pet weasel I'll lend you!
Boy people like you show the ignorance and stupidity of people that post. There is training for any animal, that training is for an entire year sometimes longer.
In reference to the term " Service Animals " and Service Vests for animals. In every case that I have known of people who Sell Service Animals Vests or Jackets, the real reputable places will always ask you for a copy of the Service Animals Records to verify that the animal is registered for the Service purpose that it is trained for.
Many of you people who don't need a service animal such as Seizure Service Dog, some of these animals are taught to hold there " Water " or Waste, for a longer period of time. I had a Seizure Service Dog that was taught this because of his job and not being able to goto the bathroom when he so desired, He was trained that when he has the chance to go, he knows that is his time to go because he don't know when he will be able to go again.
As far as the animal being Certified, or Registered as a Service Animal, check with your local laws to confirm this, but in most states, it does take a Medical Doctors written statement and signature for the person who needs a particular type of Service Animal for the disability that a person has. It has been my experience that a private person cannot make his own pet a Service Animal, and it can be prosecuted by law for a person how makes believe that there Pet is a Service Animal without the consent of a Doctor. Most Service animals and people that require there Service do carry papers to Certify the Animals needs. What you have to be careful of, is that it is against the Law for a Person, or even a Law Enforcement to ask a person what kind of a Disability that the person suffers from. This is covered under the 1972 American Disabilities Act, that was singed into Law....
unreal freddie that you see things that way. Although I am completely agains the concept of "stress" dogs I am legally deaf and use a dog to alert me to cars in the road, things behind me, sounds I need to know. True service animals are a blessing BUT I am not so sure about the horse and monkey thing.....
People with seizure disorders, paralysis, mobility and balance issues as well as severe allergies and hearing disabilites depend on our animal partners to help us and trust me, our animals are 9 times out fo 10 much better behaved than your children in public :-)
Under current federal regulations, only dogs can be designated as service animals. And any store owner can eject one that is not behaving properly, they just can't bar them in advance.
I am personally dependent on a fully-certified service dog who went through 2 years of training and has to pass independent exams every year. I am very frustrated by people who bring untrained and poorly behaved pets into public spaces and claim they are service dogs. It makes it that much harder for those of us who do really need the properly trained ones.
Personally, I would like to see the Department of Motor Vehicles work with local Humane Societies to provide true certification exams so both dogs and owners have to earn the right to be called a service team. But I guess it would be too expensive relative to the benefits to society.
A number of people do have Service Monkeys. I am not saying that the woman the airline pilot had a problem with was legit, but some monkeys enable the disabled to live an independent life instead of being institutionalized. Look it up!
You know, that was a very ignorant thing to say. People with documented illnesses or conditions really benefit from these wonderful animals. There are always going to be people out there who abuse every kind of system if they find a way. Real trained service animals are a life saver to the ones who depend on them...hopefully you never have to...that would be a shame, wouldn't it?
Clearly you have never seen someone that truly needs a service animal function with one. Do not be so quick to judge. You cannot always tell if someone has a disability or not and perhaps an animal next to you would make you a little more compassionate. Shame on you for demeaning the thousands of people that truly need a service animal.
There comes a point when it is not cute, or sweet or even hero like. Great that she has a horse to help her get around but need to draw the line with letting the horse inside the store. Aside from the fact that horses can create a far bigger, and more unsanitary mess; this is a very large animal that could seriously injure someone or its rider if it were to suddenly get spooked inside the store.
This is political correctness gone amok and the local authorities and the store managers need to get a gripe. I feel for her situation but this is going way too far. If you let a horse in, then you can't say no to any other animal and then where will you draw the line?
PapaJack,
You are so accurate. It is like "here I come riding in on my service elephant or donkey or ostrich"!!!!
I agree completely Papajack. I own 3 horses. You never know what is going to spook them, especially in unfamiliar settings. She is putting the lives of others at risk unnecessarily. There are service dogs and even miniature horses for such work.
i certainly hope you never need a service animal.
AGREE wholeheartedly, Papajack!!
1) It's TEXAS. 2) True service animals are trained to not leave a mess or be spooked. 3) Take another look at the picture, this is not a large horse. She is not much bigger than a mule. I think this is a wonderful story showing how much animals and people need each other.
You are so ignorant. "Trixie" has been specifically trained to do her job. She has been trained when not to make "unsanitary messes.Horses have alot of compassion and really love their owners. I know this because I own and train horses. Are you going to help this lady in the grocery store??? The answer is no. Trixie may be the only thing she has to rely on. Animals are very understanding and just want to help. Who are you to say any thing. You need to keep quiet about things that you don't know anything about.
SO WHEN TABITHA WANTS A NEW PAIR OF JEANS, SHE TELLS TRIXIE "RALPH LAUREN, SIZE 16, FADED, NOT STONE WASHED, 5 POCKET, LOW RISE" AND WHAT?? "TRIXIE FINDS THE EXACT ITEM FOR HER"??? DOES TRIXIE TRY THEM ON FOR HER TOO??? WHAT ABOUT GROCERIES??? "TRIXIE, I NEED A 16 OZ. PACKAGE OF KRAFT AMERICAN CHEESE SINGLES, REMEMBER, 16 OZ. NOT 12 OZ."!!!
Well, if you disapprove using anything more exotic than a seeing eye dog; I assume you are willing to become employed as a human aide?? One advantage to animals is that critters never have another appointment to keep, never take an unscheduled day off, and never change jobs looking for 'something better'. Frankly it sounds as though the 'diabetic alert' animals do a better job thanmost medical people I know!
As to the horse specifically, don't sell them short. Some breeds have existed in parternership with humans for thpousands of years. Yyes there could be accidents or problems but not likely--most horse related accidents are caused by under-trained animals and clueless riders, or wiseacres who make noises or throw things to 'see what will happen'. Also, notice it's an Appaloosa, or a appaloosa related Pony of the Americas. The breed used to have a reputation for being 'difficult' but that's because many tend to be of above average intelligence and demand respect from humans before they give it. They also tend to have rather low-reactivity and be rather unflappable--I had one mare who watched fireworks displays from ground zero with the family-- and are capable of thinking their way out of problems.
If she can't see, why is she in the store?
YEP YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE WHO HAS DECIDED TO APPOINT THEMSELF JUDGE OF WHAT IS POLITICALLY COREET AND WHAT FALLS UNDER THIS BANNER.
THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT IS POLICALLY COREET. IT HAS TO DO WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE A DISABILTY HAVE NORMAL LIVES. IF EVERYONE THOUGHT LIKE YOU THE DISABLED WOULD BE HIDDEN AS IN YEARS AGO. SHAME ON YOU FOR BEING SO UNENLIGHTENED TO OTHERS TRIALS . THIS HORSE WOULD NOT AFFECT YOU OR YOUR LIFE BUT IT WOULD HELP THIS WOMAN TREMENDOUSLY. SAD THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD WHO CANT LOOK BEYOND THEIR OWN NOSES.
yeah i agree i wouldn't let it in my store i wouldn't want to clean up after it i mean i love animal but its kind of ridiculous to have a seeing eye pig or horse its kinda of bad for others an inconvience and nucieince