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How about asking if the pity pooch is rabies vaccinated? I doubt if they can buy a rabies tag for your county online. A dog might bite someone while in your building.
Any registration, ID or certification purchased from any online business is worthless and are complete scams. They hold NO legal weight anywhere. Businesses do not have to honor them and, if someone presents them, know this - these places DO NOT verify if the dog owner is disabled (a must for a person to have a service dog) or if the dog is even potty trained - let alone trained to perform a task that mitigates the owners disability (again, a must). Businesses do not have to accept them. They are for novelty purposes only. If someone presents one of these worthless things ordered from an online company that magically makes a dog a service dog (as long as you've got the money to pay), you can pretty much guarantee its not a legitimate or legal service dog. No legitimate handler/owner would be caught dead with one.
Service Dog Central has a page that tells about fake service dog certification, registration and ID businesses online. If we could just get businesses to learn ADA law, and realize that they don't have to honor any of these fake things bought online, it would cut down on a lot of fakers.
If we could just get businesses to learn ADA law, and realize that they don't have to honor any of these fake things bought online, it would cut down on a lot of fakers.
And how is a business to do that without violating ADA?
It's nice to say that businesses have the control buy the reality is the laws do not give a business owner the tools they need to combat fake service animals. At best they can grumble under their breath about it, but in fact they have so little power. About the only tool is if the dog is disruptive or vicious, that’s it.
So, as a business owner, I would welcome hearing how I can deal with these fake service animals without violating ADA.
It helps to know the law, which is pretty straightforward, and to be precise...
Quote:
Definition: A service animal is a dog that is individually trainedto do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.
There are more details at the link below, but this sentence is key:
Quote:
Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.
And according to the ADA folks, it is legal to ask these questions...
Quote:
Staff may ask two questions:
(1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and
(2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform.
Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.
A person walks into a business with a pink poodle with blaze orange toenails and a teal colored bunny bow.
Business: I’m sorry, no pets are allowed.
Customer: This is a service animal
Business: Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
Customer: Yes.
Business: What work or task has the dog been trained to do?
Customer: The animal provides preemptive alerts.
Business: Welcome, have a great day....
Every person with a fake service dog pretty much knows the drill and can answer those questions in their sleep. Those questions do nothing to help a business owner.
actually legally a dog who ONLY alerts is not technically covered under the ADA since alert is not a trained task...(unless that has changed in the past year)
now "my dog alerts AND interrupts" or "my dog alerts and is trained to press an emergency call button" or "alerts AND trained to retrieve medication from my purse" ect...
its the TRAINED TASK that makes it a service dog...not the alert task.
my dog alerts to my blood sugar dropping...but that doesn't make her a service dog, the fact that she is then trained to repetitively interrupt me until I sit down and eat/take medication/whatever, is the TRAINED TASK that makes the service dog task...
My dog ALERTS me to oncoming seizures...that in itself is not a trained task (she did that all on her own) the fact that shes trained to dial an emergency phone, provide tactile stimulation during and assist in balance afterwards are TASK TRAINED that make her a service dog
my dog ALERTS to the chemical changes in my blood streat that indicate a bi-polar swing...but that is not a trained task (again she dis sthis with no prompting...the interuptions, deep weight pressure, ect are task trained behaviours that makes her a phsyciatric service dog..ect.
The US Dept. of Justice's website on ADA definition of Service Animals specifically states that a dog TRAINED to alert a disabled person is a Service Animal. That definition has been in place since 2002.
that however is the key TRAINED to alert...which means the signal given must be TRAINED, persistent and consistent...
in otherwords it it not against the law when someone says "oh she alerts" to say "oh that's very interesting, what KIND of alert does she give you?" or "how did you TRAIN that?"
that being al said, its typically pretty easy to tell a legitimate service dog vs fluffy needs to come grocery shopping...
and a business owner/manager does have EVERY right to ask the handler of a disruptive/badly behaved service dog (even legitimate) to remove the dog.
if the dog is not being disruptive, is acting in a manner befitting what would be expected of a service dog and giving you no reason to suspect otherwise then ask your acess question and if the answer is correct let it go.
I have an issue with anyone faking it...but I have the biggest issue with people who don't even TRY to pretend well and try to pas off a badly behaved dog (or bad handling skills...)
if your faking it...at least make the effort to fake it well...
Oh, geez, are we revisiting this topic for the millionth time?
Do none of you research this forum before posting?
You are more than welcome to walk on by.
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