Tag Archives: Animals
Q&A: How may animals are used in cosmetic animal testing each year?
Question by Yani: How may animals are used in cosmetic animal testing each year?
Only in cosmetic animal testing. If you could find out the statistics for each contry as well that would be great.
Best answer:
Answer by PixelPanda
i’m not sure about this. I know there is a new law in europe that is going to forbid all the tests on animal testing. This should be done in 2013, and already 10 of the 13 tests are stopped that were used recently. I also got a table about how many animals are used in 2008 and 2009. But living in the netherlands i am not sure if this is worldwide or national.
at least the totals for 2008 were: 1.034.007 and for 2009: 1.032.662. Although this is not for cosmetic testing only but all the test.
Give your answer to this question below!
Pokemon But With Animals Instead 2
Nominated for 17 academy awards including best animation, biggest tallywacker and nicest haircut. From the man who bought you classics such as: Pokemon but with animals instead 1. Feast your eyeballs and ear sockets with this sugary treat, and thank your lucky stars you were born in the limited time span the internet has existed. Do you know what Napoleon would have done to get his hands on a Google? Just one Google?You don’t want to know. In what must surely be the animation event of the decade, 30000 Taiwanese orphans combined forces, working tirelessly to carve another modern day masterpiece – Pokemon but with animals instead 2. Ok, so I’m sorry this took so god damn long, But here it is, I only hope you enjoy it and quit your bitching. Thanks internet. Now, behave yourself. And stop calling my mum. More videos and goodness: www.thehamwallet.com Theme tune & Pokemon covers by Burn7. burn7.newgrounds.com Check out his stuff, he’s pretty awesome. Title cards by Henry Finnegan. Follow us on Twitter! twitter.com Add Us On Facebook! http:/www.facebook.com/pages/The-HamWallet/164808350227907 Written and Directed by: The Lion of thehamwallet.com Cast: Ryan Hunt
Pink Floyd – Dogs – Animals (FULL)
Pink Floyd – Dogs – Animals – 1977 Lyrics; You got to be crazy, you gotta have a real need You gotta sleep on your toes and when you’re on the street You got to be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking And after a while, you can work on points for style Like the club tie, and the firm handshake A certain look in the eye and an easy smile You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to So that when they turn their backs on you You’ll get the chance to put the knife in You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder You know, it’s going to get harder, and harder, and harder As you get older Yeah, and in the end you’ll pack up and fly down south Hide your head in the sand Just another sad old man All alone and dying of cancer And when you lose control, you’ll reap the harvest you have sown And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone And it’s too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around So have a good drown, as you go down all alone Dragged down by the stone Gotta admit that I’m a little bit confused Sometimes it seems to me as if I’m just being used Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise If I don’t stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this maze Deaf, dumb and blind, you just keep on pretending That everyone’s expendable, and no one has a real friend And it seems to you …
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Just a “Best of” from the show “Funny Talking Animals – The Wild Site of Life” Copyright by BBC One!
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Michael Earle Think Magazine:Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation – Saving Animals in Need and Inspiring Us All
Michael Earle Think Magazine:Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation – Saving Animals in Need and Inspiring Us All
Article by Desino Earle
I had a certain apprehension about my planned meeting with John Dalley of the Soi Dog Foundation. My apprehension came from my fear of seeing suffering and mistreated animals and understanding what humanity can do to help these beautiful and well meaning creatures. It was the same unease in the stomach I feel when visiting an intensive care unit in a hospital or a terminally ill ward. In my head, I know well that this feeling is wrong and visiting is positive but a sense of “not knowing is better” pervades my instinct sometimes.
It was a hot day and when I arrived, the complex was a buzz of activity as I am sure it always is. There were volunteers walking dogs, veterinarians at work with treatments and administrative staff hustling around. A group of children had also arrived to learn more about the Foundation and how to treat animals correctly. My sense of impending doom vanished immediately as I was drawn into the scene.the beautiful dogs barking happily.
