Would you like a free photoshoot of you and your Service Dog?

Your Service Dog is ready for it's closeup, Mr. DeMille!

Lacey Rabalais, a professional photographer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contacted us with a wonderful offer to donate her time to take photos of disabled individuals and their Service Dogs. The dogs will be featured on her website and blog.

Lacey amazing photographer. Her relaxed, journalistic-style images are inspiring and the way she captures light is beautiful.

Because she is graciously volunteering her time we ask that you be able to travel to Louisiana. If your Service Dog is fully trained (no Service Dogs in Training, please) you may contact her or us for more information.

All images below are owned by Lacey Rabalais.

Mercy Medical Center hosts program about Service Dogs for children with diabetes

Want to learn more about how Service and Assistance Dogs can be trained to help kids with diabetes? Mercy Medical Center in Canton, OH will host a special program titled "Understanding Diabetes and the Role of an Alert Service Dog" from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, at the hospital's Ambulatory Care Center Auditorium.

Diabetes alert service dogs are trained to identify the onset of hypoglycemia in people with insulin-dependent diabetes.

Sandy Finlayson, her six-year-old son Curtis, and their yellow laborador Taulb will be the special guests.

Diabetes, a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, affects approximately 21 million children and adults in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association. Mercy's Outpatient Diabetes Education Program offers free adult and pediatric support groups, individual instruction from a nurse and dietitian, group class education and community events including an annual diabetes awareness health fair. Diabetes support groups offer men, women and children living with diabetes and their family members a supportive environment to learn more about how to manage the disease and cope with everyday issues.

Mercy's Diabetes Support Groups are free, but reservations are required. For more information or reservations, please call Mercy's Healthcare Connection at 330-489-1333 or 1-800-223-8662.

For more information about Mercy Outpatient Diabetes Education, call Debra Shaw, RN, BSN, CDE, diabetes education coordinator, at 330-489-1484.

Mercy Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation of the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville, North Canton, Plain Township and Tuscarawas County. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay.

You can also follow Mercy Medical Center on Twitter @SOCHealthSystem

Queen's University Belfast study finds dogs can help diabetics

There is still a large prejudice in the general public over what exactly qualifies as a Service or Assistance Animal. Small animals especially are at risk for discrimination because of their size, but sometimes those animals are perfect for assisting with certain types of conditions such as hypoglycemic episodes in diabetics.

Reuters published a story today about how researchers at Queen's University Belfast found a whopping 65 percent of 212 people with insulin-dependent diabetes reported that when they had a hypoglycemic episode their pets naturally alerted them by whining, barking, licking or by some other means. Training can only further that ability.

At the Cancer and Bio-Detection Dogs research center in Aylesbury, southern England, animal trainers are putting that finding into practice and honing dogs' innate skills.

The charity has 17 rescue dogs at various stages of training that will be paired up with diabetic owners, many of them children.

"Dogs have been trained to detect certain odors down to parts per trillion, so we are talking tiny, tiny amounts. Their world is really very different to ours," Chief Executive Claire Guest told Reuters TV.

The center was started five years ago by orthopedic surgeon Dr John Hunt, who wanted to investigate curious anecdotes about dogs pestering their owners repeatedly on parts of their body that were later found to be cancerous.

At around the same time, the first hard evidence was being gathered by researchers down the road at Amersham Hospital that dogs could identify bladder cancer from chemicals in urine.

The move into diabetes followed the case of Paul Jackson, who told Guest and her team about his dog Tinker who warns him when his sugar levels get too low and he is in danger of collapsing.

"It's generally licking my face, panting beside me. It depends how far I have gone before he realizes," Jackson said.

Tinker has now been trained by the Aylesbury center and is a fully qualified Diabetic Hypo-Alert dog, complete with red jacket to announce himself as a working assistance animal.

Dogs can go on strike, demand their fair share

This just in: animals are able to exhibit a wide range of emotions. I'm sure you're shocked. But there's more to it than that and it's pretty fascinating.

When Friederike Range and her colleagues at the University of Vienna in Austria asked 43 trained dogs to extend a paw to a human they were able to scientifically prove what most of us already knew: that dogs have a complex range of emotions that not only include happiness, but also jealousy and pride — and most interestingly, the ability to know when they're getting the shaft.

In the study groups of dogs were trained to "give paw" or "shake." The researchers noted that all of the animals performed the trick almost all of the time whether they were given a reward or not. But here's the interesting part: since the dogs were in a group they could see what was going on with the others. And when other dogs received a treat for shaking, but they did not, they became less interested in giving a shake. They even showed more signs of stress and aggravation. In effect, it was proven that dogs can understand the concept of fairness and will go on strike. Researchers call it "jealousy" but that has a negative connotation. I think it is more similar to how most humans would react in an office environment if a boss were to give out raises to others but not to you. You'd probably become less inclined to go that extra mile, and rightly so.

The study, published in New Scientist magazine, proves that it's not just humans and chimpanzees that show this type of complex behavior. It explains why some dogs are jealous of a new baby and some even try to negotiate for position in the family (or pack). Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and former Guggenheim Fellow, confirms this with his studies of carnivores. One of his main focuses is studying cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds). He believes that some animals can express empathy and may even have a moral sense.

