Emotional Support animals and fake Service animals

[Gogar]

On the plane, specifically.

HOW LONG is this phenomenon going to go on, and what do you think is going to happen?

The new thing in Ms. Gogar's hood is people trying to bring their dogs - not purse dogs - large and medium sized dogs - to the restaurant. And having a fit when the restaurant balks and/or barks and doesn't allow it. I'm not talking about "dog friendly bars", I'm talking about proudly-priced, sit down restaurants.

And I love dogs. I just guess I don't like people sometimes.

[Hugh R]

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-ESA-Dog-Vest-Emotional/dp/B00P1F4VSQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1494299471&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=emotional+support+dog+vest&psc=1

Easy to get.

[unclebilly]

On my flight from Denver to Bakersfield the week before last, a young lady with an emotional support dog was seated next to me.

It was sort of weird. The dog was exceptionally calm. This was the first I had seen / heard of this type of thing. Certainly this would not be accepted in the corporate world though it would be funny to see a big long BS meeting get interrupted by 2 emotional support dogs doing the nasty on the middle of the boardroom... maybe Borat will do a sequel with an emotional support skunk or porcupine...

[look 171]

This is a little off topic. I gotta to tell ya, one of my neighbor down the block is someone who communicates with dogs (mainly dogs but other animals too) for their owners. She's a really nice, kinda of quiet lady who does this for a living. She's always busy and I see people drive up or walk up with their dogs and they do their thing in their home. She makes house calls too and often. Crazy. Maybe the crazy one is me?

[RKDinOKC]

Support dogs are supposed to be very well trained dogs that behave and DO NOT cause any problems or issues. That is the number one thing whether it is for emotional support or is a typical Service Dogs (for the blind or handicapped).

Saw a lady with severe tourretts. not just yelling involuntarily but ticks and convulsions. The dog could tell an episode was coming on and go lean up against her to get attention. It would calm her to the point that he did not have the attack or it was very mild.

As long as the dog is well behaved like it is supposed to be and just stays quietly beside it's owner, who cares.

If the dog is not well behaved then it needs to be reported so the owner can get it trained better. Like I said before the number one thing for a service dog of any kind to be certified is obedience.


My first dog was well behaved and very very well trained. She always stayed 2 ft from me and gave me 100% of her attention. Never put her on a leash, was not necessary. She wouldn't even go to the bathroom unless I pointed at a patch of grass and said "Do your stuff." You could offer her any sort of food and she would not take it unless I said it was okay. Other's would bring dogs around and she would stay quietly right beside me unless I said she could go play. There were times I took her were dogs weren't allowed like restaurants and even stayed in hotels after originally being told no pets. All I had to do was show how well trained she was and that she would go to the restroom on command. And she was not a service dog, but she was so well behaved and trained.

[KFC911]

^^^^ Many years ago I had a yellow Lab named Layla...very similar to what you described, and she was like my shadow....saw lots of great music, etc. and was enjoyed by all...simply the model of a well socialized dawg . One day while setting up for a blues festival the day or two before, a dear departed friend took me aside and informed me that a fellow board member's wife could not enjoy herself because there was a dog loose on the site....hard to believe, but this grown woman had a real dog phobia, and her husband (an optomatrist) was to classy to let me know....though it was causing his wife to have issues. That was the last time Layla attended our blues society events fwiw...I am a dawg person, but not everyone is....other than a true service dog (blind person, etc. - I been around a few that were simply awesome btw), they do not belong in restaraunts, etc. Just my .02 worth....I would have loved your dog ....but I learned not everyone is like the rest of us dawgs...hard to fathom, but it is so...

[rattlsnak]

I just had a lady with a service dog, (big Shepard), sit on the floor behind me under my seat for a 10 hour flight and he never once made sound or got up at all. She was traveling with two small kids and said it was to calm them.... And then there is my friend who went through the process of getting her dog labeled as a service dog, (for emotional support) which is all BS as she just needed a way to bring him back and forth as she commutes to work on the airlines every weekend. Hes also a huge dog, a Labradoodle. Guess I cant blame them for using the system to their advantage..

[Holger]

Originally Posted by RKDinOKC

Saw a lady with severe tourretts. not just yelling involuntarily but ticks and convulsions. The dog could tell an episode was coming on and go lean up against her to get attention. It would calm her to the point that he did not have the attack or it was very mild.

This is what a support dog is ment for. Good thing!
Nobody has a problem with that.
But nowadays there are dogs declared as support dogs for each and every tick.
That has to stop.
Emotional support dog ... cmon!

