Questionable service dogs

[raeoflyte]

I'm sure I'll tick someone off for this, but...

I know a lady who has both of her dogs certified as service dogs. I'm guessing she lists the reason as anxiety. But I've never seen her with the older dog, just the new puppy and I can pretty much guarantee she did this to ease house training/bonding and so she can bring the dog to work, the store, etc.

The puppy isn't anywhere near well enough behaved to be a true service dog (way too young to even pretend the dog could have those skills).

It irritates me, even though I don't actually mind dogs.

So have you run into this?

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Does she push it around in a baby stroller?

[Tennesseer]

Jun 10, 2013 11:03:27 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

I'm sure I'll tick someone off for this, but...

I know a lady who has both of her dogs certified as service dogs. I'm guessing she lists the reason as anxiety. But I've never seen her with the older dog, just the new puppy and I can pretty much guarantee she did this to ease house training/bonding and so she can bring the dog to work, the store, etc.

The puppy isn't anywhere near well enough behaved to be a true service dog (way too young to even pretend the dog could have those skills).

It irritates me, even though I don't actually mind dogs.

So have you run into this?

Aren't service dogs first trained by professionals before they are given to those in need?

[thyme4change]

They say that dogs can be trained to do an incredible list of things - smell changes in blood sugar, sense an oncoming seizure, etc.  It isn't just blind people anymore.  



I'm sure a lot of people would feel more comfortable in the presence of their trusted dog.  My good friends had this big Wolf-Shepard mix who once stood between me and someone who I (and the dog) did not trust.  The dog didn't take his eyes off that dude.  After that, I've wished I had that dog beside me in any number of situations.  He was a bad ass.  But alas, my anxiety is only situational, and often justified.  

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

I knew someone who insisted that she be allowed to bring her chihuahua everywhere as a service animal, because it comforts her.  I really wanted to ty to get my cat certified for the same reason. 

[Gardening Grandma]

Jun 10, 2013 11:07:18 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Aren't service dogs first trained by professionals before they are given to those in need?

My understanding is that service dogs are identified as puppies and for the first year or so they are raised by people who do just that - raise future service dogs.  They wear a sign saying "Service Dog in Training'.  After the first year (or so), they are then trained by professionals - that's at least a year, maybe longer.  Only then, are they sold as service dogs.

Genuine service dogs are very, very well trained and expensive.  it really annoys me to see people try to pass off their pets as service dogs.  

[Wisconsin Beth]

I've run across the occasional service dog in training at the grocery store or wherever.  But they have signs that say that.  And I use it as teaching moments with the kids (we ask before petting dogs and service/working dogs aren't like pets, etc.) But I've never run across one at work. 

[raeoflyte]

Jun 10, 2013 11:07:41 GMT -5 Rocky Mtn Saver said:

I knew someone who insisted that she be allowed to bring her chihuahua everywhere as a service animal, because it comforts her.  I really wanted to ty to get my cat certified for the same reason. 

This is pretty much what is going on here.

I get that service dogs can do all kinds of things, but we are talking about a purse dog who doesn't even know its name yet. This dog isn't detecting seizures, or getting a can of coke because of a drop in blood sugar.

I get a lot of comfort from my dogs, and when I would work on odd hours over the weekend I'd bring them with me, but to go to extent of getting them "certified" ticks me off. I would think this would cause issues for people who really need them.

Although I guess maybe this is the answer to Steve s post from a few weeks ago.

[Deleted]

On a frequent flyer board I monitor occasionally, there was a lengthy discussion on people who get their animals certified as service animals so they can bring them onto planes at no charge.  While there are legitimate reasons people may have service animals that aren't obvious to an outsider, there was definite agreement that some people were gaming the system to avoid paying for bringing an animal on board, or to bring on one that was larger than usually permitted.  I have to say the only 2 service animals I've ever seen on board were large dogs and they were very well-behaved.

[thyme4change]

Service dogs in general are very well behaved.  The ones that have been properly trained by a professional - if they can't get them to be in extremely consistent behavior - they bounce them from the program.  You can't have someone put their lives into the hands of a dog who can be distracted by a snausage or bright shiny object.  

[The Captain]

On my morning bus route there is a blind man with a service dog.  There is no doubt whatsoever that the animal is "on duty", very well trained, and will not be distracted from their job in any way.

