PonderEthereal

There is no central registry of service dogs. There is no company or organization or government department that you are required to register your service dog with. That said, it is polite and safe to provide your service dog with some form of public identification.

There are several companies and organizations who offer you an identification kit and ‘registration’ with their company or organization for a few hundred dollars. There are also websites who will sell you customized identification cards for your dog for anywhere from $10 to $20 apiece, with shipping. It’s tempting to think that these offer some sort of validity to the dog and that is what you are purchasing… but it doesn’t and you aren’t.

In fact, you can very easily make your OWN identification for your service dog, make it look exactly like you want it to look, make it say what you want it…

Usually, if a service trains your dog, they purchase and provide you with a vest (as well they should, for the amount they charge!). I am training my own service dog. I could purchase a vest - but why spend money on one if I don’t have to? So I made it myself.

The total cost of this DIY Service dog vest project is under $10. I’m not very good at sewing and did it by hand and it took me two hours. Someone who is good at sewing or uses a machine could cut the time considerably as well as the cost, as you are likely to have needles and such already. The outcome is a very professional looking vest.

This process is written for the smart (in retrospect, it’s written like an engineer might write a cooking recipe) but sewing inept. :) My recommendations and estimates are for an 85…

I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which makes really simple stuff not quite so simple. When I was in my last relationship, we naturally ebbed and flowed so well together that my weaknesses were his strengths and although there were things that were annoyances to him, he always did like a girl who he could fancy weaker than himself. And so it worked.

In September, I went through a traumatic event that while did injure me physically, did more injury to me emotionally and mentally than anything else and compounded any difficulties I might have been having before that time. I was, at that point, dealing with severe depression and anxiety ALONG with Asperger’s Syndrome ALONG with PTSD. AND my main practical day to day support for the last six years, my husband, was gone.

I’ve done a lot of things to help myself recover as quickly as possible from the trauma of…

I’ve seen a lot of flowerpot cave ideas and although I like the idea of using flower pots, I’d prefer something that looks a little more natural and blends in. Here’s how to take the flowerpot cave idea a little further and make it actually look nice.

You need :
A few cups of your gravel
A plain terracotta flower pot
a hammer and flat head screwdriver
aquarium adhesive
sandpaper

1) Use the flat head screwdriver sort of like a chisel by placing it where you want your crack to happen. Tap strong and sharp on the end of the screwdriver handle with the hammer, making a crack. Make a second or third crack, depending upon what you want the entrance to be like. Alternately or even in addition to that entrance, tap gently around drainage holes to enlarge them.

2) Sand down all the broken edges so that they are smooth. This will keep fish from injuring…

An aquarium hood, cover or canopy is on your list of Stuff You Need For a Cichlid Tank and can cost $40-$200, depending upon what size tank you have. You need a hood to stop evaporation, to keep fish inside the tank, the cats outside the tank and to lay the light fixture on.

You can get a plain glass canopy for cheaper. A glass canopy allows you to see through the top of the tank - which for a shorter tank, is ideal, IMO. But for even less money (about $12), you can make one yourself and in fact, it’s so sinfully easy that I kept thinking I must be missing something. Surely there is a reason they charge an arm and a leg for the plastic ones? Nope. It’s really that easy and that cheap.

You will need :

• piece of glass (36″x12″ glass was about $6)
• aquarium sealant or adhesive (about $3 for…