Service dogs

[Traci_Momof2]

Let's be clear... The issue is not Service dogs. The issue is people who think the rules do not apply to them and will bring in their untrained animal and falsely claim that it is a service animal or "emotional support" animal into the stores. They will even go so far as to buy service vests for their animals to further perpetuate the scam. Unfortunately this sort of thing will continue to happen unless businesses start exercising their rights and confronting people with dogs that misbehave. The same applies for people walking their dogs without leashes in areas that require them. It is time for people to be called out on their bullshit.

And really, it's not hard to distinguish a true service dog from a fake service dog if you just watch their behavior for a moment. So if stores and such would just call out the bad behavior and ask people to leave who's dogs are exhibiting bad behavior, then by default they will be asking all the fakes to leave and won't be bothering the true service dogs at all. And then you don't even need to ask if it's a service dog. Instead, if it's exhibiting bad behavior it's out. Done.

[Olioxenfree]

If she's in a public place and dogs normally aren't allowed, it becomes people's business.

No, it isn’t. The dog is legally allowed in the store. The actual employees of the store can ask if the dog is a service dog and as long as the dog is behaving to the legal standards, it’s no one’s business to demand that they prove their disability.

Actual service dogs are allowed in stores. These amount of imposters is insane and is only going to make things more difficult for those who actually have and need a trained service dog.
They don't have to prove their disability they just need something showing they qualify for and have a service dog. It doesn't have to say what the disability is or be difficult for them to obtain. Sadly people can't be responsible enough to say hey I don't have a service dog my dog doesn't belong here and I would hate to see them ruin things for people who actually need it.

There are reasons why service dogs don’t currently require certification and documents. Those who qualify for a service dog are permitted to self task train their dogs. Requiring certification would mean they would have to go through a formal training and testing system, which costs time and money, and would create barriers for those who need the dogs. Their behavior shows that they are properly trained as a service dog.
I would not call the amount of imposters “insane”, sure they exist but it’s not like we’re seeing dozens of aggressive dogs at the store every time we go. It’s like a once every few months occurrence when I see a dog who I wouldn’t identify as a service dog. And if they are exhibiting those behaviors, the staff can tell them to leave. Those who actually need the dogs shouldn’t pay the price of the few who abuse the system.

[Rosehawk]

You never know why someone needs a service dog.

I don’t have TikTok and I don’t want to download it just to read the caption. What does she have please?

She has POTS.

Caption: I feel disappointed and embarrassed posting this. I had been managing my #pots symptoms well enough.. Bailey had always given me time before I got worse. This was different. He didn't have time. Neither did I. He was with me through the whole ordeal. He licked my hands and face to stimulate me to wake up. He used his body to help reduce jerky/twitching moments while I was unconsious. His body weight helps stabilize me, and helps blood flow. Bailey is there to protect me and keeps me safe through each and every episode. This is something that is so terrifying and I can't control. I tried to fight it. But ultimately, my body can't keep up. #servicedog #postualorthostatictachycardiasyndrome #pots #fyp #foryoupage #foryou

[Baconqueen13]

Let's be clear... The issue is not Service dogs. The issue is people who think the rules do not apply to them and will bring in their untrained animal and falsely claim that it is a service animal or "emotional support" animal into the stores. They will even go so far as to buy service vests for their animals to further perpetuate the scam. Unfortunately this sort of thing will continue to happen unless businesses start exercising their rights and confronting people with dogs that misbehave. The same applies for people walking their dogs without leashes in areas that require them. It is time for people to be called out on their bullshit.

And really, it's not hard to distinguish a true service dog from a fake service dog if you just watch their behavior for a moment. So if stores and such would just call out the bad behavior and ask people to leave who's dogs are exhibiting bad behavior, then by default they will be asking all the fakes to leave and won't be bothering the true service dogs at all. And then you don't even need to ask if it's a service dog. Instead, if it's exhibiting bad behavior it's out. Done.

Exactly. For example I went to the grocery store today and there was a dog running around outside without a leash, with a "service dog" vest on. The owner was still inside the store and when the owner exited he had to call his dog 4 times before it recalled. Obviously just a pet with a vest. And yes I did tell him I could tell his service dog was fake because it lacked recall.

[Anonymous 5]

I have never seen a dog in a public place outside of a park or something like that.

[cgd5112]

This.

No, it isn’t. The dog is legally allowed in the store. The actual employees of the store can ask if the dog is a service dog and as long as the dog is behaving to the legal standards, it’s no one’s business to demand that they prove their disability.

Actual service dogs are allowed in stores. These amount of imposters is insane and is only going to make things more difficult for those who actually have and need a trained service dog.
They don't have to prove their disability they just need something showing they qualify for and have a service dog. It doesn't have to say what the disability is or be difficult for them to obtain. Sadly people can't be responsible enough to say hey I don't have a service dog my dog doesn't belong here and I would hate to see them ruin things for people who actually need it.

