Dogs - Service and Otherwise ...

Service Turf

2008-05-23T10:42:00.001-07:00

Just FYI, here is a great artificial turf supplier. They offer non-profit and Costco member discounts!

Service dog Info Guide

2008-05-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

What disabilities qualify?
Any life-limiting disability (physical or mental) that could be helped by a service dog qualifies. Examples include visual impairments, hearing impairments, mental illness, physical impairments etc. Being on SSDI does not automatically qualify or disqualify you under the ADA’s definition. The best way for you to figure out if you are disabled is to talk with your doctor and ask if they think you are disabled.
http://www.dbtac.vcu.edu/whatsada-defini... In depth explanation of a disability
http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33304_2006... A report to congress on the implementation of the ADA definition of disability

How can I find out more?
The best way is to ask questions! Find other service dog handlers online or in person and talk with them. I have a few groups and listservs listed, but there are many more on yahoo and MSN. Bear in mind that there are some definite rifts in the service dog community, so don’t take it personally if you are denied membership from some groups—just look elsewhere for your information! Here are some links that I find helpful:
http://www.deltasociety.org/ The Delta Society has a lot of general information
http://www.psychdog.org/ The Psychiatric Service Dog Society has great information including an extensive FAQ, public access standards, service dog etiquette, a listserv for people with invisible disabilities using service dogs and much more
http://www.psychdog.org/listserv.html This is a direct link to the PSDS listserv for people with invisible disabilities. A great source of information for those considering training their own service dog
http://www.dogster.com/forums/Service_an... This is a public forum on dogster.com where you can chat about service dogs of all types and training and read questions and answers from other members.
http://www.dogster.com/group/Service_dog... This is a private group on dogster, where you can ask more intimate questions and talk about all types of service dogs and training. You must have a dog on dogster (it’s free!) to join this group, but you can at least access the links without joining the group!
http://www.service-dog.org/ Canine Caretakers for Life
http://www.iaadp.org/ International Association of Assistance Dog Partners is an organization you can join
http://www.paws-up.net/EtiquetteforSDHan... A great etiquette document
http://www.deltasociety.org/download/sd_... Another document about service dog standards
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/svcanimb.ht... The Department of Justice’s flyer about service animals
http://www.iaadp.org/maze.html A guide to the maze of laws about service animals
http://www.box.net/public/qe956unssp A flyer I give out to educate people about Sabrina
http://www.servicedogssavelives.org/ Service Dogs Save Lives

Fabulous Beach Wraps!

2008-05-15T05:54:00.000-07:00

Here they are, modeled in style!

Costco beach towels, slightly reconstructed.

Looking gorgeous on the runway tonight in orange floral ...

She turns and is back up the runway ....

Land of Pure Gold Blog

2008-04-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Thought this blog was rather interesting ...

Puppy Training

2008-04-10T13:24:00.001-07:00

A Collection of links to great sites:

Web Sources:

Ultimate Puppy
Sirius Pup
Clicker Solutions

San Diego Specifically:

The Uncommon Canine
San Diego Dog Trainers

Update: Aquarius and Zen

2008-04-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Update 4/08. Bellatrix has been adopted, too! Yay!

Both Aquarius and Zen have been adopted! Bellatrix is still available ...

"Bellatrix is a two year old beauty that found herself lost at an LA County shelter. She is as pretty in personality as she is in her good looks. Bella is confused as to why her people never came for her, but she is looking forward to a life filled with all things good from now on. Friendly with other dogs, and lady like in the car, Bella is searching for a full time family that will include her in outings and fun stuff. A positive training class with her new people would be delightful. As a shelter stray, we have no history for Bella with cats or small children, so she is looking for a home without them right now. If this young beauty plays trix with your heart, contact Denise at: mailto:ripcurl8@adelphia.net?subject=GRCGLAR_Bellatrix "

Uncommon Training

2008-04-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

I'll admit - I've walked through my son's school and right past the super-well-behaved Gus hundreds of times. Having some dog experience, I have even thought about how well-trained he is and wondered about how he got to be that way. But most of the time his sweet, calm demeanor simply doesn't even catch my eye.

