Biscotti, Renoir, and Mia are therapy pups that do their rounds at Adventist Health Simi Valley hospital during Mondays and Thursdays. Marie Rayburn, their owner and handler, visits each room and asks the patients if they would like a visit from the 3 therapy pups.

Rayburn had her pups certified by Therapy Dogs International – it’s a nonprofit organization that regulates, tests, and registers therapy dogs. Shirley Niell, the hospital’s communications manager, appreciates the presence of Rayburn’s therapy pups because she knows that patients can stay for a longer time. With the 3 furry friends around, time passes by quickly.

Rayburn says that she prepares Biscotti, Renoir, and Mia by bathing them and brushing their teeth. She also dresses them in seasonal outfits to attract patients. When the 3 pups are doing their duty, people are not allowed to feed them – only praise them.

Article source: Simi Valley Acorn

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 text or image below.

Shawn Flowers talks about animal training after Koko, a western lowland gorilla, died. He mentions Operant Conditioning, a learning process coined by BF Skinner, where actions that are reinforced by rewards and punishments are strengthened and weakened. Rewards and punishments are effective means of helping you meet your goals for the animal.

When it comes to dogs, house training is the first thing to do. Never reprimand your dog when he goes inside your house, but lead him outside and reward him. To promote good behavior especially when guests are around, make sure to teach your dogs to sit, come, and stay.

The aspect of service dogs is another one that requires rigorous training. Service dogs aid disabled people (such as blind people) to avoid obstacles when walking. There are also service dogs that detect the onset of a seizure or sudden changes in blood sugar.

Article source: The Columbus Telegram

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 text or image below.

Home Instead Senior Care is considering the idea of training two kittens to become therapy animals in the future. These lovely kitties are Lex and Stella. They’ve been adopted by Home Instead to help create a positive environment for the clients and new staff.

Franchise owner Shanna Howard says that the work environment at Home Instead is a team-focused one, and decided among themselves to adopt Lex and Stella after researching the calming benefits of animals. Why two kittens? Studies show that a pair is better and makes each kitten happier.

The staff attests to the joy that Lex and Stella brings. In fact, they give new staff hires more reasons to talk to one another. The kittens walk around and just make everyone feel more comfortable. For now, Lex and Stella are office pets.

Source: the-dispatch.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 text or image below.

To Valerie Curran, animals are precious. She works with the global animal rescue group, No Dogs Left Behind, and was able to raise $20,000 and save dogs from China.

Curran mentions China’s Yulin festival where 10,000 dogs are being killed. She learned that China has a very different perspective about animals and that the people there feel that the more suffering that’s inflicted, the tastier the meat.

Successful in her endeavor, Curran was able to save 25 dogs from the shelter. She wants more dogs to be saved as they help us with therapy, the military, and do search and rescue.

Article source: cbs17.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 text or image below.

Andrew Tunstall is a 7-year old boy who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy before he was born. Because of this, he experiences seizures and struggles with speech and coordination. He also has behavioral problems.

The Tunstall family considers themselves lucky that they were able to obtain a Golden Retriever service dog with the help of community fundraising and some anonymous donors. The dog was named Jedi and today, he is 4 years old. The Arizona Goldens LLC was the organization that trained Jedi.

Kim Tunstall, Andrew’s mother, shares how Jedi helped him. Jedi alerted Kim of an impending seizure and so she was able to give her son emergency medication. That prevented the boy from getting hospitalized. In the past 6 months, Andrew didn’t have seizures. Although Andrew no longer has frequent seizures, still, Jedi remains attentive of his needs.

Article source: The Daily Courier

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 text or image below.

More and more pet cafes are being put up as people realize the benefits of animals in relieving stress. Also, pet cafes offer an opportunity for pets and humans to experience awesome food.

Dr. Meg Braunstein herself plans to open a pet cafe named The Dog’s Breakfast soon. That cafe will have a special corner where dogs get to play. When it comes to etiquette, Dr. Braunstein has some pieces of advice to share.

She says that dogs deserve personal space like humans, so they shouldn’t be placed in an area where people get to pet them all the time. Also, pet owners must make sure that their pets are well-fed and updated with vaccinations before they head to a pet cafe. Bring your own water supply even if there’s a bowl and tap water in the cafe. Dogs have their own bacteria.

Dr. Braunstein is well-versed with animals and believes that they should be brought along by their owners.

Article source: The West Australian

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 text or image below.

Question: Can a housing provider ask an assistance animal owner detailed medical questions?

Answer: The housing provider can request reasonable evidence of the resident’s need for the assistance animal, such as a medical professional’s note. However, he or she may not ask detailed medical questions which would be an invasion of privacy rights.

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 text or image below.

Question: Where should a service animal remain while in restaurants and commercial buildings?

Answer: The animal must remain under the table or lying down on a seat while in restaurants or in commercial buildings. A miniature horse would be kept wherever space allows.

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 text or image below.

Would you believe that a therapy dog could help children read better? There have been stories of therapy dogs encouraging kids to read, and Arthur is one of these great dogs. Arthur is part of the “Tail Waggin’ Tutors” reading program offered by Therapy Dogs International, a non-profit organization.

Arthur helped several students at Sioux Trail Elementary. Layla Larsen, a fourth-grade student, admits that her voice used to shake when she reads. But because she constantly reads to Arthur and actually enjoys the experience, she became more confident.

Marianne Bundy and Tahir Peterson are fifth-graders who’ve also benefited from Arthur’s help. They said that Arthur definitely gave them a comfortable elementary experience.

In the “Tail Waggin’ Tutors program, teachers get to choose at least 6 students a day to read to one of their dogs. A therapy dog like Arthur would just sit and offer a friendly ear to the reader. For Arthur, he rewards the kids with a paw or hug. The kids also offer Arthur a treat.

Article source: StarTribune

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 text or image below.

Disabled individuals who show no overt signs of disability continue to face challenges as they’re being discriminated because of their service dogs. Although service dogs have existed since the 18 century and helped people with their disabilities, they don’t get the respect they deserve.

For example, smaller breeds create doubt in the minds of people just because of their size. Because the first thing that individuals think of when it comes to service dogs is that the dog must be large. Let’s say a german shepherd or a labrador retriever.

Service dogs have assisted not just World War I veterans but also children affected with autism. The American with Disabilities Act was even amended in 2010 to mention service dogs for people who show no obvious signs of a disability.

Take note that service dogs differ from emotional support dogs. Service dogs do specific tasks that range from opening doors to calming their owners down when they’re about to have an anxiety attack.

People, in general, need to judge service dogs less. Service dogs are for all disabled individuals and it doesn’t matter if these people are well-off or have overt disabilities.

Article source: The Kansas City Star.

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 text or image below.