Several years ago, I adopted two dogs from a dog pound in another country. The scene was not pleasant, it felt as though I was walking through death row, selecting which dog would live and which would not. The dogs were in small cages, penned in and desperate for release. The sadness of that day is still with me. Spending time at Soi Dog is the complete opposite experience, both inspiring and smile inducing. The dogs are happy, well cared for and are housed in large pens where they can run and play, in addition to their time outside with the volunteer walkers. The compound is very well thought out, separated into areas depending on the health of the dogs and their size, in some cases.
John and Gill Dalley moved from England to Phuket in 2003, after having visited many times before on vacation. The Dalleys had married in Phuket and decided to come back permanently to retire. Little did they know that instead of a leisurely retirement, they would work harder with Soi Dog than they ever had in England. What they found in Phuket after getting settled was a massive stray dog problem that was growing rapidly due to the growth of Phuket as a tourist destination and a place where Thais from all over Thailand came to find work. The Dalleys knew they had to try to help somehow.
When asked why they chose Phuket initially, John replied, “The climate, the people and of course the animals!” They were determined to do something to help “rather than just spend our time lying around doing nothing.” When they looked closer at the situation around Phuket, they saw many street dogs, sick, suffering and needing help. Being a nation of Buddhists, euthanasia was unacceptable. However, it was acceptable to put unwanted puppies and kittens on the streets because nature would take its course. About the same time the Dalleys arrived, a woman named Margot Homburg Park also moved there. Park was the original founder of the Soi Dog Foundation in 2002. (Soi is the Thai word for street). Using her own funds, Park began sterilising the stray dogs in her neighbourhood, first in the capitol city of Bangkok and then in her new home of Phuket. The Dalleys and Park worked together to create spay/neuter clinics around the island. Slowly the organisation grew. The Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) was on its way to becoming a driving force in helping the street dogs of Phuket have better lives.
In September of 2004, Gill Dalley was attempting to bring a tranquillized stray into the clinic for treatment. They had tranquillized the dog and it had escaped into a flooded buffalo field. She knew she could not leave the dog there and waded through the water to save it. Shortly afterward, Gill became ill and her legs began to ache and turn a bluish-gray. She had developed septicemia, infected by an unknown organism in the flooded field she had carried the dog through. Doctors treating her realised the only way to save her life was to amputate both her legs below the knee.
A few months later in December, the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami ripped through the island, destroying everything within the waves’ reach. One of the organisation’s most impassioned volunteers, Leone Cosens, was killed in the disaster. However, what seemed hopeless actually helped the SDF become even stronger. The months following the tsunami saw the arrival of volunteer veterinarians from around the world. Because of the SDF’s strong community presence, these organisations were able to get to work quickly and efficiently. It led to an award by the Humane Society International and another organisation, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), thought so highly of the SDF that they agreed to finance the sterilisation programme for the next two years. During this entire ordeal, Gill Dalley worked from a wheel chair as she recovered from her double amputation surgery. She didn’t let the loss of her legs stop her from helping Phuket’s animals. Using prosthetics, she now walks and trains the dogs at the Foundation’s shelter. Although sterilisation has always been the main focus, with over 29,000 animals sterilised so far, the SDF recently built a shelter, headquarters and medical clinic. They currently employ three full-time veterinarians and ten staff members. They house around 250 dogs at any one time and also have an education programme in schools to teach children about responsible pet ownership.
John Dalley jokes he works more with the animals than he did for his former company. “Gill and I effectively work 7 days a week, often 14 hours per day. In reality we now work far harder in retirement for no pay than when we worked for a living!” This is especially true since 2006 when Park became ill and moved back to Bangkok, leaving the Dalleys to continue on their own.
In 2009, the SDF purchased approximately half the land on which their buildings sit and are trying to purchase the remaining land around it. The shelter is on 4.5 acres of land near the village of Mai Khao, close to the island’s airport. They are waiting to receive full IRS 501c status in the US so donations from The States will be tax-deductible. There are many ways people can help the SDF, such as supporting their land purchase with a bank transfer donation. John Dalley states that land appeal donors will receive a certificate. Other ways to help include sponsoring a dog or cat, donating medical supplies or purchasing a copy of a documentary film about the organisation called Soi Dogs – the Movie on DVD.