There are reasons why service dogs don’t currently require certification and documents. Those who qualify for a service dog are permitted to self task train their dogs. Requiring certification would mean they would have to go through a formal training and testing system, which costs time and money, and would create barriers for those who need the dogs. Their behavior shows that they are properly trained as a service dog.
I would not call the amount of imposters “insane”, sure they exist but it’s not like we’re seeing dozens of aggressive dogs at the store every time we go. It’s like a once every few months occurrence when I see a dog who I wouldn’t identify as a service dog. And if they are exhibiting those behaviors, the staff can tell them to leave. Those who actually need the dogs shouldn’t pay the price of the few who abuse the system.

[Traci_Momof2]

No, it isn’t. The dog is legally allowed in the store. The actual employees of the store can ask if the dog is a service dog and as long as the dog is behaving to the legal standards, it’s no one’s business to demand that they prove their disability.

Actual service dogs are allowed in stores. These amount of imposters is insane and is only going to make things more difficult for those who actually have and need a trained service dog.
They don't have to prove their disability they just need something showing they qualify for and have a service dog. It doesn't have to say what the disability is or be difficult for them to obtain. Sadly people can't be responsible enough to say hey I don't have a service dog my dog doesn't belong here and I would hate to see them ruin things for people who actually need it.

There are reasons why service dogs don’t currently require certification and documents. Those who qualify for a service dog are permitted to self task train their dogs. Requiring certification would mean they would have to go through a formal training and testing system, which costs time and money, and would create barriers for those who need the dogs. Their behavior shows that they are properly trained as a service dog.
I would not call the amount of imposters “insane”, sure they exist but it’s not like we’re seeing dozens of aggressive dogs at the store every time we go. It’s like a once every few months occurrence when I see a dog who I wouldn’t identify as a service dog. And if they are exhibiting those behaviors, the staff can tell them to leave. Those who actually need the dogs shouldn’t pay the price of the few who abuse the system.

Let's clarify this point. In my area, every single time I go to the store I see a dog there that is clearly not a service dog. Now is that dog aggressive or causing a nuisance? No. The number of times I see an aggressive dog in the store is very low. But the number of times I see a dog that is clearly not a service dog is pretty much every time. And that's the ones that are difficult to weed out, the ones that are not aggressive and not a nuisance, but still shouldn't be there anyway. Because when I'm setting my food in the upper part of the grocery cart I don't want to think about the fact that some mangy mutts butt was just recently there. And I shouldn't have to.

[WellPreserved]

No, it isn’t. The dog is legally allowed in the store. The actual employees of the store can ask if the dog is a service dog and as long as the dog is behaving to the legal standards, it’s no one’s business to demand that they prove their disability.

Actual service dogs are allowed in stores. These amount of imposters is insane and is only going to make things more difficult for those who actually have and need a trained service dog.
They don't have to prove their disability they just need something showing they qualify for and have a service dog. It doesn't have to say what the disability is or be difficult for them to obtain. Sadly people can't be responsible enough to say hey I don't have a service dog my dog doesn't belong here and I would hate to see them ruin things for people who actually need it.

There are reasons why service dogs don’t currently require certification and documents. Those who qualify for a service dog are permitted to self task train their dogs. Requiring certification would mean they would have to go through a formal training and testing system, which costs time and money, and would create barriers for those who need the dogs. Their behavior shows that they are properly trained as a service dog.
I would not call the amount of imposters “insane”, sure they exist but it’s not like we’re seeing dozens of aggressive dogs at the store every time we go. It’s like a once every few months occurrence when I see a dog who I wouldn’t identify as a service dog. And if they are exhibiting those behaviors, the staff can tell them to leave. Those who actually need the dogs shouldn’t pay the price of the few who abuse the system.

Service dogs in Virginia are required to wear a vest and harness appropriately labeled. That is their identification. Sure, it's possible to get those items online but in my experience, those who don't have actual service dogs don't bother.

I do have a problem with people bringing their non-service dogs into grocery stores and the like. It's a gross sense of entitlement and it could cause the business of incur a really hefty fine. I live in a small town and I see non-service dogs in the grocery store all the time, at least every time I go. I know their owners' names and sometimes the dogs' name, lol. Some are well behaved, some are not, and one ("Buddy" the Jack Russell) is aggressive. All could cause our grocery store to incur a $10000 fine. These owners are not dog lovers, they are entitled assholes.

As I wrote earlier, my daughter has the same issue at the brewery where she works. It's the same dogs and the same dog owners. She's tough and they listen to her when she tells them they have to go outside but some of the other staff aren't so tough. It pisses me off that she or anyone has to tell them, not once, but in some cases, every single week and that they choose to ignore some of the younger staff members. It's disrespectful. She has some regular patrons that have service dogs (there is a large veteran community here) and of course they are allowed. Fortunately, they back her up when Deborah brings in Buddy but they shouldn't have to.

What I find interesting is that the regulars who feel that they are entitled to bring their dogs into spaces where they are prohibited are the same people that refused to wear masks, at least in our town.

