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"Originally Posted by Lola88
What is going on with some dog owners? My two pet peeves which also happen to be very common and illegal.
1) Unattended dogs who are allowed to run free off the leash - that the owners do not care how much they bark or who they run into or what they are disrupting (my group tennis lesson).
I have read on other blogs that it is pretty much against the law to have dogs off the leashes in public areas, other than, and I'm guessing, dog parks.
Department of Animal Care & Control
I see dogs off their leashes all the time and I have never seen a dog owner ever get a ticket. A fellow tennis player said that he sees people get $58 tickets daily near his beach house. It says the tickets can be up to $250. I don't get it. How can people let their dogs bark and run wild when it is against the law and not in human beings' public best interest."
I live in Los Angeles, and the problem of dogs off leash is epidemic.
A couple of years ago, I took it upon myself to see if I could deter this behavior, and to date,I have had a lot of success.
There are always a segment of dog owners who feel their dogs are "human", and are treated as such, right down to dressing them in what could only be called rediculous, uncomfortable clothing.
These people are never going to comply, regardless of what it cost.
I find the largest problem is with small dogs, and the people that own them.
I hand out literature that explains the California, and Los Angeles leash laws, and helpful information to dog owners regarding the consequences of allowing their dogs to run off leash in other than an approved dog park.
I have made some friends, as well as enemies in this endeavor.
I have seen dogs killed soon after handing out this literature to an uncaring owner.
Another thing I have noticed is those who I have asked to keep their dogs on leash, and refused, are no longer in the four parks I frequent.
In a couple of instances, I have had animal services cite the offending dog owners, and as recently as last week, because of an attack on my dog in a local park a while ago,,an owner had to surrender her three dogs because of that attack.
She never got them back, and by law, she can't have another dog for a minimum of three years.
For the most part, people are ignorant of the leash law, and my guess would be most of these loose dogs are also not licensed.
As I said when I started, I am committed to making a difference, and I know I have.
I'M not looking for any gold stars on my forehead, or any ribbons.
My satisfaction is when someone I have approached has finally put their dog(s) on leash.
Bob.
A true service dog is trained by an organization (not an individual or the owner) to do a task or job that dogs don't usually do (like see for a blind person). When the dogs are working, they are working for the person with the disability.
while you ARE correct that service dogs are task trained...
a service dog CAN and often is trained by an individual...
organization raised dogs are great, but 1: they can only produce and train so many dogs per year, its incredibly expensive and theres an increidbly LONG waiting list...right now i belive the average wait time is 5 years for a seeing eye dog.
there are NO organizations trining for some illnesses that do benefit from service dog assistance. you cant "TRAIN" a seizure alret dog, you can task train its responce and assistance, but those dogs MUST be trained by the individual so the bond forms strongly so the dog recognizes the symptoms...ect.
there is absolutly NO reason an individual cannot aqquire and train their own service dog...
HOWEVER i do belive that individually trained service dogs should have to aquire their CGC and pass the same acess test that organization trained dogs have to pass before they are considered "working dogs"
i DO qualify for an SD, i plan on training my own, (i used to be an animal trainer before becomming disabled) i do have a dog currenlty acting as m "service dog" but she doesnt have the personality to pass the acess test so she simply doesnt get to go to places that would require her "public acess" (no gocery stores ect) due to her aversion to shopping carts.
but at home she is increidbly helpfull...
i do think the ADA should require identification for service dogs (right now a dog does NOT have to be visualliy identified as a service dog you do NOT need a cape or anyhting else...) i think requiring a cape or a special tag would be helpfull, making that tag/cape available through your social security office mabe? and in order to get the dog you have to either be classified as disbaled by social security already (or have a drs filled form stating they support and feel a service dog is nessicary) AND proof that the dog has passed its CGC and public acess test.
for dogs in training who have not yet passed the public acess test a tag or or diferent colored vest with an "in training" patch also available through a sepicalized office ect.
store owners CAN make any one with a service dog who is NOT acting in such a way that service dogs should, reove the og from the premises.
i DO also belive that most places are NOT familiar with the americans with disabilities act or sercive dog rights and this is a BIG issue...people need to familiarize themself with the rules, especially those that state while you cant be descriminated against or asked to "provide proof" of your disbaility...if your service animal is DISRUPTIVE it must be removed form the permises.