Gill Dalley was selected as “Asian of the Year” in 2008 from Channel News Asia, the first non-Asian to receive the award. She said she was just doing what needed to be done although she hopes that her story will help inspire other amputees. She has just been honoured with the Asia Canine hero award which she recently received in China.
“It is very much highs and lows,” says John, “but seeing a dog or cat with horrific injuries that most people would think should be immediately euthanized, transformed, and in some cases homed, makes it all worthwhile. Also knowing that if we had done nothing then there would be a colossal problem here and the suffering would be enormous.” The Soi Dog Foundation and the Dalleys continue to make their new country a better place for companion animals.
Most humans understand specific case stories better than macro histories. We are wired to put ourselves in a situation and see similarities. That is why most of the stories we read, of horrific events do not touch us as we cannot visualise ourselves in the same situation. The enormity of the task that Soi Dog undertakes is hard to comprehend and grasp. They have sterilised over 30,000 dogs in Phuket and saved the lives of thousands. As we drive around Phuket and see homeless “soi” dogs at every turn, we see the task is enormous and nowhere near conquered. We see animals with wounds, skin diseases and broken bones every day and we drive on by. Individual cases on the other hand, are something we can get a grip on. As Dalley and I talked, he showed me a few distinct cases. A dog that had been struck with a machete and nearly died,
Diseno Earle efficiently embraces the vision of delivering high-value, low cost projects born from unprecedented, inspirational design. Based on ecologically responsible principles, our work aims to positively contribute to the individuals and communities for whom we design.
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Animals Possess Scary Names
Animals Possess Scary Names
While Vampire bats and Tasmanian devils are great disasters to other kinds of animals, Frankenfish are not as scary as their name. It\’s necessary to have a explanation why animals owning scary names may or may not be fierce to human and animal life. For example, Frankenfish (or horror fish) are called basing on the name of Victor Frankenstein, a fictional character of 1818 novel Frankenstein. They are salmons with gene transfer, thus those salmons are not listed in animal categories. Until now, Frankenfish have not been recognized by science; they are just called AquAdvantage by AquAdvantage company in America. Due to being gene transferred, Frankenfish are two times bigger than ordinary salmons. Let\’s have a look at the most typical animals possessing scary names as follows.
Natural History Museum has found Vampire squid, or called Dracula fish, or Danionella dracula in a stream in Myanmar. Danionella dracula is about 15-25 cm long, called Vampire squid due to possessing 2 fearsome-looking fangs. These two fangs are often used to take blood of enemies in battles.
Danionella dracula is said to be among the most extraordinary vertebrates discovered in the last few decades.
The Tasmanian devil is a kind of carnivorous animal of the family Dasyuridae. A Tasmanian devil has the size of a small dog with the average length of 0.6m and the weight of 12kg. Despite slowly moving, Tasmanian devil can run only 13 km per hour in a short distance. At present, Tasmanian devil is in danger of extinction due to a spreading-out cancer.
Kiwa hirsuta is about 15 cm long, and covered will full of setae mainly covering its pereiopods. As a member of the crab family, the Kiwa hirsuta is called basing on the name of Kiwa – “goddess of shellfish” and Hirsuta – “hairy”. Those setaes help Yeti crab to catch or kill preys.
Kiwa hirsuta is the scientific name of Yeti crab found in the bottom of Pacific in 2005.
Being different with other weird animals, Vampire bats can live up to nine years in the wild environment. Vampire bats mainly live on the blood of mammals including humans. However, they do not absorb blood, they just grab the meat and lick blood running from wounds.
Vampire bats can run up to 7.9 km per hour to attack any warm-blooded animal.
Due to being gene transferred, Frankenfish have not been recognized as a kind of fish by science; thus they are just called AquAdvantage by AquAdvantage company in America. Frankenfish are not as scary as their name.