It may be something that's been obvious to us, but when science can back it up then it becomes tangible. That's science we can use.

Service Dogs (and their handlers) should consider taking the Canine Good Citizen test too

Training your dog to help with your disability is a very complex and time consuming process. Some people who put in many hours training their dog to help them with their own epilepsy, mobility issues, blindness, psychiatric conditions, etc. do not take into consideration how their dog behaves toward others in public. One of the best things you can do to help train your dog is to take the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Test. While we don't require it, the United States Service Dog Registry highly recommends getting your dog retested with the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test every two years.

The test is fairly simple and consists of 10 items. Don't be nervous. The test is easier than you may fear.

Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger
This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to approach it and speak to the handler in a natural, everyday situation. The evaluator walks up to the dog and handler and greets the handler in a friendly manner, ignoring the dog. The evaluator and handler shake hands and exchange pleasantries. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness, and must not break position or try to go to the evaluator.

Test 2: Sitting politely for petting
This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to touch it while it is out with its handler. With the dog sitting at the handler's side, to begin the exercise, the evaluator pets the dog on the head and body. The handler may talk to his or her dog throughout the exercise. The dog may stand in place as it is petted. The dog must not show shyness or resentment.

Test 3: Appearance and grooming
This practical test demonstrates that the dog will welcome being groomed and examined and will permit someone, such as a veterinarian, groomer or friend of the owner, to do so. It also demonstrates the owner's care, concern and sense of responsibility. The evaluator inspects the dog to determine if it is clean and groomed. The dog must appear to be in healthy condition (i.e., proper weight, clean, healthy and alert). The handler should supply the comb or brush commonly used on the dog. The evaluator then softly combs or brushes the dog, and in a natural manner, lightly examines the ears and gently picks up each front foot. It is not necessary for the dog to hold a specific position during the examination, and the handler may talk to the dog, praise it and give encouragement throughout.

Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
This test demonstrates that the handler is in control of the dog. The dog may be on either side of the handler. The dog's position should leave no doubt that the dog is attentive to the handler and is responding to the handler's movements and changes of direction. The dog need not be perfectly aligned with the handler and need not sit when the handler stops. The evaluator may use a pre-plotted course or may direct the handler/dog team by issuing instructions or commands. In either case, there should be a right turn, left turn, and an about turn with at least one stop in between and another at the end. The handler may talk to the dog along the way, praise the dog, or give commands in a normal tone of voice. The handler may sit the dog at the halts if desired.

Test 5: Walking through a crowd
This test demonstrates that the dog can move about politely in pedestrian traffic and is under control in public places. The dog and handler walk around and pass close to several people (at least three). The dog may show some interest in the strangers but should continue to walk with the handler, without evidence of over-exuberance, shyness or resentment. The handler may talk to the dog and encourage or praise the dog throughout the test. The dog should not jump on people in the crowd or strain on the leash.

Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place
This test demonstrates that the dog has training, will respond to the handler's commands to sit and down and will remain in the place commanded by the handler (sit or down position, whichever the handler prefers). The dog must do sit AND down on command, then the owner chooses the position for leaving the dog in the stay. Prior to this test, the dog's leash is replaced with a line 20 feet long. The handler may take a reasonable amount of time and use more than one command to get the dog to sit and then down. The evaluator must determine if the dog has responded to the handler's commands. The handler may not force the dog into position but may touch the dog to offer gentle guidance. When instructed by the evaluator, the handler tells the dog to stay and walks forward the length of the line, turns and returns to the dog at a natural pace. The dog must remain in the place in which it was left (it may change position) until the evaluator instructs the handler to release the dog. The dog may be released from the front or the side.

Test 7: Coming when called
This test demonstrates that the dog will come when called by the handler. The handler will walk 10 feet from the dog, turn to face the dog, and call the dog. The handler may use encouragement to get the dog to come. Handlers may choose to tell dogs to "stay" or "wait" or they may simply walk away, giving no instructions to the dog.

Test 8: Reaction to another dog
This test demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about 20 feet, stop, shake hands and exchange pleasantries, and continue on for about 10 feet. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in each other. Neither dog should go to the other dog or its handler.

Test 9: Reaction to distraction
This test demonstrates that the dog is confident at all times when faced with common distracting situations. The evaluator will select and present two distractions. Examples of distractions include dropping a chair, rolling a crate dolly past the dog, having a jogger run in front of the dog, or dropping a crutch or cane. The dog may express natural interest and curiosity and/or may appear slightly startled but should not panic, try to run away, show aggressiveness, or bark. The handler may talk to the dog and encourage or praise it throughout the exercise.

Test 10: Supervised separation
This test demonstrates that a dog can be left with a trusted person, if necessary, and will maintain training and good manners. Evaluators are encouraged to say something like, "Would you like me to watch your dog?" and then take hold of the dog's leash. The owner will go out of sight for three minutes. The dog does not have to stay in position but should not continually bark, whine, or pace unnecessarily, or show anything stronger than mild agitation or nervousness. Evaluators may talk to the dog but should not engage in excessive talking, petting, or management attempts (e.g, "there, there, it's alright").

Remember, the impression you give others about your Service Animal will last forever. You work hard training your dog to assist you, make sure your dog is trained to work with the public too.