Reflections on 7 weeks with a service dog

Is this "reflections" post a poorly-disguised excuse to share as many pictures as I can of Mickey? (PS follow him on instagram @mickeytheservicedog. HASHTAG SHAMELESS.) Yeah, I think it pretty much is, but whatever. Who doesn't need more dog pictures in their life? It's been just about 7 weeks since we got Mickey, and the … Continue reading Reflections on 7 weeks with a service dog →

A Template For Anyone Writing A Letter Complaining About Discrimination Because of Their Service Dog

As I recounted on Tuesday, Mickey and I faced our first incident of discrimination. Since I suspect that, unfortunately, this will be a recurring experience, I'm offering you, my readers, this useful template if you ever want to send an email to a company that you feel has discriminated against you unfairly. Note: this particular … Continue reading A Template For Anyone Writing A Letter Complaining About Discrimination Because of Their Service Dog →

“Store Policy” > The Law?

We brought Mickey to bar trivia for the first time on Monday night. I had agonized about this; I was terrified to bring him; terrified that we'd face discrimination, or that Mickey wouldn't behave, or that we'd get nasty looks or shade. To prepare, I called ahead (JK Stefan called ahead because I was too … Continue reading “Store Policy” > The Law? →

Mickey’s First Week (in pictures)

How we got Mickey (Part 2)

Part 1. We'd done our research. We'd sent in the deposit. We waited (im)patiently. And finally we'd gotten the call, and committed to Mickey. (We'd even given him the name!) Then the doubt set in. Not doubt that a service dog was the wrong decision; rather, I became insanely nervous that I was going to, after all, … Continue reading How we got Mickey (Part 2) →

How we got Mickey (Part 1)

I've gotten some questions recently about Il Service Doggo Extraordinario, AKA Mickey, soon to make his NYC debut, and figured I'd explain The Origin Story. I first learned about Diabetes Alert Dogs a few months after I was diagnosed—while I wasn't at all ready to consider the option for myself, I quietly filed it away … Continue reading How we got Mickey (Part 1) →

A really awesome thing

Full disclosure: I have been completely chicken shit about posting this; in fact, I've put off posting it for about 6 months. Because we've made a Big Decision, and the thing about Big Decisions is that everyone tends to feel like they have the right to an opinion on them. In researching this Big Decision we … Continue reading A really awesome thing →