HONEST CAR DEALER RENEWS HER FAITH.

Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY 

Odds and ends from around the Valley.

TGIF. Here's some good news from a couple of self-proclaimed little old ladies from the Valley who thought they were going to be taken for a ride recently when they went looking for a reliable used car to buy.

Elsie Ableser and Rita Carson didn't get the car because they didn't need to. But they did get something else they weren't expecting.

``The whole experience renewed my faith in people,'' Rita was saying Thursday, still driving her old 1984 Toyota with 120,000 miles on it.

Her car's transmission was supposed to be on its last legs, according to the mechanics Rita took it to a few weeks ago. ``They said it was going, and that it would cost $3,000 to replace.''

Rita figured putting $3,000 in a 20-year old car was throwing good money after bad, so she called her friend Elsie to help her go shopping for a car she could afford. They wound up at Valley Dealer Exchange in Burbank, which finds cars on the Internet for customers, and also has a retail lot of about 40 cars for sale.

``They saw two old ladies walking in, and could have taken us for a ride,'' Elsie said. ``We were prepared for the worst. Instead, the first thing they wanted to do was not sell us a car, but to make sure Rita's car was really on its last legs.''

Turns out it wasn't.

``She didn't need another car, she just needed some transmission fluid and additives in the one she had,'' said Juan Carlos Renteria, who helped the two women. ``I told her you don't have to spend your money on a new car now, save it. This one works just fine.''

So Rita wound up spending $36 for oil and additives.

``I was bowled over,'' she said. ``They saw I was in a bind, and could have taken advantage of me. But they were decent people with integrity.''

We've all seen them out on the streets - service and guide dogs bringing personal freedom to the blind, visually impaired and disabled.

Dogs trained to serve and be gentle. They're not fighters or aggressive, and this often makes them prey to dogs that are.

In Simi Valley this year, two dogs nearly killed a medical companion dog, forcing the dog into retirement because of its injuries.

In Orange County, a man who was totally blind and dependent on guide dogs for 30 years could only feel and hear the savage attack on his bleeding guide dog by the dog of a jogger, who just kept on running and didn't stop to help.

The blind man was powerless to do anything to stop the attack. But we're not powerless.

A bill authored by local Assemblywoman Fran Pavley increasing the penalties for attacks on guide and service dogs was recently signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

``There needed to be serious consequences when the owners of dogs behave recklessly or callously, and change lives in such a terrifying and devastating way,'' said Pavley, whose family raises guide dog puppies.

It's now a misdemeanor crime if a dog owner is found to have acted with reckless disregard in control of his or her dog that causes injury or death to a guide, service or signal dog.

The dog owner could face a year in county jail, a maximum fine of $10,000 or both. Also, the owner could be held responsible for veterinary bills and replacement costs, if a guide dog is disabled or killed.

Just some food for thought for anyone who lets their dogs run free.

And finally, if you're a member or potential member of the ``Sandwich Generation,'' keep Friday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. open.

The Independent Living Center of Southern California is holding its third annual Community Resource Fair for people caring not only for their children, but also for their aging parents. The Sandwich Generation.

``These responsibilities, in addition to managing their own lives, which may include holding down a full-time job, can leave them feeling as though they are losing their own identity by being pulled in many different directions,'' says Norma Jean Vescovo, executive director of the center.

``The fair gives them the opportunity to become more familiar with assistive technology devices and services that enable persons with disabilities, seniors, and their families to live more independently, thus giving them a real choice in their lives.''

More than 60 companies, agencies, and organizations will be showcasing items and services that can be as simple as an adapted spoon to assist someone with arthritis, to a recliner chair that lifts a person to a standing position.

The Sept. 17 fair will be held at Pickwick Gardens, 1001 Riverside Drive, Burbank. For more information, call Marcy Hernandez at the Independent Living Center, [phone].

Dennis McCarthy, [phone]

dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com