A couple years ago at a family get-together, my niece and her husband were talking about an upcoming trip to New England.
She said she hated to put her dog in kennel and was going to get a "support animal" certificate so they could take in on the plane with them.

I'm pretty sure they haven't forgotten my reaction or forgiven me for it.
To say I was blunt and to the point would be an understatement, it was truly a rant worthy of PARF ranks.
People who play the "support animal" scam are almost as bad as the idiots who allow it.

Exactly. Service dogs are professionally trained and super expensive. Emotional support dogs go by another name........dog. Buy a vest on Ebay for $20 and now it's an emotional support dog.:rolleyes: People should have to provide some variety of credible/official registration for their dog to receive the special treatment normally reserved for service dogs.

My opinion is a working dog is a working dog. If it is there to perform a specific function - seizure detection, blood sugar detection, emotional support, support for PTSD, seeing eye, whatever... then it is not there for the public to pet. It needs to be in tune with the owner, and doing it's job, not being distracted by outside influences like other dogs, kids, other adults.

^^^^ Absolutely spot on. I'm sure a PB "could be" a great service dog....some are fantastic dawgs...

Letting a strange toddler get in a PB's face is stoooopid....or any dog for that matter...except a Lab...YMMV ;)

Even a retriever can have issues when the person is at eye level with them. One of the K9 handlers that I knew said never, ever get to any dog's eye level until the dog knows you.

Tid bit,

the AKC considers all dogs to be mutts, regardless of what you think they look like if they don't have papers. IIRC a landlord lost out in court when his lease agreement said no pit bulls allowed and the dog didn't have papers.

TRex was six or seven when I got her. The original family gave her up because she wouldn’t stop snapping at kids. Took a couple years of positive training, and a few smacks to get her calmed down. Last few years I could leave her in front of the coffee shop with the Down’s syndrome kid and not worry.

Interesting, this banner ad popped up just as I was reading this thread.

https://usserviceanimals.org/certification?utm_content=Google;Display;DADG;Gene ralDisplay;forums.pelicanparts.com;104&gclid=EAIaI QobChMIzsWQwIvf4AIVvAKtBh0cIQkIEAEYASAAEgJk6vD_BwE

If someone let's you pet a "service animal", it is not a service animal.

After the peacock incident, which happened in Houston, United airlines banned everything except full grown dogs, full grown cats and miniature horses.

Miniature horses???

My neighbour son has a support/service dog (black lab) and the dog does wonders for the kid.
The kid has done so well that he doesn't require the dog by his side every time they go out

It does work.

I would have told you to mind your own ****ing business, Sam (which I hope she, her husband, and your sibling did).

Wouldn't have stopped Sammy.... :)

Me....depends on the dawg ;)

So yeah, there's that part, where the child asked to pet the dog.

I don't think I'd neuter anyone with a spade (shovel). Its *spay*

I wouldn't have made the suggestion to have a fake service animal so it wouldn't have to go in the crate, so Sammy wouldn't have had any reason to mind his own business.

I could offer you the same advice. Not only could I, I am.

They were willing to lie and cheat just so they could break the rules. That is wrong.
Anyone who supports that is WRONG!!!!!!!
It shows a lack of moral character.
Now drive the bus.

My daughter summed it up well when she had to put up with a colleagues “emotional support “ pit bull that terrified half her office: she said how would people feel if she took an “emotional support” tiger to work....

I don’t always agree with you, but I totally agree with you. This is like someone parking in the handicap parking spot, it diminishes people who actually NEED a service dog. There are many very valid service dogs and people who depend on them. If you take advantage of that then you are a POS IMHO.

Kid is lucky to still have an eye. Or a nose.

There are two parts to this:
1). Dog owner skirting rules, not muzzling breed which tends to be digital, letting a stranger child get in dog's space.

2). Mother who pushes her child up to said stranger dog..and then is shocked when something happens to her child.
(Seriously would you let an infant play around running logging equipment?)
Was she fishing for a lawsuit with her kid or what?
Common sense?

What did all these people do before the 'emotional support animal' fad took hold a few years ago? Were they shut-ins? How did they travel, shop at a grocery store, or eat at a restaurant 5 years ago? Because obviously they're incapable of doing these things now without their animals ... or so they say. I was at a restaurant a few weeks ago and a 20-something women was sitting at a table across from us with a dog stuffed down her shirt. The dog was licking the table the whole time we were there, not to mention the shedding. What do u think the odds are that the busboy cleaned that mess up for the next patrons :rolleyes: I love dogs, but there is a time and a place.