[nagdu] Fw: Proposed Act Regarding Service Dogs from the stateof Maine.

[Debby Phillips]

Hi Brian, I'm glad if we are able to help you understand where we 
are coming from, and if it helps in any way in you answering some 
of the questions that come your way.

My thoughts are not agreed with by most on this list, but I'll 
tell you what I think.  I do have an ID card, and I would have no 
problem showing it.  I'm proud of the work that Neena and I do 
together, and I'm very happy with the school I have received my 
dogs from, which is The Seeing EYE in New JERSEY.  But there are 
lots of valid reasons that people don't agree with me.  First of 
all, for those who train their own dogs, where would they get 
such an identification card? Yes, I know they can be bought on 
Ebay.  But my point is this.  People who drive cars (no matter 
where they learned from) still have to get a license to drive.  
So make it a national license.  Make it so that even 
school-trained dog handlers would take an oral exam, or something 
about laws regarding service dogs, and maybe some training 
questions that the schools would ask.  For those who owner train 
have the same sort of oral exam, or written or whatever.  I still 
haven't figured everything out in my head about this, but I'm 
working on it, and this is my beginning point.  So don't 
everybody tell me what a terrible idea it is.  I'm at least 
trying to come up with something besides, "We don't need no 
stinkin card, or whatever.  Because I do foresee a time when 
something will be required, and as I said earlier, we have to be 
thinking about what will work and won't work.  Of course we 
should do more education of the public, etc.  But honestly, I've 
had dogs since 1981 and I don't think, in many ways, that it has 
gotten any better.    Peace,    Debby with Neena