service dogs

July 31, 1999

:

My husband, Don, has had experience with Texas Hearing and Service Dogs, Inc.

who are now out of Austin, Texas. About 7 years ago, we had the pleasure of

taping a promotional piece for television with this group and met a couple of

the dogs. Beau was the service dog who helped Toby, a 19-year-old quadriplegic

and we also met Stetson, a Border Collie who was in the process of being trained

for service. Stetson is featured in an article at this site and Don was so very

glad to see that his training had gone well and he had made such a huge

difference in someone's life.

The website for Texas Hearing and Service Dogs, Inc. is http://www.thsd.com/ and

a dog can be requested online if necessary. These are good people and Don

personally knows the President and Chief Trainer. Beau was amazing to watch as

he helped Toby with everyday needs, including opening the refrigerator and

getting items out or going to get Toby's dad when Toby needed him. Beau could

turn lights on, pick up dropped items and open doors. Beau had been rescued

from the Dog Pound just hours before he was to be euthanized because nobody had

claimed him.

I know that this is not the place you were looking for but they are a start.

They may be able to put you in contact with the person you are looking for.

It's been a while but they may just remember my husband, Don Wells. He did the

taping in Houston, Texas.

Donna Wells

SUZANNAT@... wrote:

> I have a friend of mine who has a severe physical disability and is in need

> of a service dog. Does any one know of such programs and is anyone familiar

> w/ the program on 20/20

> in Silver Springs land - Margo Woods?

>

> Thanks. You can either post on listserve or email privately, whichever you

> prefer.

>

July 31, 1999

Suzanna, our family is very familiar with the program in land, and also

one in Denver. We own our own service dog, that we trained on our own,

because the price was so high to get a SDOL (service dog of love!).

We own our company that works with disabilities, and refer several for these

programs.

The program involves filling out forms, doctors reports of the whys and hows

the dog will help one with a disability. To our understanding, the new owner

also goes to where the dog is being trained, and receives training herself

or himself. Not all disabilities are able to obtain a dog. It is a first

come and serve for the deaf, because that is what the program was made for,

but others are most welcome to apply, but will need to wait for longer.

The dogs are trained by several clubs, but the 4H club runs one of the

biggest, and they do such wonderful jobs! They train the dog and then give

him to his new owner. It is such a great program, but it is hard to watch

these kids, who really DO get attached, have to give the dog up in the

end...

We belong to a dog and service club, and so we were fortunate to learn from

one of the masters for a low cost. We have learned that only some dogs do

well and keep with the program. We have a toy poodle who now has CFS and

arthritis, so he seldom gives much service, other than being very supportive

and laying next to 'anyone' who may be suffering from something, such as

seizures, and other illnesses.

I hope this has been helpful to those wondering how the programs work.

Warmly,

Debi and Jim Hoggan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" The Kiss of an angel's wings...

is as the touch of a butterfly kiss.. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Service Dogs

>I have a friend of mine who has a severe physical disability and is in need

>of a service dog. Does any one know of such programs and is anyone

familiar

>w/ the program on 20/20

>in Silver Springs land - Margo Woods?

>

>Thanks. You can either post on listserve or email privately, whichever you

>prefer.

>

March 24, 2001

Cheryl in BC,

I'm not sure if this suggestion would work in BC, since I dont' know

about medical care there. But here in the States, I would be really

pushing to get some nursing help at night. Angel sounds like she needs

it, and certainly you do. Start with your pediatrician, explaining what

all you have to do to try to keep her safe, emphasizing her running and

your need to " listen " at night for choking. Then ask about having a

nurse, or an aide for night time hours. If you can get your doctor to

approve and state the need, seems it would be easier. THen go to your

insurance company, or if you have some sort of public health insurance,

and start fighting. You also might want to contact a nursing agency or

two, and speak with their insurance processor. That person would probably

know the correct " language " to use in a request for services. Doesn't

sound like you need a Registered Nurse, but you certainly need someone

who can be in her room, make sure she is not wandering or choking, and

you can sleep in peace!

S

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March 24, 2001

Hi Cheryl in B.C.

Hope the weather out there is nice. We are having ANOTHER snow

storm! It's in Waterloo, Ontario. National Service Dogs is an

organization that trains dogs for sevice. They are the only group in Canada

that trains dogs specifically to support children with autism. They are

based in New Hamburg, Ontario which is a very small community right near us.

Last fall our local D.S. support group had them come & speak at ameeting &

they showed a video of a boy in Alberta for whom they had trained & provided

a dog. It was amazing! Here is their website & e-mail:

National Service Dogs: www.nsd.on.ca

e-mail: info@...

Good luck with it. Also, I was interested to hear that you have to listen

for Angel possibly choking on mucous at night. Have you ever considered

limiting her dairy intake? We changed from milk to soy beverage on

's cereal in the mornings (she still eats other dairy, but not too

much) & it has made a huge difference in the amount of mucous she produces.

