Blind Muslim Woman Finally Gets Help!

As you all know, I foster seeing eye dogs (see dogs at right side), so this story is important to me.

I feel for this young woman, not being able to have a seeing eye dog to help make her life easier.

As a blind Muslim woman, Mona Ramouni has had to make do without a guide dog her whole life.
The 28-year-old's strictly religious parents would not allow a dog in the house, considering the animal unclean.
But then Miss Ramouni stumbled across a website article about miniature guide horses in April 2008.

I am glad that she got a seeing eye mini-horse.

I am disappointed that her parents are so ignorant that they actually consider dogs "dirty". I am glad that she now has eyes. One positive about seeing eye horses is that they live longer, so they can serve longer as well.

Seeing eye horses are rare, but they serve an important role in helping the blind. I'm not sure that they are any good for autistic children or the handicapped.

Dogs are better, but that might only be my bias.

H/T MaryT and Blazingcatfur

Can't Resist Posting This One!

Hey, I know it isn't Friday, but this is too funny.



Now, I'm off to deliver Elliott to his autistic boy. It's hard to give them up but the people they go to need them so much more than we do.

I have finally convinced my hubby that we need two greyhounds (rescued) as our family pets, so the hunt is now on for the perfect ones for our family. The greyhound is one of the most regal, quiet, low maintenance dogs you could every get. It will make giving up the assistance dogs a little easier.

On Family Day, Our New Edition!

Meet Sadie, a one year old, "Dogs With Wings", assistance dog in training. She is our third dog, Pride, our first one, went to a blind man, and Aspen, our second, went to a lady in a wheelchair, who is also hearing impaired. If she makes it, Sadie will either help someone who is blind, handicapped, hearing impaired, or autistic.

Sadie will stay with us until either; her training is complete, 6 months to a year, or she fails out for some reason. Our responsibility is to get her to training school in the morning and pick her up from training in the evening. We also take her shopping with us, and treat her as any family pet, except she isn't allowed to bark, play with balls, or eat human food.

Sadie isn't perfect, as she likes to "counter surf". So far she has scored some fetticine alfredo, my son's lunch sandwich, and has chewed up my electrical cord. Hubby is not amused. We have found out that she is great at recycling, here she is helping us crunch up all those pesty boxes that take up so much room in the blue bag.



Okay, so she needs a little work!!

People always ask, how we can give up these dogs, my response? It's like your child going off to college, you know they are still around, hopefully doing something that they love, and these dogs LOVE helping their handicapped people. For a token fee of $100, these dogs give freedom to many people who would otherwise be shut-ins, depressed, and unable to function at their full capacity. These truly are "Dogs With Wings". (Shameless plug for my favorite charity!)

Update: Found this article, Elisa is one of the trainers for "Dogs With Wings". I wonder if MP Mike Lake knows about them, as he has an autistic child, and they are based out of Edmonton.