Frankenfish is good for human health and environment.
I am the fan of news on society and culture. I am currently the lecturer in social major. In free time, I am fond of reading articles and joining social activities.
Martha Speaks Opening Title Song PBS Kids Theme Song
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Eric Burdon & The Animals Sky Pilot
Sky Pilot Performed by Eric Burdon and The Animals (1968) Written by Vic Briggs, Eric Burdon, Barry Jenkins, Danny Mcculloch and Johnny Weider Produced by Tom Wilson Arranged and orchestrated by Vic Briggs (Lyrics) He blesses the boys as they stand in line The smell of gun grease and the bayonets they shine He’s there to help them all that he can To make them feel wanted he’s a good holy man Sky pilot…..sky pilot How high can you fly You’ll never, never, never reach the sky He smiles at the young soldiers Tells them its all right He knows of their fear in the forthcoming fight Soon there’ll be blood and many will die Mothers and fathers back home they will cry Sky pilot…..sky pilot How high can you fly You’ll never, never, never reach the sky He mumbles a prayer and it ends with a smile The order is given They move down the line But he’s still behind and he’ll meditate But it won’t stop the bleeding or ease the hate As the young men move out into the battle zone He feels good, with God you’re never alone He feels tired and he lays on his bed Hopes the men will find courage in the words that he said Sky pilot…..sky Pilot How high can you fly You’ll never, never, never reach the sky (X4)
Funny Animals – Funniest HORSE Riding Falls
Watch the BEST ANIMAL BLOOPERS on YouTube – Click Below www.youtube.com We bring to you the most Hilarious horse acts ever. Don’t forget to leave comments on what should be our next fail compilation! SUBSCRIBE NOW www.youtube.com Become a fan of us on Facebook! www.facebook.com Follow us on twitter.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Michael Earle Think Magazine:Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation – Saving Animals in Need and Inspiring Us All
Michael Earle Think Magazine:Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation – Saving Animals in Need and Inspiring Us All
Article by Desino Earle
I had a certain apprehension about my planned meeting with John Dalley of the Soi Dog Foundation. My apprehension came from my fear of seeing suffering and mistreated animals and understanding what humanity can do to help these beautiful and well meaning creatures. It was the same unease in the stomach I feel when visiting an intensive care unit in a hospital or a terminally ill ward. In my head, I know well that this feeling is wrong and visiting is positive but a sense of “not knowing is better” pervades my instinct sometimes.It was a hot day and when I arrived, the complex was a buzz of activity as I am sure it always is. There were volunteers walking dogs, veterinarians at work with treatments and administrative staff hustling around. A group of children had also arrived to learn more about the Foundation and how to treat animals correctly. My sense of impending doom vanished immediately as I was drawn into the scene….the beautiful dogs barking happily.Several years ago, I adopted two dogs from a dog pound in another country. The scene was not pleasant, it felt as though I was walking through death row, selecting which dog would live and which would not. The dogs were in small cages, penned in and desperate for release. The sadness of that day is still with me. Spending time at Soi Dog is the complete opposite experience, both inspiring and smile inducing. The dogs are happy, well cared for and are housed in large pens where they can run and play, in addition to their time outside with the volunteer walkers. The compound is very well thought out, separated into areas depending on the health of the dogs and their size, in some cases.John and Gill Dalley moved from England to Phuket in 2003, after having visited many times before on vacation. The Dalleys had married in Phuket and decided to come back permanently to retire. Little did they know that instead of a leisurely retirement, they would work harder with Soi Dog than they ever had in England. What they found in Phuket after getting settled was a massive stray dog problem that was growing rapidly due to the growth of Phuket as a tourist destination and a place where Thais from all over Thailand came to find work. The Dalleys knew they had to try to help somehow.When asked why they chose Phuket initially, John replied, “The climate, the people and of course the animals!” They were determined to do something to help “rather than just spend our time lying around doing nothing.” When they looked closer at the situation around Phuket, they saw many street dogs, sick, suffering and needing help. Being a nation of Buddhists, euthanasia was unacceptable. However, it was acceptable to put unwanted puppies and kittens on the streets because nature would take its course. About the same time the Dalleys arrived, a woman named Margot Homburg Park also moved there. Park was the original founder of the Soi Dog Foundation in 2002. (Soi is the