BTW - there is a HUGE difference between a service animal and a "therapy" animal.  Too many people do not understand the difference and I think it's overexploited.  From the USDA website:

www.nal.usda.gov/awic/companimals/assist.htm

"Social/Therapy Animals


Social/therapy animals provide emotional support in places such as elder care facilities and hospitals. These animals do not have the same legal status as assistance/service animals and are not mentioned in the ADA."


Remember this case?

detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/04/02/lawsuit-student-needs-guinea-pig-for-support/

[raeoflyte]

I would love to learn to train service dogs, maybe when I retire. In one of my highschool band groups one of the students family did this and the dog came to rehearsals. Very well behaved.

I'd also like to adopt a service dog flunkie if we ever get another one.

[Peace Of Mind]

I'd like to have my DH trained like a service dog. 

[Green Eyed Lady]

I'd rather have the dogs around than most of the people.  So it wouldn't bother me.

[The Home 6]

Jun 10, 2013 11:11:21 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

I've run across the occasional service dog in training at the grocery store or wherever.  But they have signs that say that.  And I use it as teaching moments with the kids (we ask before petting dogs and service/working dogs aren't like pets, etc.) But I've never run across one at work. 

Good for you, Beth, for teaching your kids about service dogs! We see them occasionally in the commissary, and I always make sure to tell the girls that the dog is at work, it isn't a pet. Most always, the person with the service dog will give me a smile and a "Thank you".

[Tennesseer]

Jun 10, 2013 13:03:11 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

I would love to learn to train service dogs, maybe when I retire. In one of my highschool band groups one of the students family did this and the dog came to rehearsals. Very well behaved.

I'd also like to adopt a service dog flunkie if we ever get another one.

Indiana High School Comfort Dog Earns Spot in 2013 Yearbook

abcnews.go.com/US/indiana-high-school-comfort-dog-earns-spot-2013/story?id=19355302#.UbY0s6q3PMI




A special cap and gown was made for the dog who also attended the graduation ceremony.

[Peace Of Mind]

Jun 10, 2013 15:22:16 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 10, 2013 13:03:11 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

I would love to learn to train service dogs, maybe when I retire. In one of my highschool band groups one of the students family did this and the dog came to rehearsals. Very well behaved.

I'd also like to adopt a service dog flunkie if we ever get another one.

Indiana High School Comfort Dog Earns Spot in 2013 Yearbook

abcnews.go.com/US/indiana-high-school-comfort-dog-earns-spot-2013/story?id=19355302#.UbY0s6q3PMI




A special cap and gown was made for the dog who also attended the graduation ceremony.

Which one is the dog?

Seriously - that is adorable!

[Wisconsin Beth]

*-*-*-
I'm embarrassed to admit I used to pet them until someone clued me in on it. 

[Phoenix84]

Jun 10, 2013 11:07:41 GMT -5 Rocky Mtn Saver said:

I knew someone who insisted that she be allowed to bring her chihuahua everywhere as a service animal, because it comforts her.  I really wanted to ty to get my cat certified for the same reason. 

It seems to me that if someone cannot go anywhere without their dog/cat/other animal without suffering from anxiety, then that's indicitive of mental illness.

[Deleted]

Jun 10, 2013 13:03:11 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

I'd also like to adopt a service dog flunkie if we ever get another one.

My parents did this....she was bounced because of hip dysplasia....and a few behavioral problems. She was a great family pet though!

[Tennesseer]

Jun 10, 2013 15:23:46 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

Jun 10, 2013 15:22:16 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Indiana High School Comfort Dog Earns Spot in 2013 Yearbook

abcnews.go.com/US/indiana-high-school-comfort-dog-earns-spot-2013/story?id=19355302#.UbY0s6q3PMI




A special cap and gown was made for the dog who also attended the graduation ceremony.

Which one is the dog?

Seriously - that is adorable!

You're incorrigible. And as they write in H.S. yearbooks, 'Don't ever change'.

[Peace Of Mind]

LMAO!!  I had a lot of "don't ever change" in my year book.  But that was probably because they knew one of us would be moving. 