i have no roblem with "carried" service dogs, some small breeds make exceltne sercive dogs but their size makes it impractical and dangerous for them to be o the ground in busy places...
i have no problem with service dogs for people with "invisible" disabilitis...looking at me youd have NO clue that i had a disability...doesnt mean my service dog is any les worthy than one who acts as eyes, or ears or hands...
its a fine line between imparting more rules that would make it impossible for people like myself to get/have/use a service dog and keeping idiots with no need for one claiming fido or fluffy is just so they can take em shopping...
but most of the issues come from people who have NO clue what the ADA is or means...
you either get the store owners who are certian only golden retreivers and labs can be service dogs, then you get the store owners who are so afraid of getting sued they let "fluffy" ride aroud in the shopping cart seat causing a scene and disrupting day to day behaviour because it MIGHT be a service dog and noones got the balls to ask.
the rule is...
you can ask IF the dog is a service dog
you can ask what kind of tasks the dog does to assist the person.
you can ask the person to remove their dog form the premises if it is acting in a disruptive manner (ie growling at customers ect) (not disruptive doesnt mean "i dont like dogs so i dont want it here" or "someone might have a dog allergy your service dog isnt welcome")
you CANNOT ask what the persons disbaility is
you CANOT ask they provide proof of disability...
but think about it...
:is your dog a service dog?'
yes
oh what kind of tasks does it preform for you?
pause...
this right here is a teller, they cant tell you what the dog is trained to assist with? tada...you dont need to ask for proof, you dont need to ask anything else...
like i said, its a fine line...
i have a HUGE problem with people "faking" service dogs
but i also have a huge problem with the idea of making it hard for the folks who need/use/could realy be helped by a service dog to actually get/use one...
A true service dog is trained by an organization (not an individual or the owner) to do a task or job that dogs don't usually do (like see for a blind person). When the dogs are working, they are working for the person with the disability.
while you ARE correct that service dogs are task trained...
a service dog CAN and often is trained by an individual...
organization raised dogs are great, but 1: they can only produce and train so many dogs per year, its incredibly expensive and theres an increidbly LONG waiting list...right now i belive the average wait time is 5 years for a seeing eye dog.
there are NO organizations trining for some illnesses that do benefit from service dog assistance. you cant "TRAIN" a seizure alret dog, you can task train its responce and assistance, but those dogs MUST be trained by the individual so the bond forms strongly so the dog recognizes the symptoms...ect.
there is absolutly NO reason an individual cannot aqquire and train their own service dog...
HOWEVER i do belive that individually trained service dogs should have to aquire their CGC and pass the same acess test that organization trained dogs have to pass before they are considered "working dogs"
i DO qualify for an SD, i plan on training my own, (i used to be an animal trainer before becomming disabled) i do have a dog currenlty acting as m "service dog" but she doesnt have the personality to pass the acess test so she simply doesnt get to go to places that would require her "public acess" (no gocery stores ect) due to her aversion to shopping carts.
but at home she is increidbly helpfull...
i do think the ADA should require identification for service dogs (right now a dog does NOT have to be visualliy identified as a service dog you do NOT need a cape or anyhting else...) i think requiring a cape or a special tag would be helpfull, making that tag/cape available through your social security office mabe? and in order to get the dog you have to either be classified as disbaled by social security already (or have a drs filled form stating they support and feel a service dog is nessicary) AND proof that the dog has passed its CGC and public acess test.
for dogs in training who have not yet passed the public acess test a tag or or diferent colored vest with an "in training" patch also available through a sepicalized office ect.
store owners CAN make any one with a service dog who is NOT acting in such a way that service dogs should, reove the og from the premises.
i DO also belive that most places are NOT familiar with the americans with disabilities act or sercive dog rights and this is a BIG issue...people need to familiarize themself with the rules, especially those that state while you cant be descriminated against or asked to "provide proof" of your disbaility...if your service animal is DISRUPTIVE it must be removed form the permises.
i have no roblem with "carried" service dogs, some small breeds make exceltne sercive dogs but their size makes it impractical and dangerous for them to be o the ground in busy places...
i have no problem with service dogs for people with "invisible" disabilitis...looking at me youd have NO clue that i had a disability...doesnt mean my service dog is any les worthy than one who acts as eyes, or ears or hands...
