This month, September, is the National Service Dog month. It’s the time of the year to remind one another how to act when it comes to dealing with someone else’s service dog. Here are some tips to guide you:

1. When you’re walking your dog and are about to approach a service dog, don’t assume that a meet and greet is okay. Steer your dog away. This is to prevent the service dog from getting distracted.

2. Ask the handler first before you approach him and the dog. While there are handlers that allow strangers to pet their service dogs, it’s always a right practice to ask permission.

3. Don’t babytalk the service dog. While canines usually prefer humans talking to them like babies, when it comes to service dogs, you should converse with the dog’s handler only.

4. Ask permission from the handler before you pet a service dog. Give them the respect that they deserve.

5. Don’t offer treats to a service dog. Food or treats are another forms of distraction. Offering them to a service dog prevents it from performing its duty properly. Also, service dogs adhere to a specific diet and eat at specific times.

The next time you meet a service dog, remember these do’s and don’ts!

Article source: Parade.com

Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet. 

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the image below.

Have you ever asked how therapy dogs can assist kids with autism and other problems? A lot of schools still don’t accept therapy dogs but let’s take a look at some of the ways therapy dogs make the lives of children better…

Some students have autism and use therapy dogs so that they feel more confident and able to feel at ease in school. Another reason to allow therapy dogs in schools is that some kids are non-verbal and these dogs would be there to provide comfort, especially if these kids don’t tell teachers what’s wrong.

Article and image source: Newsday.com

Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet. 

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the image below.

It is no secret that we as children feel anxious during doctor visits. And now while sitting there in the clinic as an adult, making your child keep his cool could be quite challenging. But what if a dog were to help? Especially a therapy dog. Then that would make life a lot easier, right?

This is what happens at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida where they partnered with the Reading Paws program to help relieve kids while waiting for the doctor to be available for them. Reading Paws is a program that aims to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of nationally registered therapy animals and Crosby the Golden Retriever does his work there.

Pam Edyburn, the coordinator for the family resource center said that “There are so many emotions that are going on when children come to the outpatient clinics. They don’t know what exactly the procedure is going to be, what the appointment is going to be like,” and Crosby there helps in relieving the anxiety that the children face. Not only does Crosby make the children calm down, he also helps in improving their literacy skills.

Article source: clickorlando.com

Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet. 

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the image below.

A four-month-old Australian Labradoodle puppy will be the first of its kind to be a therapy dog for firefighting. While the iconic firefighting dogs such as the Dalmatian clears the path to let the firetruck through, Digby the Labradoodle stays behind in the firetrucks to help in preventing long-term psychological damage on victims after traumatic incidents such as fire. Dogs are known to calm people, having the presence of a therapy dog like Digby in a time of disaster is a game changer.

While the dog is still in training, Digby will also meet vulnerable individuals like children in schools, hospices, and hospitals as part of an exposure or socialization experience to make him comfortable in alien environments. This is so that he can perform his role when he takes up his post in the fire stations.

Digby’s handler at the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is Matt Goodman. He said that “It’s been scientifically proven that therapy dogs like Digby can support individuals in distress or who are dealing with very difficult situations in their life. So, the idea of Digby is to take that philosophy and bring it to the fire and rescue sector.”

Article source: bbc.com

Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet. 

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the image below.

A duo of Alpacas named Twinkle and Dude visit an assessment unit in Carlisle as therapy animals for patients suffering from dementia. Animal therapy is seen as an alternative medicine which can improve social and emotional well-being in patients especially those who suffer from cognitive problems.

The Ruskin Unit, which is a 15 bedded nurse-led assessment unit, takes care of patients suffering from organic illnesses such as dementia while practicing different forms of therapies which don’t necessarily involve the use of traditional medicine. With the help of Kim Inglis Jeffries from Blencogo Farm, who is the owner of Twinkle and Dude, he made it possible for animal therapy to be used at the Ruskin Unit.

“Twinkle and Dude’s visit was just great; you could feel such a buzz in the atmosphere and the positive impact is clear through our patients’ mood and behavior. This type of therapy helps keep people well, motivated and engaged.” -Rikki Dawson, Ward Manager, Ruskin Unit.

The Alpaca’s soft fleece, friendly and patient demeanor makes the mood of patients improve especially if being stroked. The animals are also observed to have a higher intelligence and perception especially on patients who have more vulnerability.

Article source: cumbriacrack.com

Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet. 

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the image below.

The Forever in My Heart Foundation is an organization at Connecticut that trains rescued dogs to be assistance animals for disabled veterans. Raising awareness while finding foster families for the rescued canines, they caught the attention of Agway and raised a fundraiser event (Bark-B-Q Party).

The event hosted by Agway was joined by pet food vendors and local pet owners to make Forever in My Heart the beneficiary of the fundraiser event. When asked why Agway chose Forever in My Heart, they simply stated that is it because the foundation supported animals and veterans.

“It’s a cause that everyone wants to give to and we really wanted something that people were really going to come out and support,” –Jenna Harrison, Event Coordinator, Agway

Mira Alicki, the founder of the foundation, named the cause after her jewelry line Forever in My Heart. She decided to donate 100% of her sales for the support of the cause. If a disabled veteran were to own a trained service dog, it would cost $18,000. However, the foundation’s fundraising makes it possible for the cause to pay the expenses, Alicki said.

“It cost us about $10,000 and upwards to train one dog and we cover all of the expenses as a foundation,” Alicki said. “We are the only organization in Connecticut that donates them for free.”

Article source: myrecordjournal.com

Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet. 

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the image below.