[kittensaver]

Jun 10, 2013 15:25:53 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Jun 10, 2013 11:07:41 GMT -5 Rocky Mtn Saver said:

I knew someone who insisted that she be allowed to bring her chihuahua everywhere as a service animal, because it comforts her.  I really wanted to ty to get my cat certified for the same reason. 

It seems to me that if someone cannot go anywhere without their dog/cat/other animal without suffering from anxiety, then that's indicitive of mental illness.

Um, yeah - exactly the point. Back to the distinction of a service dog vs. a therapy dog - others have given the definition of a service dog so I won't repeat it here. But at least in my State (YMMV), the only thing you need in order to have your pet "certified" as a "therapy animal" is a letter from a psychiatrist stating you need it for comfort and personal functioning. Pretty much points back to depression and anxiety - both mental illnesses.

But why on earth anyone would want to (or be proud to) cheat and claim they have a mental illness in order to get a dog "certified" is beyond me. I work in the public mental health system and every day see the heartbreak and life destruction it (mental illness) causes. I wouldn't wish a mental illness on my worst enemy.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

But why on earth anyone would want to (or be proud to) cheat and claim they have a mental illness in order to get a dog "certified" is beyond me. I work in the public mental health system and every day see the heartbreak and life destruction it (mental illness) causes. I wouldn't wish a mental illness on my worst enemy.

The same ones who do it in order to get h/c placards.

[kittensaver]

Jun 10, 2013 16:40:28 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

But why on earth anyone would want to (or be proud to) cheat and claim they have a mental illness in order to get a dog "certified" is beyond me. I work in the public mental health system and every day see the heartbreak and life destruction it (mental illness) causes. I wouldn't wish a mental illness on my worst enemy.

The same ones who do it in order to get h/c placards.

Touche' Mich. That group has their own brand of mental illness - sociopath

[midjd]

A few weeks ago, there was some sort of mental health convention going on near work. I was having a shitty day and walked through the convention center on my lunch break. Comfort dogs are no joke! Thirty seconds of petting and my mood was lifted. (The goldendoodle was my favorite ).

Service and comfort animals serve a very important purpose. Exploiting that just so you can cart a pet around is a terrible thing to do.

[The Captain]

Jun 10, 2013 16:40:28 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

But why on earth anyone would want to (or be proud to) cheat and claim they have a mental illness in order to get a dog "certified" is beyond me. I work in the public mental health system and every day see the heartbreak and life destruction it (mental illness) causes. I wouldn't wish a mental illness on my worst enemy.

The same ones who do it in order to get h/c placards.

And how do you know people lie to get h/c placards?  Can you tell someone is handicapped by looking at them?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

And how do you know people lie to get h/c placards? Can you tell someone is handicapped by looking at them?

I don't.  But I also have known people who brag that they got their grandmother's placard when she died.  

As I have spent far more time h/c this past year myself, believe me, I make NO judgments because I have been judged as to my h/c issues far too frequently.

[Tennesseer]

Jun 10, 2013 17:51:32 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jun 10, 2013 16:40:28 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

But why on earth anyone would want to (or be proud to) cheat and claim they have a mental illness in order to get a dog "certified" is beyond me. I work in the public mental health system and every day see the heartbreak and life destruction it (mental illness) causes. I wouldn't wish a mental illness on my worst enemy.

The same ones who do it in order to get h/c placards.

And how do you know people lie to get h/c placards?  Can you tell someone is handicapped by looking at them?

When I see a handicap sticker hanging off a rear view mirror of an SUV parked in handicap parking and a strapping young man hops out of the vehicle and trots into the of store, I'm pretty sure the person doesn't need to park where he is. There may be a person in that young man's family who is handicapped but it surely isn't him.

[kittensaver]

Jun 10, 2013 17:51:32 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jun 10, 2013 16:40:28 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

But why on earth anyone would want to (or be proud to) cheat and claim they have a mental illness in order to get a dog "certified" is beyond me. I work in the public mental health system and every day see the heartbreak and life destruction it (mental illness) causes. I wouldn't wish a mental illness on my worst enemy.

The same ones who do it in order to get h/c placards.

And how do you know people lie to get h/c placards?  Can you tell someone is handicapped by looking at them?

Here's a very public example of some students who lied/cheated to get h/c placards. It was a pretty big scandal a few years back:

articles.latimes.com/1999/sep/14/sports/sp-9988