its a fine line between imparting more rules that would make it impossible for people like myself to get/have/use a service dog and keeping idiots with no need for one claiming fido or fluffy is just so they can take em shopping...
but most of the issues come from people who have NO clue what the ADA is or means...
you either get the store owners who are certian only golden retreivers and labs can be service dogs, then you get the store owners who are so afraid of getting sued they let "fluffy" ride aroud in the shopping cart seat causing a scene and disrupting day to day behaviour because it MIGHT be a service dog and noones got the balls to ask.
the rule is...
you can ask IF the dog is a service dog
you can ask what kind of tasks the dog does to assist the person.
you can ask the person to remove their dog form the premises if it is acting in a disruptive manner (ie growling at customers ect) (not disruptive doesnt mean "i dont like dogs so i dont want it here" or "someone might have a dog allergy your service dog isnt welcome")
you CANNOT ask what the persons disbaility is
you CANOT ask they provide proof of disability...
but think about it...
:is your dog a service dog?'
yes
oh what kind of tasks does it preform for you?
pause...
this right here is a teller, they cant tell you what the dog is trained to assist with? tada...you dont need to ask for proof, you dont need to ask anything else...
like i said, its a fine line...
i have a HUGE problem with people "faking" service dogs
but i also have a huge problem with the idea of making it hard for the folks who need/use/could realy be helped by a service dog to actually get/use one...
its hard enough as it is being disabled.
if you suspect someone is faking it, report it to the store manager...its then up to them to confromt the person or call the authorities.
if you are a store manager/owner/employee familiarize yourself PROPERLY with the ADA so you not only know the rights of the disabled and their service animals, but you know YOUR rights too.
WOW For once Foxy & I Agree! BTW NONE of my SD wore a Red vest or vest of any kind! As For the CGC Katie never had one Cant find anyone that does them around here. & I had PETS that breezed thru them so I not sure what that would prove. As for Airports well none in my area soooo I guessing however well trained my dogs are otherwise they May freek IF I ever Had to fly! As for those Pro-Trained dogs! One of my neighbors went thru the process Payed the Big Bucks...Got a dog that was 1 yr old came from a Pound the month before they gave it to her!! Then she PAID a local trainer to come work with the dog for 6 months Before she gave up! Now the dog lives with her uncle another tenant here & that Dog is the Apt complex Terror! YET hes still has Paper work stating hes a Service Dog! So the LL cant do a thing about him or the uncle! In the mean time the girl got another dog....after she talked to me! I suggested she home trained the dog! She went thru reascue & got a small dog that does Excatly what she NEEDED! Cause as Foxy said "you cant "TRAIN" a seizure alret dog" Win -Win NOW Would YOU refuse this person entry into Your business Just because to YOU her dog Looks like a Fru-Fru PET??? God I Hope NOT!
1) Unattended dogs who are allowed to run free off the leash - that the owners do not care how much they bark or who they run into or what they are disrupting (my group tennis lesson).
How can people let their dogs bark and run wild when it is against the law and not in human beings' public best interest.
Gee, this is just how I feel about children allowed to run wild in stores, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. Especially warehouse type stores like Lowes or Costco.
Too many meals disturbed by kids kicking the booth, screaming, running around and all of it ignored by the adults who are supposed to be in control of them.
I don't expect young children to have the manners of Queen Elizabeth but I do think they should not be allowed to get away with some of the rude behavior that I've witnessed from kids old enough to behavior better.
You'll never hear me claim that my dogs are perfect, far from it, that is why they stay home and not subject others to their doggy ways.
To all the LEGITIMATE Service Animal users, please make sure you are following the upcomming DOJ request for comments and COMMENT on the proposed changes to service animals.
Round 1 was last year that resulted in the narrowing of Service Animal definitions and what is and sisn;t a Service Animal under federal laws.
Round 2 which can come as soon as next year and most likely will be about the legal identification of the anaimal. Sort of the National ID for Service Animals. No ID, No Service Animal. It looks like they ahve enough legitimate Service Animal organizations and training groups that are willing to help weed out the fakers and fake service animals.