Thai word for street). Using her own funds, Park began sterilising the stray dogs in her neighbourhood, first in the capitol city of Bangkok and then in her new home of Phuket. The Dalleys and Park worked together to create spay/neuter clinics around the island. Slowly the organisation grew. The Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) was on its way to becoming a driving force in helping the street dogs of Phuket have better lives.In September of 2004, Gill Dalley was attempting to bring a tranquillized stray into the clinic for treatment. They had tranquillized the dog and it had escaped into a flooded buffalo field. She knew she could not leave the dog there and waded through the water to save it. Shortly afterward, Gill became ill and her legs began to ache and turn a bluish-gray. She had developed septicemia, infected by an unknown organism in the flooded field she had carried the dog through. Doctors treating her realised the only way to save her life was to amputate both her legs below the knee.A few months later in December, the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami ripped through the island, destroying everything within the waves’ reach. One of the organisation’s most impassioned volunteers, Leone Cosens, was killed in the disaster. However, what seemed hopeless actually helped the SDF become even stronger. The months following the tsunami saw the arrival of volunteer veterinarians from around the world. Because of the SDF’s strong community presence, these organisations were able to get to work quickly and efficiently. It led to an award by the Humane Society International and another organisation, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), thought so highly of the SDF that they agreed to finance the sterilisation programme for the next two years. During this entire ordeal, Gill Dalley worked from a wheel chair as she recovered from her double amputation surgery. She didn’t let the loss of her legs stop her from helping Phuket’s animals. Using prosthetics, she now walks and trains the dogs at the Foundation’s shelter. Although sterilisation has always been the main focus, with over 29,000 animals sterilised so far, the SDF recently built a shelter, headquarters and medical clinic. They currently employ three full-time veterinarians and ten staff members. They house around 250 dogs at any one time and also have an education programme in schools to teach children about responsible pet ownership.John Dalley jokes he works more with the animals than he did for his former company. “Gill and I effectively work 7 days a week, often 14 hours per day. In reality we now work far harder in retirement for no pay than when we worked for a living!” This is especially true since 2006 when Park became ill and moved back to Bangkok, leaving the Dalleys to continue on their own.In 2009, the SDF purchased approximately half the land on which their buildings sit and are trying to purchase the remaining land around it. The shelter is on 4.5 acres of land near the village of Mai Khao, close to the island’s airport. They are waiting to receive full IRS 501c status in the US so donations from The States will be tax-deductible. There are many ways people can help the SDF, such as supporting their land purchase with a bank transfer donation. John Dalley states that land appeal donors will receive a certificate. Other ways to help include sponsoring a dog or cat, donating medical supplies or purchasing a copy of a documentary film about the organisation called Soi Dogs – the Movie on DVD.Gill Dalley was selected as “Asian of the Year” in 2008 from Channel News Asia, the first non-Asian to receive the award. She said she was just doing what needed to be done although she hopes that her story will help inspire other amputees. She has just been honoured with the Asia Canine hero award which she recently received in China.”It is very much highs and lows,” says John, “but seeing a dog or cat with horrific injuries that most people would think should be immediately euthanized, transformed, and in some cases homed, makes it all worthwhile. Also knowing that if we had done nothing then there would be a colossal problem here and the suffering would be enormous.” The Soi Dog Foundation and the Dalleys continue to make their new country a better place for companion animals.Most humans understand specific case stories better than macro histories. We are wired to put ourselves in a situation and see similarities. That is why most of the stories we read, of horrific events do not touch us as we cannot visualise ourselves in the same situation. The enormity of the task that Soi Dog undertakes is hard to comprehend and grasp. They have sterilised over 30,000 dogs in Phuket and saved the lives of thousands. As we drive around Phuket and see homeless “soi” dogs at every turn, we see the task is enormous and nowhere near conquered. We see animals with wounds, skin diseases and broken bones every day and we drive on by. Individual cases on the other hand, are something we can get a grip on. As Dalley and I talked, he showed me a few distinct cases. A dog that had been struck with a machete and