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I'm fine with a war veteran, blind person, or someone with critical diabetes or a heart problem who has a service dog that actually serves a purpose in helping them taking that dog to a restaurant or something like that.
I'm not okay with the people who have a yappy Chihuaha or a barky Jack Russell Terrier that's obviously not trained for service in any way shape or form insisting that it's a service dog so that they can eat crepes with it or have it sit there while they down Cosmopolitans. I'm even less okay with those people having those dogs sit their bare dog butts on the chairs.
When I managed a hotel, we would have these entitled people who, when we told them we didn't allow pets, said that it was a "service dog." Much of the time I'd let it slide because it was a battle not worth picking - nowadays with services like Yelp and Tripadvisor, people will go frothing at the mouth and destroy you on every piece of social media they can find - but if the dog was really loud or was already misbehaving in the lobby, then I'd call them to task on it and more often than not, they'd go on the defensive, apologize, and say that they'd try to keep it calm. I'd also tell them that they had to bring the dog with them when they left, because there were a few times where people left their poorly-trained dog in the hotel room and while they were gone, the dog barked nonstop, scratched up the floor near the door, trashed the comforter or pillows, etc. If it was actually a service dog, they a) wouldn't likely leave it at home anyways, and b it wouldn't go ballistic and flip out when the owner left. Service dogs are very, very rigorously trained so that they can be brought into a social situation and not disrupt it.
Thankfully here in China, the idea of bringing a dog with you everywhere is totally absurd by most peoples' measure. I haven't seen a single one inside a restaurant since I've moved, whereas in LA, you'd see dogs basically everywhere.
Where I live, most folks don't carry their little 'purse pets' around much; it's too cold and the fad hasn't caught on here.
The only service dogs I've ever seen aren't toys; they're pretty much medium sized breeds that are known for their placid temperaments.
I agree that all the service dogs I have ever seen or know of show they've been well trained and well socialized. But I've never eaten in any restaurant so far where there was a barking purse puppy, and I'm not at all sure this is a national problem. Maybe this topic should have been posted in the L.A. section?
This could be a significant problem for people with severe allergies or asthma. Let's see what happens when someone has a fatal asthma attack because a dog was in an inappropriate place. I see dogs in way too many places, I am allergic but not terribly so, but I know people who get very ill around dogs.
By this logic perfumes and scented soaps should be banned from restaurants. And peanuts, walnuts... make that all nuts. Eggs.. yes, Egg allergies are a serious problem for some people and eggs are often hidden in recipes. Let's ban restaurants entirely, vile halls of deadly allergens.
I see why I have just never been one to enjoy eating at restaurants, along with no hand washing, peeing in pickle barrels and now dog hair & service rats, NO THANK YOU! I own many dogs and one is with me at all times, if I were disabled I'd eat at home like I do now.
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Originally Posted by northnut
Not according to liberals, according to fact. Did you not take a science class ever?
Yes and science does claim people can act like animals.
Says nothing about taking dogs into restaurants. No one is denying service dogs need to be available for vets or anyone else. How much time does a dog get to mingle in a busy restaurant? If people want to pet the dog, does this cause hair to fly when they do?
Last edited by wildflower82; 03-10-2014 at 10:16 AM..
There are also those people whose animals are not pets --- more like dates if they take them to the restaurant. Pretty soon we'll have to recognize their marriages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tamajane
This could be a significant problem for people with severe allergies or asthma. Let's see what happens when someone has a fatal asthma attack because a dog was in an inappropriate place. I see dogs in way too many places, I am allergic but not terribly so, but I know people who get very ill around dogs.
Actually the current school of thought on the topic is for the allergy sufferer to control their allergy and not the environment. Not controlling your allergy (if it is severe) is like playing Russian Roulette. You cannot guarantee that the person sitting next to you on the train, in the theater, or in the elevator does not have pet dander on their clothing.
But I've never eaten in any restaurant so far where there was a barking purse puppy, and I'm not at all sure this is a national problem. Maybe this topic should have been posted in the L.A. section?
Actually, the first place I saw it was in Portland, several years ago. And I've seen it here in Hilo, in the supermarket. It's not an isolated problem.
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dogs do it because the can...
