"professionally trained" Service Dogs

[ILGHAUS]

But, both people provided their own 'service dog' classification for their dogs based on their health needs and it's OK to do this?? These are official service dogs?

We have many threads in this section on this topic for further reading.

Per the ADA/Dept of Justice:
“Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the handler´s disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The crime deterrent effects of an animal´s presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.”

[ILGHAUS]

So it is OK for a dog owner to self train for their own needs and declare the dog a service dog??

In the U.S., it is legal for someone to train their own dog and many people do though most with the help of a professional trainer. The handler must be legally (not just medically) disabled per the ADA.

*****

brought him into the hospital with fleas and allergies.

A hospital can ask someone to remove any dog including a SD if the dog is dirty, has any visible skin problems, or vermin (fleas, ticks, mites).

"A place of public accommodation must modify its policies to allow a service animal to accompany an individual with a disability, unless it would result in a fundamental alteration or would jeopardize the safe operation of the public accommodation."

[FORRUGER]

Thank you for enlightening me to the federal definition of what a service dog is and that it is OK to self train. The only thing I still don't understand is how can a person self train for their own medical needs if the need is for, say, high/low blood pressure or blood sugar fluctuations . Training one to assist with a person's physical needs is understandable and very obvious thru the dogs' performance that he's adequately trained to 'do his job', but self training to alert to physiological changes even before the person is aware of the event seems it would take an experienced trainer at best. Shouldn't these dogs be tested and certified by some overseeing professional organization to determine that they are proficient at doing the job they've been trained for before being classified as an offical service dog? And shouldn't the people who use these dogs be educated in the basic health and nutritional needs of the dogs?

By no means am I opposed to people training their own service dogs to meet their needs for medical disablities if they are capable and knowledgeable enough to be able to do it themselves. But it does bother me to think a person is expecting physical demands of a dog with probable hip dysplasia because no one is overseeing the welfare of the dog and the owner doesn't know any better.

[AbbyK9]

But that above was a response to a poster who said they would fake a service dog in order to take their dog to a parade/fair/etc.

I agree the law is absurd - but there is NEVER a valid reason to fake a service dog.
EVER

Yes, I am aware that the response was to the poster who said they would pretend their dog is a Service Dog in order to still be able to take dogs. But I was also addressing the response as it stands by itself. Because yes, it may not be "needed" to go to places such as fairs and parades, but I think it's ludicrous that you would be banned from even having that option to do so if you wanted to.

You already know that I am 100% against fake Service Dogs ... I'm forever ranting about them, after all.

It is encouraged to bring new dogs to flyball demos and tournaments, even if they're not competing, to get them accustomed to the hectic environment.

Yup ... and under the way Watertown's law is worded, you would not be allowed to bring your dog unless your dog was entered to compete ... or left in the car. XD

She indicated it was 'trained' to help her keep her balance on stairs and she had trained it herself.When I asked which organization she trained with, she said she just did her own training with no affiliation and was' told' that it was acceptable to make him her 'service dog' and take him everyplace with her.

This type of dog would be considered a mobility assistance dogs. These dogs help people with issues balancing or other physical handicaps do things such as going up and down stairs, keeping steady on uneven ground, or even help them get off the ground if they've fallen. The dog does this by acting as a brace that the owner can use to steady themselves or help themselves off the ground.

If she is considered legally disabled - meaning she has a disability that significantly impacts major life tasks (like walking, for example) - she has every right to a Service Dog. She is also well within her rights to train her own dog - there is no requirements for dogs to be trained by an organization or professional trainer in order to be considered Service Dogs. The requirements that need to be met is that the handler is legally disabled and the dog is trained specific tasks (in the plural) that help the handler with his/her specific disability.

[Dylan]

I know of at least 3 GSD owners with "fake" service dogs.

[GermanShepherds6800]

I think they should be exposed if they are fake. Peer pressure does wonderful thing to bad people when truths get out.