[DanielDudley]

I first heard of support dogs as helpers for veterans with PTSD. They have real value for some people, and can help emotionally distressed people to function almost normally.

Worth reading up on. And of course, like handicap stickers on cars, normal people should not take advantage.

Some of you are going to live longer because you have pets, and you know what your animal provides you with. Some people need a calm animal to show them that everything around them is, in fact, normal.

[Gogar]

Just to be clear, I think true "service dogs" are amazing. It's just this other thing. Like, "stolen valor, pet edition" or something.

[ckelly78z]

Far too many unstable people out there that think they need a crutch to lean on. I fully support thier need, and use of a support dog, but can't see why they would be pushing the issue being in stressful situations, and crowded areas.

I have some issues with large noisey crowds as do many people, so I generally stay away from these situations, not plow forward hoping my unwelcome dog will comfort me when i'm ready to snap.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Just to be clear, I think true "service dogs" are amazing. It's just this other thing. Like, "stolen valor, pet edition" or something.

Agreed 100%. My comments above are directed to those who use (abuse) the support Dog label.

I used to bring my old dog to work occasionally, our current dog is WAY too hyper.

[RKDinOKC]

As far as I can find if a dog passes the obedience disciplines and the owner can show the dog is providing help to them it is an official service dog by law. It is not my place to judge whether or not someone needs a service dog. However, the owners and dogs need to follow the rules for obedience or can lose their service dog status.

During the time I had my really really great dog my brother moved in because he had MS, was in a wheelchair, and could not take care of himself very well. He was not afraid of dogs but for some reason did not want a service dog of even my dog to help him. And it would have been nice having the extra help.

As an example: He would drop something on the floor and try and try to pick it up. He even had one of those 3 ft grabber things. I think my dog would hear him trying to pick something up and go to the door of his room and patiently sit and wait. Finally he would say, "Oh, okay get it for me." She would immediately run over pick up whatever it was and hand it to him, then just as quickly go back and sit outside his room. If it didn't look like he needed any help she would come back and sit with me.

[GH85Carrera]

I have an acquaintance that is a bit different. OK, I will admit, he is weird.

He has a little toy poodle that is a 2 or 3 pound dog. He went through so fairly simple license procedure and got it certified as a service dog. He will take it in to restaurants and it will sit quietly in his lap. He did indeed serve in the US Navy in submarines and has some percentage of disability. He walks an rides a motorcycle like many people but he got a handicap parking permit so he can park up front. I have seen him park (legally) in a handicap spot and use up one of the spots and then a person in a wheelchair has to park in the back of the lot to get in.

It kinda made me mad but it was legal so there was really nothing to do.

[masraum]

There are dogs for folks with epilepsy. The dogs know before a seizure happens and warns the person that it's going to happen. THere are folks with emotional issues that can be calmed by dogs. It had never occurred to me that some folks might fake a service dog. And by fake, I mean buy a vest for a dog that isn't trained to be a service dog. I have met someone with a dog that was trained to be an emotional support dog (person had severe anxiety).



Seizure Dogs | Epilepsy Foundation

[red-beard]

Two things:

If people allow kids, etc., to pet the dog, it is not a service animal. If the dog is not extremely well behaved/trained, it cannot be a service animal.

[Baz]

Personally, I think most restaurants are quite filthy.

So yeah....let the humans go...keep the dogs out.

[sc_rufctr]

I know a lady who was sexually molested by a relative when she was only 14.

She's now in her 40s and she's a mess. She claims to have PTSD and she recently adopted and German Shepard that's registered as a "comfort dog" so she goes everywhere with her.

Honestly I try and be sympathetic but somethings not right about her. She recently went through a court case dating back to her being molested.
I have to ask. Why did it take her nearly 30 years to do anything about it? Yea yea I know life can be like that but seriously.
This guy supposedly ruined her life and she only recently plucked up enough courage to do something about it???

Anyway I've never experienced anything like that so who am I to judge?

One thing though. I've seen her hand feed her dog soft dog food from a can. I don't know why but that just creeped me out.

[red-beard]

Dog food smells like...dog food...

[jhynesrockmtn]

I bought an apartment building last year. One of the tenants had a "service dog" that the previous property manager had let in. It was BS. The dog was aggressive, barked a lot, etc. I was getting ready to have her prove with papers etc. when the dog bit her granddaughter and she put it down. Problem solved. If they are legit, fine. I think service animals and animal therapy are amazing but the idiots that fake it are ruining it for everyone. Several states are looking at stricter legislation around this because of the abuse.