This story is a couple of months old, but I just remembered to post it. My hometown in Fort Worth, Texas, so it piqued my interest.From the Texas Cable Network:
FORT WORTH — If horses could talk, they'd surely say nice things about Tabitha Darling (pictured). The horse she's currently training was abused by a previous owner.
"It's kinda like raising a kid," Darling explained. "You gotta teach them the basics, and on their level."
Once, she even trained a horse to work with the disabled, providing confidence and independence. "I do think there should be an allowance for comfort and therapy animals, simply because who are we to judge when somebody needs something?" Darling asked.
Carolyn Finefrock is blind. She relies heavily on her dog, Ellie, who even picks up the important things she frequently drops.
Finefrock is concerned that an expanding list of service animals — from snakes to ferrets — are used by people who may not really need them. "Are they disabled enough to have the right? Are they disabled at all? Are they faking?" she asked.
Tabitha Darling is not just a horse trainer, however; she is also legally blind. Though her vision is better than Finefrock's, Darling relies on the service and friendship of her pony.
On this day, Trixie is carrying Darling six miles to downtown Fort Worth. The horse has the route memorized, including a stop at the drive-thru.
"She gives me the independence in getting out there that I need," Darling said. "Because of that, my life is happier."
The use of service animals in public is protected under law. But as the variety of service animals has expanded, the federal government is considering limiting use to dogs only, as originally intended.
"It is a very touchy situation," said Charlotte Steward, an advocate for the rights of the disabled. She is opposed to any changes. "If you need that to feel comfortable or secure in yourself, or to deal with your disability, why shouldn't you be able to?"
"It's just like using a walker or a cane, in my opinion, to get around in the community," Steward said.
It's one thing to debate what should and should not be a service animal while it is working outside. But what happens when a disabled person brings an animal inside a business — and it's not a dog?
That's what many folks wonder when Darling rides Trixie inside a Fort Worth Target store.
Under the law, businesses must welcome all service animals or risk a discrimination lawsuit.
The government says limiting service animals to dogs only means more predictability for stores and continued public acceptance for those who need animals the most, like Finefrock, who relies on her service dog. "It would be better than letting people abuse it and put it at risk for everyone else that have real, legitimate disabilities," she said.
But is there someone who can say the way Trixie — a horse — opens up Tabitha Darling's world is not legitimate?
