...own dog and experiences.....

I am so glad to see this forum growing as it is and people adding links, facts and their own wonderful stories.

I finally found my perfect dog - an adult black Pekingese, who has been with me since last April. If you ask for a bulkhead seat when you go up to the Southwest check-in counter with your letter from your psychiatrist that your animal is a service animal (I, for instance, can often not leave my apartment at all without her calming presence), then it is allowed for your dog to be let out of the carrier and sit at your feet or in your lap. The stewards go ga-ga about her.

I fasten her leash to my seatbelt, just to reassure people that she will not wander off if I drift off to sleep - but she is glued to me until I have to use the washroom when she is frantic to follow me.

Southwest (and all other airlines) should let you board with your dog at the same time as they let unattended children board.

My dog qualifies as a SERVICE ANIMAL as she is necessary for me to live a bit more normally, organize my life, and provides me the courage to go places I need to go. With carrying her papers with me (federal law, definitions & explanations & my doctor's letter), she is allowed into the post office and the grocery store (she rides quietly in the basket). WalMart employees have never had a thing to say and love her. At my pharmacy, she walks on a leash, but knows to pause at each "intersection" to watch for cross-traffic.

She is also allowed into the senior citizen center for meals and into the public library. And into local restaurants (where she usually prefers to be in her opened carrier.

She attends all my medical appointments, tho I left her home the night the ambulance took me in with a possible heart attack as I do have a neighbor here who is very fond of her and her of him.

The local Legion Hall gave me grief, so I simply stopped trying to go there on hamburger Friday fundraisers rather than go in with all my papers. The hall is huge and I would prefer to sit alone, far away from others --- but you have to pick and choose your battles. Unfortunate as the burgers are the BEST ever. Maybe I will tackle them again in a few months.

Since I live in a small town with everything and everywhere within walking distance, I am glad that the States have such generous laws for us. I will soon be taking her more places across the border, and I may have to spend a bit of time explaining her role in my life and will keep her in my older the shoulder carrier for those who are uncomfortable with her presence. A black dog in a black carrier is never detected unless she turns around or changes position and someone sees the bag move.

She will turn 5 this Valentine's Day and I dearly hope she makes it to 15. I got her microchipped (with http://www.24PetWatch.com) for only $10 at a shelter and will begin a health insurance policy on her as soon as my bills go down a bit - they have been high recently. The insurance policy will include a reward and money to help me advertise for her. She wears a red harness at all times with her PetWatch tag (includes the toll-free number & her ID number), rabies tag, city tag, and a large stainless steel tag I had made by one of those great engraving machines at a Super WalMart. Starts with fact that she is an MD Rx'd Service Dog, so people understand she is more than just a pet.

I refuse to make a long-haired dog wear a service vest everytime she goes out like the post office wanted to insist upon or have an "official" tag. Like I pointed out to her, ANYONE can buy such items online -- and my letter from my physician was the best validation of her status.

If you get an adult dog, insist on a 2 week trial period to make sure of a good "fit" if you can't visit a lot beforehand. The first dog I (from a rescue servicde) had been promoted to me as a perfect match to what I was looking for --- but she was a nightmare and ended up eating baseboards and ripping a huge patch from the upholstery from one of my two easy chairs - my living room furniture. She could not tolerate my going to the bathroom by myself or closing the bedroom door when I dressed. She had a mental disorder, attachment anxiety - considered incurable. And she had a skin condition that caused her intense itching that caused her to scratch herself raw.

When we drive, I have set up a home-made elevated basket perch far safer and more secure than anything commerically available and there is a new seat belt attachment that works with any harness and allows more freedom. She has a great deal of freedom of movement, is always within petting distance, and I don't have to worry about her being killed by an air bag or by being thrown around the vehicle in a crash or sudden stop.

Pooh Bear is becoming more and more bonded as the months go by. She was seemingly mistreated or severely disciplined in the past, but I know from the experience of re-parenting abused dogs that you can expect to erase the damage in a year's time of love, acceptance, approval and sensitivity to their triggers.

I encourage everyone to seek for what you need. What makes her a "trained" service animal is that she is incredibly well-behaved, virtually immobile in a shopping cart, never barks or tries to socialize wth others, and stands quietly at my side.

I knew a blind woman once who was on her second highly trained and valuable guidedog for the blind.... but the woman refused to (or was unable to ) adhere to the demands that you keep your dog WORKING when he is out with you on his working hand grip harness. Instead, she used him to socialize with others, encouraging people to pet and hug him, etc. He was already ruined. I doubt that they ever gave her another one.

When people ask if they can pet her, I most usually say no, that she is a working dog -- and it is getting easier and easier to say that without feeling stuffy. If I treat her like "just a pet", it blurs the boundaries of how the public sees service animals.

OneMoreTime