nearly died, was healthy and with the fur around the wound fully grown, showed no effects of his horrific injury. A lovely little white ball of fur named Daisy looked happy and healthy. She had been found with a skin disease and so malnourished she was hours away from death. Now, her tongue lapped out as she gasped in the heat, and enjoyed being petted and stroked immensely. These cases are but a few examples of the amazing work that the Dalleys and the rest of the team there do each day.John Dalley forwarded me an email from a gentleman in Copenhagen. He had adopted a beautiful dog named Pearl, who was brought to the foundation suffering from acid burns to the side of her body. After the loving care of the Soi Dog team, Pearl was completely healthy outside of a slightly noticeable scar on her side and was adopted and sent to Denmark. Steen, the gentleman adopting Pearl puts it best: “Thanking all you wonderful people ever so much for making the biggest difference, by saving wonderful beings’ lives and preventing future tragedies in all kinds of ways, raising funds, treating and caring for all kinds of animals – tiny or big, beautiful and ugly, wild as well as breeds, created by us to be of use or joy to us, but forgotten by each and every one of us… except by YOU people! I am truly grateful and I’ll invest all of it in Pearl – never again shall she suffer, never again be let down. She is such an uncomplicated, clever, and well balanced being, with an aura of peace and calmness about her that affects everyone around her. She is strong, very strong. Pearl, sometimes we have to go through terrible things in life before they become good and life becomes wonderful again. Thank you Soi Dog for not giving up on her and changing the impossible into this great possibility that turned into her and my reality!”I still have trouble reading this wonderful paragraph without getting a lump in my throat and thinking about how much more all of us should do to help the Dalleys and the rest of their great team. I know I will get more involved and this simple visit to their headquarters will stay with me for a long time. Let us all, here in Phuket or just visiting, try to help them aquire the remaining land they need for the compound and realise that these wonderful animals will give back ten-fold with a short visit. Go walk some dogs and enjoy these wonderful creatures.Think Design Magazine, Creative Director Trisha Miller, Phuket Thailand
Diseno Earle efficiently embraces the vision of delivering high-value, low cost projects born from unprecedented, inspirational design. Based on ecologically responsible principles, our work aims to positively contribute to the individuals and communities for whom we design.
What People Don’t Know About Service Dogs or Service Animals
What People Don’t Know About Service Dogs or Service Animals
Article by Jasmin Espinoza
Basically, a service dog or animal is the same as an assistance dog that undergoes a lot of training to assist people suffering from disabilities – mental and physical. They can also be a best friend for people with severe depression. Service dogs can be specifically trained by service dog organization to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. However, the owner can also train the animal. Some dogs are donated from different breeders and some are abandoned dogs donated from local shelters. However, not all dogs can be a service dogs. Things like temperament, the ability to learn complex tasks, etc. Come into play within the dogs training. But any breed or mixture of breeds of dog might produce a representative capable of service work. In short, depending on breeds, your dog can have all of the qualities in terms of health, temperament, trainability and physical ability. These characteristics can lead them to be more than just your pet but a service dog/pet instead.So, what’s to expect after your dog has been certified? Honestly, for most, owners expect service dogs to be treated as animal on shift or working animal in public. Why? Simply because every owner’s safety purely depends on dogs ability to handle distractions. During the training, your dog is prepared to avoid distraction as much as they can especially when wearing their gear and at the same time they are trained to be relax and friendly when the gear is removed. An owner’s permission is a must before other people interacts with the dog while in public places.What you might not know is that you can actually train your own service dogs. Nowadays, more people are choosing to train their own dog because there are times that training programs just aren’t able to train the dog to the owner’s individual needs. However, not all countries allow that type of training. Luckily, this is permitted to some countries including US but there are certain criteria to be considered. Trainers have to have skills which allows them to understand that their experience in training advanced service dogs are different from training the average dog simple obedience skills. Owners may need to hire a professional trainer or organization that is willing to train owner’s dog. Owner-trainers usually start training their