A good friend of mine simply wanted her dog to travel up front with her so she got the 'service animal for emotional support' vest. It was simple.. A couple of forms and presto.. You now have a service dog. Took less than a week. She in no way 'needs' him for support or such. I will say he is a well behaved dog and will never cause any issues but it still irked me a bit when I found out about it. And he is a Labardoodle! He stands a good three feet tall at the shoulders!

Wait a minute...You've never heard of a guide dog to help a blind person? The dog with the harness, and the handle for the blind person to hold on to?

You've never heard of that?


Now, the modern "service dog" is some expanded form of that for other disabilities, and the fake service dogs are some corrupted, greedy form of them, but it all ultimately goes back to blind guide dogs with harnesses.

Guys,

Service dogs are great for veterans with disabilities, kids with emotional needs, and deaf people. Tell me - how many of those could you diagnose by looking at them?

God forbid you should be mildly annoyed at some kid or veteran who has a dog along for their comfort.

My sister has an emotional support dog. He has made her a much more pleasant person. Her friend is diabetic and has a service dog that can detect low blood sugar.

Rick I 100% agree, I hate seeing people abuse the service dog allowances.

I am taking this opportunity to tell others about a great organization. They are only trying to make the world 10% happier.

I am a Chive Charity Green member, in addition to my monthly regular donation, I also contribute when the call comes for additional funds.

Here are a few of many people that have benefited, rightfully from service animals and got them from charity.

https://chivecharities.org/story/cody

https://chivecharities.org/story/kate

https://chivecharities.org/story/anthony

https://chivecharities.org/story/richard

Makayla looks perfectly normal, her dog is there to protect her.

https://chivecharities.org/story/makayla


I also flash funded this memorial build for service dogs after a vets service dog was murdered by a ignorant hateful neighbor. If you read this, you will be outraged like I was.
https://chivecharities.org/story/families-on-the-frontline

The epidemic of fake service dogs.

Yes I'm aware of guide dogs, but thanks.

I bumped into on of these the other day with a young woman. She looked pretty level-headed to me. The dog was a golden so I gave her a break.:)

it goes right along with a non disabled person using the disabled parking pass of disabled relative.
really makes you wonder when you see a pickup in a handicap parking space with tools, ladders, saws and shovels in the back of the truck.

you simply look the person right in the eye and say 'I'd prefer you weren't here but the dog can stay'.

It is difficult and expensive to travel with a dog. We recently got a very small dog which is currently about 3 lbs and will be about 5.5 when adult. It costs about $100 per flight to take her even though she is in a small carrier under the seat. It is also hard to drive because so many motels will not allow dogs...and ones that do have a pretty significant fee. Boarding costs are crazy here as well. I did not realize what a large expense pets are these days. How do young families afford them?

I inherited a tenant when I bought a small apt. building that the previous property manager had rented a unit to with a "service dog". An aggressive lab mix of some kind. I love dogs and all but this was BS. A few months later it bit her grand daughter pretty bad and they put it down. Karma.

You are absolutely right and that's what all these azzholes with the service Bichons are counting on.

It's a quandary

Same here, I cant say I have seen anybody I have suspected of having a non legit service animal.

I routinely am suspicious of non legit handycapped plates but I try not to judge. I broke my foot a few years ago and out of curiosity I asked the doctor if I could get a handicapped plate, just for the first week or so. Im not sure if my conscience would let me use it even with the cast and crutches, but every step was painfull. We have an extraordinary amount of handicapped spots at work and I had a very long walk to my office. Anyways, it seemed like a bit of a process to get one so I didn't pursue.

Used to have some apartments where pets were not allowed.
A few times potential renters came with an animal.

We could ask for the dog's certification. We also spelled the rules up front:
-The dog is not allowed to defecate anywhere on our property.
-If there are any noise complaints from other residents, there will be an eviction notice
-If there are any odor complaints from other residents, there will be an eviction notice.

If potential renters had questions, we recommended that they go to the local agency that advocates for the disabled that usually sued landlords for not following the rules.
In every case, the potential renter found a more animal-friendly place to live.

Some think all one needs to do is use the words "service animal" and all the rules go away. Not true.

You need to get out more. I see them daily. It's become an epidemic. I see them every single day in the grocery store, and every time I go to the airport. When I was a kid, it was pretty rare to see a service dog. Back then they were seeing eye dogs with a harness and everyone knew you did not pet them, that they were on duty. I saw some police dogs in Germany last week who also looked like real service dogs, not to be petted and cuddled. If you need a support dog, stay home. That's not a service animal and it needs to be a crime to put a vest on an untrained animal just because you don't think the rules should apply to you.

A lady fiend of mine was sexually assaulted when she was about 14. She's now 44 and she went through a long court case and all that but even with the conviction of her assailant she's never really gotten over it. She claims to have PTSD and has a service dog. The fact is her service dog is actually a mutt she rescued from a shelter. I'm OK with that because it seems to help her but her dog has no special training.

Meanwhile she lives a very closed life and is on a permanent disability pension. To look at her you'd think there's nothing wrong with her but dig a little deeper and the dark stuff starts to ooze out. She's truly stuffed up... I don't think she'll ever lead a normal life.

I get out plenty, thanks. I live in a big city and I travel frequently, and I just dont see it. I don't doubt that it happens but I think widespread epidemic must be an overstatement.

I see infrequently see people pushing their luck by bringing pets into places they probably shouldn't but I don't think these people are even trying pass the animals off as service related.

Your point is indeed valid. I need to use a cane in order to walk more than a couple hundred feet due to neurological spasticity that causes my leg muscles to virtually seize. But I can walk and so won't often utilize my HP parking permit unless I'm having a bad day. It really frosts my azz when I see someone park in a reserved spot and jog into a store. But it is tough to spot a person with a heart or pulmonary condition.

I remember a week or two after my accident, and having 17 broken bones, (ribs, pelvis, foot). We unloaded the wheelchair from a standard parking spot a ways from the building, and went into a grocery store, but had to pass by the idiots jumping out of their lifted Suburban in one of the close spots. I didn't want the handicapped placard out of pride, and in an attempt to leaving the spots for the elderly/crippled.

I agree, it's entitlement wives assuming they can bring Buffy the dog into the store with them. You see it up there in EntitlementVille Woodlands, and I see it here in EntitlementVille Bellaire. I see them in the grocery store (you know, where my freaking food is...), I see them at Home Depot, I see them on every deck at every restaurant in town, but I don't see people claiming to have service dogs.

I HAVE seen service dogs that were probably fake, but maybe once every few months. I also know someone who got the service dog vest and some faked papers so she could bring it with easier when she moved to Europe, to avoid quarantine and having the dog stay in the belly of the plane for 10 hours.