In our case she was blowing her nose at everyone - to get out of doing

things, when she was mad, to get attention,etc. When nothing was there to

use as a " weapon " (mucous), she stopped the behaviour! Just a thought!

Take care.

March 24, 2001

Thanks so much ,

We have taken Angel off milk and soya. Her mucous was even worse when she

was getting milk and soya. Unfortunately, the chronic sinusitis and low

muscle tone combined make swallowing mucous and food very difficult at

times. I am going to write to organization that provides service dogs and

see if our team members can also write to advocate for one. Two year wait

though. But I think it will be worth it.

Angel has tried the trick of wiping her dirty nose on people when she is

mad. Not very nice habit is it. Almost as bad as spitting at people.

Amazing, the things she comes up with.

When I picked her up at daycare yesterday the poor aide was distraught. She

told me to take Angel to have her hearing tested as something is really

wrong. She isn't responding to her any longer and really feels something

different is happening for her, everything is a fight and transitions are

getting more difficult. I hadn't yet told her that we were seeking

assessment for ASD. I wanted her to be non biased when it was time to ask

for her input. Guess I got it much sooner. She was relieved to hear that

we were seeking an assessment. Funny, no matter how much we think we see

strange things, we never want it confirmed. Hurts too much. Hate the A

word right now. I am sure I will get over it, just wasn't expecting it to

be a part of the package. Can see more and more each day it is though so I

had better get to acceptance soon so that I can work on interventions and

assessments of behavs rather than wallow in the pity pit too long. Guess

it's a process.

Cheryl

Re: Service Dogs

> Hi Cheryl in B.C.

> Hope the weather out there is nice. We are having ANOTHER snow

> storm! It's in Waterloo, Ontario. National Service Dogs is an

> organization that trains dogs for sevice. They are the only group in

Canada

> that trains dogs specifically to support children with autism. They are

> based in New Hamburg, Ontario which is a very small community right near

us.

> Last fall our local D.S. support group had them come & speak at ameeting &

> they showed a video of a boy in Alberta for whom they had trained &

provided

> a dog. It was amazing! Here is their website & e-mail:

>

> National Service Dogs: www.nsd.on.ca

> e-mail: info@...

>

> Good luck with it. Also, I was interested to hear that you have to listen

> for Angel possibly choking on mucous at night. Have you ever considered

> limiting her dairy intake? We changed from milk to soy beverage on

> 's cereal in the mornings (she still eats other dairy, but not

too

> much) & it has made a huge difference in the amount of mucous she

produces.

> In our case she was blowing her nose at everyone - to get out of doing

> things, when she was mad, to get attention,etc. When nothing was there to

> use as a " weapon " (mucous), she stopped the behaviour! Just a thought!

>

> Take care.

>

August 4, 2001

Hi a & Irma,

Just wanted to share that we have an organization here in Canada called

National Service Dogs. They are based in New Hamburg, Ontario (near

Toronto) & they are the 1st Canadian service dog school to successfully

match dogs with children who have autism. I saw a video about their work

which showed the whole process of matching a dog with a young boy (he was

about 9) who had autism. It was quite impressive. Here's their website &

e-mail. They probably know about organizations in the U.S. who do this kind

of training.

National Dogs Training Centre Inc. - Website: www.nsd.on.ca

e-mail:

info@...

Take care,

August 4, 2001

,

Thank you for the website info , every information helps . I liked

hearing how you saw a video on it , that would be nice to review .

Now to find a video . Hmm.

Peggy ,

Thanks for the prescription info , great idea .

Irma , 13, DS/ASD.

> Hi a & Irma,

> Just wanted to share that we have an organization here in

Canada called

> National Service Dogs. They are based in New Hamburg, Ontario

(near

> Toronto) & they are the 1st Canadian service dog school to

successfully

> match dogs with children who have autism. I saw a video about

their work

> which showed the whole process of matching a dog with a young boy

(he was

> about 9) who had autism. It was quite impressive. Here's their

website &

> e-mail. They probably know about organizations in the U.S. who do

this kind

> of training.

>

> National Dogs Training Centre Inc. - Website: www.nsd.on.ca

> e-

mail:

> info@n...

> Take care,

>

August 6, 2001

thanks valerie, i will check it out. shawna.

Re: Service Dogs

Hi a & Irma,

Just wanted to share that we have an organization here in Canada called

National Service Dogs. They are based in New Hamburg, Ontario (near

Toronto) & they are the 1st Canadian service dog school to successfully

match dogs with children who have autism. I saw a video about their work

which showed the whole process of matching a dog with a young boy (he was

about 9) who had autism. It was quite impressive. Here's their website &

e-mail. They probably know about organizations in the U.S. who do this kind

of training.

National Dogs Training Centre Inc. - Website: www.nsd.on.ca

e-mail:

info@...

Take care,

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August 6, 2001

In a message dated 8/4/2001 5:19:44 PM EST, burnett@... writes:

<< Just wanted to share that we have an organization here in Canada called

National Service Dogs. >>

:

I went to their website and loved it. I e-mailed them to ask them if they

had any literature which might help me in training Ray's replacement

companion dog since Ray is so different from when I trained the other

one and so is the dog.