Round 3 is already in the worlks and will probably not require public comment and thats enforcement and penalties. Rumor has it that one proposal is anyone caught attempting to board an aircraft with a fake service animal could face a $25,000 fine and up to a year in prison. YIPPIEEE!
So if you don;t want to see too tight a restriction such as last round with the "dog" and miniture horse only limits, make sure you are following any proposed changes and comment back with your feelings. I think every legitimate user of Service Animals want those su*m bucket effing sober fakers and their good for nothing fake service animals hauled off to jail and fined!
Gee, this is just how I feel about children allowed to run wild in stores, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. Especially warehouse type stores like Lowes or Costco.
Too many meals disturbed by kids kicking the booth, screaming, running around and all of it ignored by the adults who are supposed to be in control of them.
I don't expect young children to have the manners of Queen Elizabeth but I do think they should not be allowed to get away with some of the rude behavior that I've witnessed from kids old enough to behavior better.
You'll never hear me claim that my dogs are perfect, far from it, that is why they stay home and not subject others to their doggy ways.
Best response ever! I 100% agree with you. Love my dogs, but they stay home. Same with my kids when they were little and wouldn't behave. If only more parents would learn that lesson.
I don't have a problem with the service dogs. I just hate the fact of so many people walking around the malls etc with the dogs in the strollers.
while you ARE correct that service dogs are task trained...
a service dog CAN and often is trained by an individual...
organization raised dogs are great, but 1: they can only produce and train so many dogs per year, its incredibly expensive and theres an increidbly LONG waiting list...right now i belive the average wait time is 5 years for a seeing eye dog.
there are NO organizations trining for some illnesses that do benefit from service dog assistance. you cant "TRAIN" a seizure alret dog, you can task train its responce and assistance, but those dogs MUST be trained by the individual so the bond forms strongly so the dog recognizes the symptoms...ect.
there is absolutly NO reason an individual cannot aqquire and train their own service dog...
HOWEVER i do belive that individually trained service dogs should have to aquire their CGC and pass the same acess test that organization trained dogs have to pass before they are considered "working dogs"
i DO qualify for an SD, i plan on training my own, (i used to be an animal trainer before becomming disabled) i do have a dog currenlty acting as m "service dog" but she doesnt have the personality to pass the acess test so she simply doesnt get to go to places that would require her "public acess" (no gocery stores ect) due to her aversion to shopping carts.
but at home she is increidbly helpfull...
i do think the ADA should require identification for service dogs (right now a dog does NOT have to be visualliy identified as a service dog you do NOT need a cape or anyhting else...) i think requiring a cape or a special tag would be helpfull, making that tag/cape available through your social security office mabe? and in order to get the dog you have to either be classified as disbaled by social security already (or have a drs filled form stating they support and feel a service dog is nessicary) AND proof that the dog has passed its CGC and public acess test.
for dogs in training who have not yet passed the public acess test a tag or or diferent colored vest with an "in training" patch also available through a sepicalized office ect.
store owners CAN make any one with a service dog who is NOT acting in such a way that service dogs should, reove the og from the premises.
i DO also belive that most places are NOT familiar with the americans with disabilities act or sercive dog rights and this is a BIG issue...people need to familiarize themself with the rules, especially those that state while you cant be descriminated against or asked to "provide proof" of your disbaility...if your service animal is DISRUPTIVE it must be removed form the permises.
i have no roblem with "carried" service dogs, some small breeds make exceltne sercive dogs but their size makes it impractical and dangerous for them to be o the ground in busy places...
i have no problem with service dogs for people with "invisible" disabilitis...looking at me youd have NO clue that i had a disability...doesnt mean my service dog is any les worthy than one who acts as eyes, or ears or hands...
its a fine line between imparting more rules that would make it impossible for people like myself to get/have/use a service dog and keeping idiots with no need for one claiming fido or fluffy is just so they can take em shopping...
but most of the issues come from people who have NO clue what the ADA is or means...
you either get the store owners who are certian only golden retreivers and labs can be service dogs, then you get the store owners who are so afraid of getting sued they let "fluffy" ride aroud in the shopping cart seat causing a scene and disrupting day to day behaviour because it MIGHT be a service dog and noones got the balls to ask.
the rule is...
you can ask IF the dog is a service dog
you can ask what kind of tasks the dog does to assist the person.
you can ask the person to remove their dog form the premises if it is acting in a disruptive manner (ie growling at customers ect) (not disruptive doesnt mean "i dont like dogs so i dont want it here" or "someone might have a dog allergy your service dog isnt welcome")
you CANNOT ask what the persons disbaility is
you CANOT ask they provide proof of disability...
but think about it...