dog when they are still a puppy until they reach the right age to be evaluated. The only downfall is that some find it difficult to deal with emotional conflict in rare cases when a dog failed the evaluations and decide whether to re-home the dog and start again or to just keep it as a pet. On the other hand, professionally trained puppies were raised accordingly via very careful research and also had to undergo a regime that has a lot of strict guidelines and mostly given a success rate of 85 % and above after evaluation which is way higher than owner-trained puppies/dogs. Why is that so? This is because program trainers are expert in manipulating the genetics or say early stimulation of puppies until the event that they become service dogs.If you are planning to get a service dog, you don’t have to worry about bringing them to where you are. In fact, as soon as your dog got registered, they are allowed to go anywhere you go. You can feel free to bring them to any restaurants, buses, schools, ride taxis, take airplanes, stores, movie theatres, sporting events, watch concerts with you, visit doctor’s offices, and any other public place. Legally speaking, it is a requirement of federal and state laws to always have your dog with you. What makes it more exciting is that they do not have to wear any identifying gear, no need to wear their vest as well. So everything could actually be owner’s discretion. The truth is that a lot of service dog owners choose to dress their dogs in vest and identifying apparels to avoid questions and confrontations in public. So by doing so, it makes their life easier and at the same time it helps keep the dogs away from distractions as much as possible. If you bring your dog elsewhere, keep in mind that it is illegal to ask for specific identification from service dogs partners. If somebody did, tell them it is not allowed by law. You can bring ID cards with you, but take note that it should be done voluntarily, again, this is NOT required and should never be expected.So far, the most popular assistance animals are dogs. This is because dogs are man’s best friend – wonderful pet, provides companionship, and protects their owner. Dogs are sociable by nature and as a matter of fact, they work closely with people such as law enforcement, search and rescue and even farming. These characteristics made it possible for dogs to be service animals.What if you don’t have a dog? In some cases, other animals can be trained to perform task to help disabled individuals to live independent life. The truth is that any trainable animal could be your service animal. The most common of course are dogs, cats, primates and birds but in reality any animal that is capable for training to perform the tasks required to benefit a qualified disabled owner/individual could be considered to be a service animal. So that means you can also have others like capuchin monkeys, which can be trained to do other task like operating knobs and switches, grasping fallen items and turn pages of your books. You can also consider training miniature horses, it’s proven that after serious trainings, they can actually guide the blind; they can pull wheelchairs and even assist individuals with Parkinson’s disease. As a matter of fact even before the evolution of service dogs, animal interactions already plays a big role in helping human with health issues. One example is horseback riding which is actually mentioned throughout history as cure for some sickness including gout, neurological disorders and depression. Up until now, animals still assist us in terms of physical and mental illness and still assist people with disabilities. Any species or breed of service animal may used by a disabled handler.Keep in mind that service animals are classified based on task they can do but have you ever wonder about the difference between service animal, dog guide and therapy animal, companion/emotional support animals and pets? This question oftentimes brings confusions to people who need help.To make it all clear, the term Service Animal is the federal legal term for animals that are individually trained to do task for individual with disability. It may not always be a dog, does not always wear equipments identifying them as service animals, is not a pet, is protected by law, guide the blind, alert people who are deaf, carry or pick up items, close and open doors, assist disabled who have limited use of arms and legs, pull wheelchairs, assist individual with seizures and assist people who have problems in balancing.A guide dog / animal is trained to provide guidance for sight impaired individual. Guide dogs had their trainings from certified licensed school for guide dogs. The most important thing is that guide dogs are protected under state and federal law.Some people referred to their animals as therapy animal however it is not legally defined under federal law. Most therapy animals can be seen in nursing homes, orphanages, hospitals, etc. while others reside in doctor/dentist offices, rehabilitations establishments, and even in private homes of people or individual that benefits a lot for keeping animals because of the