I've had a problem with raccoons getting in my garage. I've had to call for professional help, in July of this year another one got in my garage. So since I had some unused Bell and Howell sonic pest repellents, I thought I would try using one but I wanted other options also besides paying for a professional to come out. I found an article that suggested you can use organic apple cider vinegar or ammonia. Soak a small rag with either item, place in a paper bag punch holes and place near raccoons location. That I wasn't going to do. Yes I was too scared. So I soaked old sponges never used and too them in the garage. I plugged in one sonic repellent in less than 30 sec I heard the raccoons moving around. I placed my soaked sponges in areas around the garage and out of there very quickly. Went in the house and closed the garage door, waited around 15 minutes, raised the garage door and the raccoon came running out. So was it the ordor or the repellent. It worked no racoon even coming around my garage. Cost $0 had everything I needed in my home

We had the same problem in our last home and my parents had it in their current home. Ours, we believe was a small rodent that got caught up in the insulation and died. My parents had a dead squirrel in their wall. The odor we had was near an outside wall in the laundry room. I would not smell it until mid to late afternoon, when the sun hit that side of the house. It lasted for weeks! My parents had a horrible time, because the squirrel died inside their wall between two rooms. It put off a very nauseous odor, so they had to put out all kinds of air fresheners until it decomposed. Yuck!

So Cute! Thanks for the link to it Pooh!

Hello, it is me again. I started the thread. I'm sorry to have posted and then gone incommunicado, but I had a nasty motherboard problem. Eeeek! But I am now back online. I am very, very grateful to those who stepped in to answer questions. I hope you all don't mind if I do some quick clarifications under headings to save time, rather than respond to each individual. Therapy Dogs (TDs): Delta, TDI and Therapy Dogs Inc. are all great. The 14 point test on Delta's site is a very good example of what a TD must be able to do. If you want to volunteer as a TD team, you might want to get a CGC first. It is a good basis. If chapters of the above organizations are not in your area, please do not give up hope, but do a google search for Therapy Animal Groups in your state. There are smaller organizations, and some hospitals are beginning to start their own groups. I do advise joining a TD organization that offers training, ongoing support and, most importantly, insurance in these litigious days. Please don't try it on your own. We get huge enjoyment from our TD work. We also know we do good. We do both "social visiting" and "Animal Assisted Therapy". The first is just pleasant visiting, the second is working with a medical or educational team to achieve identified goals. So, we do regular volunteer visits at: an elementary school Reading Program, an Assisted Living, an Alzheimers Unit, and a residential facility for the severely Develpomentally Delayed. We also do Hospice on request. One of my dogs is a natural TD, and does most of the harder Animal Assisted Therapy work. The other I never expected to pass the test (!) but she has a huge affinity with seniors, and is amazingly understanding of those with dementia. She has totally exceeded my expectations and is enormously loved. Mental Heath Service Dogs: Autism and severe Anxiety Disorders have been mentioned above. Yes, and yes! Northstar is an exellent example of training service dogs for autistic people. I'd also add ADHD to that list. Sometimes petting a dog helps people to focus on the task at hand. Finally, Service Dog training: I did not mean to imply that there are not many wonderful training facilities for service animals. And the larger organizations provide valuable documentation. I do think that it is important to acknowledge that not all legitimate service animals have certification from *known* organizations. To date, there is no federally recognized training or certification for service animals. Some may disagree, and as I said it leaves things open to abuse, but this is a good thing IMO, for the individual who has a well trained animal bonding to them, and for smaller groups just starting up. Most people whose service animal is self-trained, carry a prescription from an MD for a service animal. That is usually accepted as documentation. In addition, most make sure the animal in question is well trained. Finally, Quirky and plasticgarden, I am very glad that you were joking. I did not find the jokes in particularly good taste, but that is because I work with and volunteer with so many disabled people. Possibly I should lighten up. But I would prefer not to. Quirky, and others considering it, best of luck with TD training. I'm sure you will all love volunteering. All the best.