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At 05:59 PM 2/14/99 , you wrote: >> I have just heard on the grapevine that >> DR PETER MORABITO >> and (maybe) >> his great dog >> VICTOR >> will be on the ABC network show, >> EXTRA!!!!!! > >FWIW: > >The Extra show's website has a write-up on this at: >http://www.extratv.com/cmp/F990211d.htm > >It's dated Feb 11th, so I have to wonder if the show's already aired? I'm >pretty sure the show's syndicated (that is, it doesn't belong to a major >network), so in different cities it will likely air on different network's >affiliate stations. I can't find a station list or air schedule. Here's the text, for those without a browser: << Thursday February 11th, 1999 Parkinson's Disease: Dogs Help! You've heard of seeing eye dogs and how they've given blind people new independence. But have you ever seen a dog who can turn on the lights, or answer the phone? We found a place where man's best friend is learning to do just that and changing the lives of some special people. Imagine the horror of shaking, stiffness and the constant fear of falling down. "You are afraid to take a step..." It's a reality that Parkinsons patients like 59-year old Peter Moribedo live with every day. One of the worst symptoms is "freezing" ...when the brain tells the body to move, the message doesn't reach the feet, causing a freeze. The result can be frightening and embarrassing. But Peter's dog Victor is always one step ahead of his owner...literally! The Great Dane is more than Peter's best friend, he's a special dog with remarkable skills. "He will stand on my foot until I move my other foot and then I'm on my way" It's amazing! "Victor" helps to stabilize Peter as he walks, and when his owner freezes up the pooch reaches over and taps him on the foot. Doctor's are not sure why, but it's this simple touch that breaks the freezing cycle. Peter told EXTRA: "We are dealing with an animal that makes me very happy, very complete. It has changed my life." Hundreds of miles away in Barto, Pennsylvania Ivan, a Rottweiler, is changing Russell Mohr's life. "My father freezes a lot...almost every doorway, and Ivan is fantastic. If he's next to him and he says touch foot it breaks the freeze." Diane Hanley says her father has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for more than a decade. But with Ivan by his side, Russell has found a new sense of security. Russell himself told EXTRA: "It's not ever going to get any better I know that but I feel safer... and I rely on the dog a lot." Ivan and Victor are among nine dogs in the United States with this unique training. And it all begins at a Philadelphia training center called "Independence Dogs," but it's more like *amazing* dogs! For as long as 3 hours a day, a dog works with a trainer and is taught to touch feet, counteract faulty balance problems and retrieve objects. They'll even learn to push elevator buttons, open doors, and answer phones -- all through repeated positive reinforcement. It's much like learning to fetch a bone. Jean King, who suffers from tuberculosis of the spine, founded the center. She says her dog Darcy, who pulls her wheelchair, helps her live the life she once thought she'd lost. She told us about Darcy: "He's my life, he's my love, he's my independence, he's my legs... he has enabled me to be me. He has enabled me to go on being Jean, not just a lady in a wheel chair." Now Jean is sharing this gift with Parkinsons patients like 69-year-old Ruth Hirsch, who came to live at the center for 3 weeks to train with her new best friend, a black lab named Grady. Ruth, who usually falls at least 10-times a day, was astounded by Grady's intuition. "He seems to know when I am going to fall. He braces his body against me and prevents my falling." And Jean says these proud owners are getting more than just a "working" dog, they're getting a lasting friendship like no other... and she speaks from experience "He is not my dog, I am his person, he lives for me... it makes me feel very very humble that such a creature is willing to donate his whole life to me" The center tells us there's no one ideal breed, but that dogs must be large and service oriented. A typical course lasts about seven months and costs 12,000 dollars, but patients only have to pay two hundred of that; the rest is covered by fund-raisers and private donors. To send any donations in to the program, or for more information, contact: Independence Dogs 146 Stateline Road Chadds Ford, PA 19317 (610) 358-2723 >> BTW, doesn't he spell it "Morabito"? BTW, wonder when Barb's EXTRA segment will air. <G> Art