therapeutic companionship it has to offer. For some states, it is defined as personal pet for therapist, physicians so in short, a therapy animal is not a service animal. The hint is that when an animal is trained to provide continuous assistance (help, aid, support) to a qualified disabled individual because of his / her disability, then that means that the animal is considered as service animal rather than a therapy animal. In rare cases, people term their animals as companion or emotional support animals. It’s often given the role of specifically assisting people with either emotional or mental disabilities and need constant companionship because they are unable to function independently. This type of animals are almost same as pets because it’s not legally defined but accepted as another form of pet and protected under Fair Housing Act.The most common confusion is how the pet is different from any other service animals. The answer is just simple. A pet is not a service animal because it’s not trained to provide specific service or task to person with disability and it’s not protected under laws that give equal access to disable individuals. With all the types of service animals, people sometimes failed to identify if an animal is service animal or not. To tell you honestly, it’s easier to tell which is not. How? You can tell by looking. It’s important that you don’t make the person with disability feel uncomfortable when you ask. However, if you are still confused if the animal meets the criteria to be called as service animal, you can ask question in a discreet way. You can ask if animal is required due to disability or maybe ask for task and services the animal was trained for. Remember that it’s a big NO to ask the person about their disability. Never ever ask a guest for proof. In short, you cannot discriminate people with service animals because of their disability. You should not ask people with disabilities and their service animals to stay away or required to sit in certain locations, but instead, the individual with the animal may choose freely to sit in a location where the animal will be less distracted. Besides, with all the proper trainings given to both the owner and the animal, you may expect the service animal to behave the right way and be under control of their owner.If you don’t have disability, it’s recommended for you to learn how to act the right way in cases that you see service animals in public. Keep in mind that you should never distract the dog on shift by calling, clapping, and even by offering food. You should never attempt to touch the service dog. You can speak to the dog owner but not to the service dog. Since we’re avoiding distractions here, you should not get offended if your request to pet the assistance dog is not granted. You need to understand that if the owner lets the dog to greet you, you are distracting the dog’s ability to stay alert on their owners. Don’t be rude by telling the person that dogs are not allowed but instead ask if the dog is assistant dog. If the answer is yes, then stop questioning. If the person doesn’t look disabled, never assume that the dog is not a service dog. Remember, it’s wiser to observe first. If the dog pays too much attention and conduct close interaction to owner, chances are you are looking to a service dog.On the other hand, if you are a service dog owner, you still need to pay attention on your dog’s behavior and standards in public. People without disability will expect appropriate behavior from your dog. When going out, make sure your service animal is clean and doesn’t have bad odor and most importantly, the service dog should not defecate or urinate in inappropriate places. Registered service animals should never make unsolicited contact with members of the general public and the animal’s conduct should not disrupt the normal businesses no matter what. As an owner, it’s a must for you to have the animal trained not to show aggression towards other people and animals at all. Service dog should obey all the commands of their owner. It is always important to have the animal work quietly and calmly as possible especially when wearing gears, and as a service animal, they are specifically trained to work out in public. Lastly, assistant animals should stay at least within 24 inches of its owner unless required to work in a greater distance. People with allergies are not protected under the law unless the allergy is really disabling. The person with a disability who is using a service animal is protected. One good place on the internet to get a proper registration for the dog and or animal is at http://www.registeredservicedogs.com .
Jasmin Espinoza is a stay home mom who woks homebased. She was born in the Philippines Nov 3, 1984. She took Bachelor Of Science in Information Technology back in college and works for several IT companies. Her last employment was with IBM Business Services . As a single mom, she decided to work homebased and at the same time working as administrative staff at Registered Service Dogs ( http://www.registeredservicedogs.com ) She’s been in Business Process Outsourcing industry for 6 years now.