Peggy

August 31, 2002

Try www.topdog.org this is an organization that teaches the

person with a disability how to train your own dog. I checked

into it several years ago and just found they have a website. I

haven't read it yet but it may be of help you some of you guys.

good Luck

Elaine

--- Ames24@... wrote:

> Hello annaquay@...,

>

> In reference to your comment:

>

> è can you recommend any good sites or email lists re

> è assistance dogs ?

>

__________________________________________________

August 27, 2003

In a message dated 8/26/03 7:03:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

j0yeuxx@... writes:

> How does someone in a chair clean up after the dog

> when they take him on a potty break?

It's impossible for me to lean over enough to clean up after any dog. What I

do is walk the dog in a less populated, or congested, area and have someone

clean up afterwards. If no such area exists, someone joins me in walking the dog

for the sole pupose of cleaning up afterwards.

Amy M. Marquez

Carol Stream, Illinois

Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy - Vice President Chicagoland Chapter

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) - Type 1

Mom to le - Born July 19, 1999

Ella - Active Service Dog

Colette - Retired Service Dog

August 27, 2003

I've had my service dog for 4 years, and yes poop scooping isa huge

issue. even my hubby & i get into knock 'em down drag out fights cuz he

rarely piks up after his s-d. i have a very awesome bunch of nurses who

care for me & picking up poop is a touchy subject, but when i hire them

they can see how much maggie responds to me and they are doing it outta

their kind hearts!! winter however here in mn can be bad the snow keeps

me inside alot, but we have a backyard to my apartment & i hold open the

door with my footrest & let her out, then close it just a hair so the

flexi-leash can go out & we have one day in the spring for doggie

detailing

anymore ?'s feel free to ask

jodi & maggie may

May 16, 2004

-,

Thank you very much for sending this link to the group. I know many

here will find it helpful. I'm going to add the link to our links

section because I think it is valuable information.

Alice

> Given the recent discussion on the list about service dogs, I

thought the article below may be of interest.

Taken from: http://sdog.danawheels.net/whattodo.shtml>

May 16, 2004

Debra,

When things like this happen, we try to organize a party of as

many guide dog teams as we can and go to the offending establishment.

I havent done it yet but surely will given the chance.

If that manager does it again, be sure to have a TV news team

along to capture to\he event. He was breaking the law to require a

copy of the card. If that was Portland, trust me, we would be dealing

with that sap of a manager.

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

Hellooo....Hellloooo, well if you won't talk to me maybe you'll talk

to this machine, it's at home and I'm not, leave a message and it'll

give it to me when I return.

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

service dogs

I have a close friend with a hearing dog named Simon. He has NEVER

been turned away from restaurants. Faye his owner, asks for a corner

table or booth and Simon stays out of the away. On one occasion the

waiter asked if he could bring Simon a dish of water and used a

disposable take out box. It is crazy that restaurants never have a

problem with the guide dog but the local discount chain gives her a

fit FREQUENTLY! She has the card, the dog always has his leash or

vest and they have even copied his card for some file. She said she

was tempted to teach Simon to bar his teeth and growl at the manager,

who always seems to show up just as they walk through the door! This

dog only barks at his own home!

I wrote the store and told them I wrote corporate HQ that their

surveillance cameras were to be used for safety not to alert a grouchy

manager to a lovely, frequent shopper and very well behaved guide dog!

Debra

May 16, 2004

Alice,

I'm glad you found it helpful!

May 17, 2004

I did a sit in like you mentioned at a local burger king many years

ago with my first guide and i think we got the point across the manager was

complaining about those damn guide dogs but I think served the person we

were helping after that day. It's great to help someone like that!

service dogs

>

> I have a close friend with a hearing dog named Simon. He has NEVER

> been turned away from restaurants. Faye his owner, asks for a corner

> table or booth and Simon stays out of the away. On one occasion the

> waiter asked if he could bring Simon a dish of water and used a

> disposable take out box. It is crazy that restaurants never have a

> problem with the guide dog but the local discount chain gives her a

> fit FREQUENTLY! She has the card, the dog always has his leash or

> vest and they have even copied his card for some file. She said she

> was tempted to teach Simon to bar his teeth and growl at the manager,

> who always seems to show up just as they walk through the door! This

> dog only barks at his own home!

>

> I wrote the store and told them I wrote corporate HQ that their

> surveillance cameras were to be used for safety not to alert a grouchy

> manager to a lovely, frequent shopper and very well behaved guide dog!

>

> Debra

>

May 17, 2004

Tina,

So,metimes that is what we must do to make the businesses aware of

their responsibilities. A few years ago a friend of mine who uses a

guide dog ran into trouble at a Taco Bell. The manager came up and

said no dogs. She would not listen to my friend who didnt give a hoot

anyway and got her food. That had to have rubbed the manager the

wrong way knowing she really had no right to kick my friend out. LOL

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

--