And that's the secret, isn't it?

I've been reading (no surprise there!) and wanted to share a few good resources:

The Uncommon Canine ... I took classes from Joella about 10 years ago. She is wonderful and truly shows what can be accomplished with positive reinforcement!

The Book of Levels ... for some serious WOW!

Public Access Test

2008-03-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

You may have seen a "Service Dog In Training" before. Have you ever wondered what that's all about?

Here's the Public Access test service dogs are expected to pass in order to prove their ability to be in public without being a nuisance.

Holy Smokes! No wonder it typically take 2 years to train for this!

Adding to the Knowledge Bank ...

2008-03-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

One of my HUGE concerns has been (shhhh! Sven MUST NOT hear of this!) hair. IT will positively give him fits!

Good news! I have what may not be a solution but certainly appears to be a HUGE help in the (shh!) hair arena.

That's right - it's the FURminator. These things are expensive but reportedly worth every penny!

They have food supplements, shampoos, etc. ... even a waterless shampoo which is AWESOME because Sven is threatening to bathe her every day ... that might help relieve his OCD a bit!

Now I'm off to research the Public Access test ... that's the big one we'll be training for over the next year or so. Or two months ... how hard can it be?? : )

Feeding My Virtual Dog

2008-03-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

My Virtual Dog is very hungry - and picky! I have been doing a lot of research into human diets lately. When thinking of my Virtual Dog, it seems to me that it can't be THAT hard to feed your dog "real" food, can it?

(Yes. This game requires that I concern myself with whether or not to feed my Virtual Dog home cooked meals. Deal.)

These look like good sources:

Home Prepared Dog and Cat Diets by Donald Strombeck, DVM
Canine Nutrition by Lowell Ackerman, DVM
Small Animal Clinical Nutrition by Hand, Thatcher, Remillard, Roudebush

Dr Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats by Richard Pitcairn, DVM
Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats by Shawn Messonnier, DVM
Dog Health & Nutrition for Dummies by Christine Zink, DVM
Better Food for Dogs by David Bastin

Isn't it still just calories, protein, and carbs? NOT rocket science. Do some massive bulk cooking on the weekends, freeze stuff a la Deceptively Delicious ... shazam! Healthy dog. It's a theory.

My Virtual Dog

2008-03-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who missed the "Virtual Yarn Shop" (sorry, I deleted that one ... bad move, won't do it again) let me introduce you to my Virtual Dog.

This is my new dog. Not really: I am researching the nitty-gritty of owning a service dog and whether one might improve my life. So I've created a Virtual Dog. These pics are all of Golden rescues ... Aquarius, Belltrix, and Zen.

They look a lot like my Virtual Dog AquaBelZen. (I think she gets phone service anywhere in the world.)

Oh look! She's sticking her tongue out at you. No more jokes about that name, Wisecracker!

Being a Service Dog reuires lots of training and hard work. In pictures, it looks like this:

Here is the famous "Look" Command. She mastered it the first day of school.

"Look far off in the distance" was a bit harder ...

Secure the perimeter:

Chill.

After a long day of service work, Aqua really likes to relax ...

(Sometimes on our Virtual Lawn. It's pesticide- and herbicide-free.)

(all photos from GRCGLA)

Golden Fever

2008-03-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Just a glimpse ...

Strap a vest on that girl and she's ready to go!

What is a Service Dog?

2008-03-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

Wow! Service dogs perform many functions to help their disabled handlers. Seeing eye dogs and hearing dogs are well-known, but there are MANY more jobs dogs can do.

This site is dedicated to all service dogs and their handlers. My goal is to produce a centralized collection of data and resources for those involved with service dogs.