Service Dog Word Cloud

This is a word cloud I made off off of this blog, pretty neat!

TSA & Topical Flea Control

This week has been full of travel adventures for by Shilo and myself as well as my roommate and her SDIT Blaise. First my roommate took Blaise on his first plane trip. He handled the flight and security well ( though he is not to fond of turbulance, but who is?). My roommate had an interesting experience with TSA that both she and I think should serve as a cautionary tale. Being blind she can go through the metal detector, but this time she was flagged for increase screening. When the TSA agent swabbed her hand the machine said she had an unknown substance on her hands, but the machine didn't know what it was. Translation, the substance was not a typical compound used in the making of explosives, but it wasn't something typically found on a person's hands in daily life. My roommate remembered that she had put topical flea control on Blaise the night before and the residue was still in the top of his coat. She explain to the agent what she thought it was and showed them her dog's coat. Fortunately, everyone was happy with this explanation and she was cleared through security. My roommate remember Blaise was due for flea prevention as she was doing her packing and didn't want to take him south without being sure he was protected, so she put it on him never imagining it would cause her difficulties getting through security. Most topical flea preventatives take about two days to fully integrate with the oils in the dog's fur.

So if you are preparing to travel, put it on your prep list to be done at least two days before to ensure your service dogs will be fully protected against parasites and the TSA won't be concerned.

Review of Disability Studies Editor Shares Encounter betwwen Hearing Dog & Autistic Child

In her editorial, Into the Light, Megan A. Conway, Ph.D. RDS Managing Editor shares an encounter she and her hearing dog had with a child living on the autism spectrum while visiting her daughter's class:

 After the story and a handful of eager questions from my audience such as, "What happens when Buddy has to go to the bathroom?" I sat with my dog while the children came up one by one to pet him. At last it was Mary's turn, and the aide manhandled her to the front of the room while Mary, not surprisingly given that her hand was being given as an offering to a large furry animal with sharp white teeth, was resisting. "No, no," wailed Mary, pulling away as the aide stood behind her, blocking her exit and shoving her towards me. "Hey," I said, "Let her go. She doesn't have to pet the dog. Step away aide! Mary can come on her own if she wants to."
The aide was in such shock she actually did what I said. She stepped back, ready to pounce on
Mary if necessary, but releasing her arm from the death grip.
Mary got the most wonderful expression on her face. She stood there, surrounded by empty space, free, for a split second, to decide. And of course, as I had expected, she decided to come forward. She reached out her arm and she patted the dog, and then she gave me a great big smile, full of light, full of understanding. Read the entire article

This article is a great reminder children and animals should never be forced to interact and that a non-compliance is a vital part of self determination!

New Mobility: Travel Matters: Traveling with a Service Dog to Hawaii

New Mobility Travel Matters: Traveling with a Service Dog to Hawaii 
I’m a wheelchair user and have a service dog. I’m planning a two-week vacation in Hawaii. I understand Hawaii has mandatory quarantine period for dogs and cats flying in from the mainland. I’ve heard that this is waived for service dogs, but they must enter through Honolulu. I have a direct flight to Kona. Do I need to re-book my flight through Honolulu? And what kind of paperwork do I need to bring? Read Response