[Olioxenfree]

Actual service dogs are allowed in stores. These amount of imposters is insane and is only going to make things more difficult for those who actually have and need a trained service dog.
They don't have to prove their disability they just need something showing they qualify for and have a service dog. It doesn't have to say what the disability is or be difficult for them to obtain. Sadly people can't be responsible enough to say hey I don't have a service dog my dog doesn't belong here and I would hate to see them ruin things for people who actually need it.

There are reasons why service dogs don’t currently require certification and documents. Those who qualify for a service dog are permitted to self task train their dogs. Requiring certification would mean they would have to go through a formal training and testing system, which costs time and money, and would create barriers for those who need the dogs. Their behavior shows that they are properly trained as a service dog.
I would not call the amount of imposters “insane”, sure they exist but it’s not like we’re seeing dozens of aggressive dogs at the store every time we go. It’s like a once every few months occurrence when I see a dog who I wouldn’t identify as a service dog. And if they are exhibiting those behaviors, the staff can tell them to leave. Those who actually need the dogs shouldn’t pay the price of the few who abuse the system.

Let's clarify this point. In my area, every single time I go to the store I see a dog there that is clearly not a service dog. Now is that dog aggressive or causing a nuisance? No. The number of times I see an aggressive dog in the store is very low. But the number of times I see a dog that is clearly not a service dog is pretty much every time. And that's the ones that are difficult to weed out, the ones that are not aggressive and not a nuisance, but still shouldn't be there anyway. Because when I'm setting my food in the upper part of the grocery cart I don't want to think about the fact that some mangy mutts butt was just recently there. And I shouldn't have to.

Honest question, what is indicating to you that they aren’t a service dog if they aren’t misbehaving or aggressive? Service dogs are not permitted in the shopping cart, so that is a situation where the store manager should say the dog needs to be out of the cart or you will have to leave, service dog or not.

And while I fully agree that a dog shouldn’t be in a shopping cart, your food likely has come in contact during its travels with things grosser than a dog, so I wash my produce, washing hands after handling packaging, etc regardless of if I saw a dog in a cart of not. Almost every food item has been in a truck or warehouse or was harvested from a field where a mouse or bird pooped on it before ending up on a grocery store shelf.

[Olioxenfree]

Actual service dogs are allowed in stores. These amount of imposters is insane and is only going to make things more difficult for those who actually have and need a trained service dog.
They don't have to prove their disability they just need something showing they qualify for and have a service dog. It doesn't have to say what the disability is or be difficult for them to obtain. Sadly people can't be responsible enough to say hey I don't have a service dog my dog doesn't belong here and I would hate to see them ruin things for people who actually need it.

There are reasons why service dogs don’t currently require certification and documents. Those who qualify for a service dog are permitted to self task train their dogs. Requiring certification would mean they would have to go through a formal training and testing system, which costs time and money, and would create barriers for those who need the dogs. Their behavior shows that they are properly trained as a service dog.
I would not call the amount of imposters “insane”, sure they exist but it’s not like we’re seeing dozens of aggressive dogs at the store every time we go. It’s like a once every few months occurrence when I see a dog who I wouldn’t identify as a service dog. And if they are exhibiting those behaviors, the staff can tell them to leave. Those who actually need the dogs shouldn’t pay the price of the few who abuse the system.

Service dogs in Virginia are required to wear a vest and harness appropriately labeled. That is their identification. Sure, it's possible to get those items online but in my experience, those who don't have actual service dogs don't bother.

I do have a problem with people bringing their non-service dogs into grocery stores and the like. It's a gross sense of entitlement and it could cause the business of incur a really hefty fine. I live in a small town and I see non-service dogs in the grocery store all the time, at least every time I go. I know their owners' names and sometimes the dogs' name, lol. Some are well behaved, some are not, and one ("Buddy" the Jack Russell) is aggressive. All could cause our grocery store to incur a $10000 fine. These owners are not dog lovers, they are entitled assholes.

As I wrote earlier, my daughter has the same issue at the brewery where she works. It's the same dogs and the same dog owners. She's tough and they listen to her when she tells them they have to go outside but some of the other staff aren't so tough. It pisses me off that she or anyone has to tell them, not once, but in some cases, every single week and that they choose to ignore some of the younger staff members. It's disrespectful. She has some regular patrons that have service dogs (there is a large veteran community here) and of course they are allowed. Fortunately, they back her up when Deborah brings in Buddy but they shouldn't have to.

What I find interesting is that the regulars who feel that they are entitled to bring their dogs into spaces where they are prohibited are the same people that refused to wear masks, at least in our town.

Anyone can buy a service dog vest off the internet, so that really doesn’t mean anything. It could also be argued that Virginia law is not in compliance with ADA law, but I’ll leave that up to the government. Their behavior is the indicator of if they are task trained. If someone isn’t being asked to leave when their dog shows behavior not allowed by a service dog, they likely wouldn’t approach someone either to “prove” that their dog is a service dog. Just like how there should be a manager on hand for if a customer gets out of hand, the same applies to dogs. Certification card or not, there still has to be enforcement, so setting up barriers that make it harder for those who need dogs to get them isn’t going to stop the problem.