[timothyaw]

This post is not directed to sane dog owners. Just the lunatic ones that have to have their dog with them at all times. There is a loop hole in the law that I think a LOT of dog owners are using.

I was at my favorite eating establishment and here come waltzing in was an older couple. The lady <gasp> had a carriage with her oh so precious very small dog in it. On the carriage she wrote, "Service animal". I'm like what, really?

Security is of course bound by the law. If the animal is a "service dog" then the only thing they can do is ask what's her condition. I say she's delusional. But I digress. I guess little dogs can be service animals because they can "sense" when the old croak seizures up or something. This is supposedly science. I say a bunch a hokey pokey.

So I told him, I could bring a reptile in there and slap a "service animal" tag on it and that would be alright. He shrugged his shoulders. So the bottom line is, this lady is just wants her precious little dog with her 24/7. So she just slaps a "service dog" tag on it and calls it a day. I'm sure a LOT more people are on to this loop hole and are exploiting it all the time.

I know we don't need anymore laws or regulations, but this would be an exception IMO. There needs to be some certified way to say this is a "service animal", instead of anybody just slapping a tag on their pet. <rant over>

[ScoopLV]

Won't work. (And trust me, nobody is more sick of these special snowflake princesses and their miserable little rat dogs.)

The reason it won't work is there is language written into the ADA that says that handicapped people do not need to produce any kind of documentation to prove their service animal is legitimate. The idea behind the law is to spare the handicapped from the humiliation of proving their disability.

Special snowflake pampered princesses have figured this out, and ride the coattails of the handicapped. (And I hope karma hits them like a [censored] freight train for abusing handicapped laws.) The resort where I work has a scary legal department. They looked at this for months and decided it was in their best interests to do nothing. They made me sign a paper stipulating I would NEVER discuss service animals, even if the animal clearly wasn't a service animal. Even if the animal is running around, defecating everywhere and biting people. (Call security. Don't approach the guest.) It is NOT my problem. That's how seriously they take the whole service animal thing.

[timothyaw]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

Won't work. (And trust me, nobody is more sick of these special snowflake princesses and their miserable little rat dogs.)

The reason it won't work is there is language written into the ADA that says that handicapped people do not need to produce any kind of documentation to prove their service animal is legitimate. The idea behind the law is to spare the handicapped from the humiliation of proving their disability.

Special snowflake pampered princesses have figured this out, and ride the coattails of the handicapped. (And I hope karma hits them like a [censored] freight train for abusing handicapped laws.) The resort where I work has a scary legal department. They looked at this for months and decided it was in their best interests to do nothing. They made me sign a paper stipulating I would NEVER discuss service animals, even if the animal clearly wasn't a service animal. Even if the animal is running around, defecating everywhere and biting people. (Call security. Don't approach the guest.) It is NOT my problem. That's how seriously they take the whole service animal thing.

See that SUCKS in a major way. It's very unsanitary to have them in a restaurant. It's common sense. Double UGH.

[ScoopLV]

Of course it's common sense.

But let's say it's your restaurant. And there's a guest with a dog which is well behaved, but not on a harness. And the guest obviously is not sightless. Are you going to approach the guest? Are you willing to take the lawsuit if the guest turns out to be a chronic epileptic with a seizure dog? Lawsuits are expensive. Paying off guests with service animals is something business owners need only do once before the proverb "once bitten, twice shy" kicks in.

You and I both know it's almost always special snowflake pampered princesses with Pomeranians (and similar). They'll claim separation anxiety if confronted. And how do you know if it's a cop-out or not? (Personally, I think it's ALWAYS a cop-out. Anyone with that much anxiety can STAY HOME and stop annoying his or her fellows.)

Like I said, they're abusing disability laws which were written for others. And may lightning strike them for doing that. But it's not my call. No lawsuits for me, thanks.

[LVAllen]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

Even if the animal is running around, defecating everywhere and biting people. (Call security. Don't approach the guest.) It is NOT my problem. That's how seriously they take the whole service animal thing.

If the little rat is not house-broken or is uncontrolled, absolutely they can require the animal be removed. But they then have to give the pampered little princess the opportunity to conduct their business without the animal on the premises.

[yellowsnow]

Yeah, I know it's taken advantage of bigtime. But I do think they have to actually train the dog to get the certification. I know someone who did this just to be able to take her dog with her in the summer when it's too hot to leave the dog in the car.

[ScoopLV]

There are doctors who will write pet certifications just like there are doctors who will write prescriptions for opiates. If this interests you, Google "Service Animal Faker" for the disgusting world of pampered little princesses (and princes -- there are lots and lots of men who are fakers, too). But calling them "princess" is more satisfying. A pox on them all.

And lest this thread get moved -- this is most certainly a Las Vegas problem. I travel often. I have never seen the faker problem in other cities the way I see it in Las Vegas. Las Vegas attracts more of this kind of [censored]. They're everywhere here. And it seems like locals are just as guilty as tourists. Something about this flippin' city attracts the sort of lowlifes who are OK with abusing disability rules.

May the fleas of 1,000 camels infest their genitals....

[ElleTea]

Hmmm...off to make some signs

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

Yeah, I know it's taken advantage of bigtime. But I do think they have to actually train the dog to get the certification. I know someone who did this just to be able to take her dog with her in the summer when it's too hot to leave the dog in the car.

I don't think there's any certification necessary to go only and buy one of those coats that say "Service Animal" for the pet to wear. I see them all the time in Tucson. Usually the dogs are even older than the people who drag them around. Who is servicing whom?

[DoggieMatic]

To be a certified canine assistance animal, most states/counties require the animal to complete the AKC's Canine Good Citizen training & certification. Politically-correct federal/state rulings like HIPAA might mean you can't ask a person if they're 'handicapped' & to prove it, but it's just poorly-worded laws & businesses afraid of lawsuits & bad publicity ("Acme Grocery store denies entry to innocent, poor handicapped woman! Film at 11!") that don't cause people to have to prove that their service animal is certified as one.

A word of caution though, legal/ethical status or not, some people have that animal with them for very legitimate emotional concerns & if you challenge them about the presence of that animal & their need for it, you could learn the hard way that the presence of the animal truly did provide the human with some necessary emotional stability better than any medication could.