I'm sorry ma'am but that is not a service dog

[x0emiroxy0x]

A little peeved right now. A woman just walked into walmart when I did, with a 3 lb chuihuahua mix on a leash with a pink "service dog vest" that was Obviously hand sewn. When the man at the door told her dogs weren't allowed she sAid "this is a service dog" and the man said "how is that a service dog". She said it was none of his business but after the manager came over she said "you are terrible people! I suffer from depression and ____(dogs name) is my therapy dog"

I normally hold my tongue, but as the dog urinated in the floor of the store I stepped up and said "anyone can put a vest on their dog but there is a difference between people with dogs that help them with their disabilities and dogs that make you happy. You should be ashamed for trying to pass your dog as a service dog and possibly keeping people with real service dogs from being allowed in bc your dog is not trained and misbehaves"

Yes, I know I was very rude. I feel bad for being so blatant. However, the dog was running in circles and barking aggressively at every man that passed and people were saying "that's a service dog???" in negative tones and I got really mad.

Has anyone else seen this ??

(and I thought it was against the law to ask what someones disability was... I guess she didn't know that since she didn't have a disability supported in the ada)

[wilbanks17]

I would have done the same. It's sorry people like that who make it bad for all.

[CarrieJ]

As soon as it marked and barked, it was pretty clear that it wasn't certified.

Apparently where I live the "service dogs" don't need leashes either.

My neighbor was bit in the face by his ex-friend's mastiff (nice holes just missing his right eye) who was a "service dog" for anxiety.
Not being an expert, but I doubt that service dogs resource guard and are leash reactive.

I think you were right.
I like the people who hold their "service dogs" while utilizing a salad bar.

[WarrantsWifey]

My mom has a service dog, every time she is asked, which only ever happens at restaurants, she polity gives a VERY short answer of what he does, so to avoid the drama associated with people asking. She knows her rights, she knows they can't kick her out. She actually had the cops called on her at Taco Bell, because she wouldn't remove "the dog".

Thor, her service dog, is a standard poodle, however, he is the MOST well behaved dog I've ever met. He I swear, doesn't even think he is a dog. *eye roll*..... LOL!!

I go places and I see people with Service Dogs, and I don't stare, I don't gawk, I don't even ask to pet the dog. Those dogs are more than working, they are medical equipment. You would ask somebody to touch their dialysis machine. I have seen kids run up to my moms service dog and just pet him and bombard him. People are crazy man, even the ones that try to pass off peeing chihuahuas in walmart.... INSANE!

[wyominggrandma]

the vests are easy to get, there is a place online that you can fill out the form, even say your dog is trained and has been looked at by a vet, check the boxes and "presto" your dog can get a vest and is a service dog. There is a mom and her daughter that got a rescue dog, did this exact thing and proceeded to take this dog into the grocery store, restuarants and every place dogs are not normally allowed. The daughter did not need this dog, but her "disability" was she did not make friends well and this dog made it easy to get friends. When asked to leave with the dog, she would threaten to sue with the disability act and service dogs. the vest was for real, but the group giving the vests was a joke, no dog should be a service dog without the proper training and this group was able to "register" service dogs once the online form was filled out.
On a lighter note,since this town is small, everyone knows I am a vet tech, groomer and train and show dogs. So I was in the grocery store and a lady who has a Maltese came up to me and said" how do I make my maltese a service dog". I told her that the dog needs lots of training(she failed obedience class with her) needs to pass a fairly stringent amount of testing to be classified as a service dog. I asked her what type of service dog she wanted and this is what she told me. Please sit down and don't have anything in your mouth while reading this:. Totally serious she said" I have asthma and was told by a vet in another town that Maltese were bred to be good for asthma sufferers because they had a HOLE in the top of their skulls and when you are having an asthma attack you squeeze the dogs chest and a puff of special substance comes out the hole and you breathe it in and then your attack goes away.
I about peed my pants when she told me this, but I calmly stated that this would not be possible as a hole in the dogs skull into the brain would kill it. I explained it was not possible at all, that the only thing that a maltese had going for it for asthma was if you happened to be allergic to the dander or hair of dogs since Maltese don't shed. I did tell her, if she did not believe me, to call the vet where I worked, which she did and sadly found out that Maltese do not have holes in their head to poof out powder to help asthma attacks.

[idahospud49]

Ridiculous. Of course I don't like chihuahua in the first place!!

[selzer]

If I were going to be a turd and put my pet off as a service dog, I would say that he is a siezure alert dog. Then the dog could be large or small, and would not have to perform any major feats to show that he was a trained service dog.

Of course if I did that, I would most certainly HAVE a siezure, right there in the middle of WalMart, and my untrained dog would flip out and run out the door and get creamed by a motorist, and it would be entirely my fault for being an idiot.

The way I look at it is that I am very grateful that I do not rate the need of a service dog. Kind of like how I do not begrudge people of handi-capped spots, just clad that I do not rate the little plaque yet.

[CarrieJ]

*snicker* that wouldn't work for me...Alice would have seizure and I'd be the service person.
That would be a slighty askewed version of how things are supposed to be.

Also Alice Kramden hates Wal-Mart. I think it's the non English speaking people who demand to see your receipt on the way out. (Milpitas CA)

[Lin]

You can purchase the vests and patches anywhere. There is no restriction on them, though it is against the law to take your pet into stores as a service dog when it isn't.

There is also no registry, certification, etc for service dogs. There are specific requirements a dog needs to meet to be considered a service dog, but it is up to the individual trainer (which can include owner trainers) to decide when the dog meets them.

And service dogs come in all sizes. There are medical alert dogs for diabetes and seizures, hearing alert dogs, etc. Not just big breeds can be service dogs.

Correct, you cannot ask someone what their disability is. You CAN ask them what their service dog DOES. Such as what tasks does the dog perform to assist you with your disability.

A therapy dog is a completely different type of dog from a service dog.... There ARE psychiatric service dogs though for people with disabling depression or anxiety.

[codmaster]

Originally Posted by Lin

You can purchase the vests and patches anywhere. There is no restriction on them, though it is against the law to take your pet into stores as a service dog when it isn't.

There is also no registry, certification, etc for service dogs. There are specific requirements a dog needs to meet to be considered a service dog, but it is up to the individual trainer (which can include owner trainers) to decide when the dog meets them.

And service dogs come in all sizes. There are medical alert dogs for diabetes and seizures, hearing alert dogs, etc. Not just big breeds can be service dogs.

Correct, you cannot ask someone what their disability is. You CAN ask them what their service dog DOES. Such as what tasks does the dog perform to assist you with your disability.

A therapy dog is a completely different type of dog from a service dog.... There ARE psychiatric service dogs though for people with disabling depression or anxiety.

How can anyone be stopped from faking it if no one is allowed to ask about the service dog? Or did I miss something about the law?

And my understanding (feeble as it may be) is that there are no state or federal tests or certification for a "service dog". Is that right?

So what does a person who wants a "service dog" need to do?

I admit that I am totally mystified by the legal aspects of a "service dog".

Some of the things that they can do are totally amazing and have to be a great great thing to the unfortunate folks who need them - but it would seem that we need some way of certifying these dogs so they can be accepted by everyone (and have a means to stop the fakers!). I have no idea how this could be acomplished but it certainly needs to be done.