:is your dog a service dog?'
yes
oh what kind of tasks does it preform for you?
pause...
this right here is a teller, they cant tell you what the dog is trained to assist with? tada...you dont need to ask for proof, you dont need to ask anything else...
like i said, its a fine line...
i have a HUGE problem with people "faking" service dogs
but i also have a huge problem with the idea of making it hard for the folks who need/use/could realy be helped by a service dog to actually get/use one...
its hard enough as it is being disabled.
if you suspect someone is faking it, report it to the store manager...its then up to them to confromt the person or call the authorities.
if you are a store manager/owner/employee familiarize yourself PROPERLY with the ADA so you not only know the rights of the disabled and their service animals, but you know YOUR rights too.
Bless you girl for jumping in!! By the time I got to the last page I was ready to pull my hair out. Is this an actual useful post, or just someone blowing off steam?
Personally, I have a bigger problem with the rug rats people let run loose. You want to talk about people getting sick? You're MUCH more likely to catch something from a school age child than from an animal. There aren't that many zoonotic diseases out there that you can catch just because an animal was there at some time.
As for dog bites, they're possible. So address the real issue - the idiot owners that don't bother to properly train their pets before taking them in public.
I"m a huge supporter of pets being allowed any place humans are IF they're properly trained and socialized. I know when I'm running errands that Munchi can go on with me I'm much less stressed and don't have issues with road rage. I can focus on her instead of the idiots out there and be a much nicer person at the end of the day.
I have Bi Polar Depression, and PTSD and need a physiatric service dog(PSD). SDs are not just for people who are blind or pleople who have mobility and sensory disabilities, but also for us people with Mental Illness. Yes, sadly its a growing trend to FAKE a SD. Those people are a bunch of idiots! They bring their dirty UNTRAINED FAKE SD, out into public and pose a danger, not only to their dog but to other people. I trained my own PSD. It takes up to 2 years to fully train an SD. And not even half those SDiT make it and can't become SD. People do not understand you can't just slap a vest on your dog and call it can SD.
I NEED my PSD to live a normal life. Before him I could not leave my house....He gave me my life back! I am a 19 year old woman and just because I have a SD does not make me crazy, or dumb. I was delt with a hard life as a kid growing up. I was not asked if I wanted to be sexually abused my two men as a child. It happened and now I see the world as a completely different place then you do. I see it as a dark, cold, and insecure place. My Jazz brings light into my life. My SD alerts me to my mood changes and tells me I need to stop, he will lick and cuddle me so I stay calm and focused. If I have a flashback and start to panic he is trained to take me to a safe place till i put myself back together. He reminds me to take my meds when I have my really bad days and I forget. He is trained to also uses his body as barrier to keep people from getting too close to to me and give me space to breath and keep myself calm. He also helps at home when I have nightmares. So just because a young girl has her dog with her, so please do not pass judgement.
People who have FAKE SDs just do not understand anything. Dogs that are SD have to be bombproof in public. For example, if a little kid were to just come up and start beating my dog( and this has happend once) the SD is not allowed to defend himslef, or even cry out in pain. I had no clue where that kid came from, and I did not know he was going to do that. But my Jaz handled it like a pro I keep my PSD well groomed and he is very clean. He is very well behaved and is not all over the place, but always by my side and keeping all his attention on me cause he has a job to do. You can tell a real from the fake but can't do much about it. Its gonna take a little kid or someone being badly injured or even killed by one of those FAKE SDs for something huge to change. People live their lives normally .....they need to let us live ares.
It appears as though the OP does not consider the owner's emotional needs as a valid reason to call a dog a service dog.
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I keep my PSD well groomed and he is very clean. He is very well behaved and is not all over the place, but always by my side and keeping all his attention on me cause he has a job to do. You can tell a real from the fake but can't do much about it. Its gonna take a little kid or someone being badly injured or even killed by one of those FAKE SDs for something huge to change. People live their lives normally .....they need to let us live ares.