Service dog vests

[flowerseverywhere]

I recently went to an event and a man had a service dog with him. He was telling the group after his wife died the dog was lonely so he got a service dog vest so he could take him everywhere. Apparently this is becoming a big problem per several articles I recently read. You can go on EBay and Amazon and there is a huge selection to choose from. I see them all over, as I walk or bike everywhere. I am all for a PTSD veterans dog or a seizure detecting dog being in the markets and so on, but it is shameful for those that abuse it, like handicap stickers so you can park close.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31646970

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/More-and-more-people-claiming-their-dog-is-a-service-animal-293791091.html?mobile=y

[TxZen]

They should have official papers on them. And yes, people do abuse the idea. Service dogs go through a rigorous training program and must graduate. We had one lady tell us her purse dog was her service dog. The dog jumped out and took off. A service dog would not do that. They are well trained for all situations.

[iris lilies]

Well, that is annoying, especially since these untrained dogs will poorly represent the highly trained service dogs.

[Miss Cellane]

The issue is that, per the ADA, you can't require the person with the service dog to prove that it is a service dog. From the ADA website:


Some, but not all, service animals wear special collars and harnesses. Some, but not all, are licensed or certified and have identification papers. If you are not certain that an animal is a service animal, you may ask the person who has the animal if it is a service animal required because of a disability. However, an individual who is going to a restaurant or theater is not likely to be carrying documentation of his or her medical condition or disability. Therefore, such documentation generally may not be required as a condition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal. Although a number of states have programs to certify service animals, you may not insist on proof of state certification before permitting the service animal to accompany the person with a disability.



There's more info here: http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm

You will note that a service dog does *not* have to have a special collar, or harness, or vest. The most any organization, or owner or manager or other person in charge of a store/theater/business can do is *ask* if the animal is a service animal. If the owner of the animal says yes, the animal must be admitted.

Although many people do not know this. My friend Andi, who has a guide dog, does carry a card with her that explains the rules. It is not official certification, but something that spells out the applicable parts of the ADA. We've been thrown out of restaurants, had shop owners come up and tell us to leave, had parents call store security because their kids were afraid of the "wolf" (her dog is a large, mostly black German Shepherd dog). But she doesn't really need to do that; she has just found that it makes her life easier when someone complains about the dog.

I agree that it is shameful for pet owners to be taking advantage of a rule that was designed to give people with a disability the right to enter the same places as a person without a disability. And the right not to constantly have to give personal medical information to complete strangers. "Yes, I need my service dog. I'm an L3-L4 paraplegic which means I can't move my legs, have no feeling from the waist down, and need the dog to help pull my chair up ramps and open doors and turn on the lights." Imagine having to "share" that information with a stranger, when you just want to eat out or see a movie, i.e. just be a normal person doing normal things, only to be brought up short yet again because there's something about you that doesn't fit other people's definition of "normal."

But I'd rather a few dishonorable people sneak their dogs in with them, than to cause more problems for the people who really need the service dogs.

Oh, and it was disheartening that when I Googled for the ADA rules on service dogs, the first three links that popped up were sites where you can buy service dog vests and "certifications."

[ToomuchStuff]

Had a customer come in that brought a service dog (we weren't sure we believed that), back from the groomers. Kept watch to see if it behaved as others we have had in, and the dog behaved. From overhearing the conversation, the woman who had the dog had died.
The bad thing is your damned if you do ask, and damned if you don't and the animals bite someone and it isn't a service animal. Doesn't put the businesses in a good position.

But service animal vests aren't the only things. Seen all the police stuff?