TooJay’s
 

Don’t get me wrong I love dogs have two myself, just because you have a leash that says “service dog” doesn’t make it a service dog. If it was a SD the owner would not have to apologize for it coming over to me and sniffing my leg. A true SD would sit or stand at it’s owners side. No place in a restaurant.

Good thing all Rover did was sniff.

Two Friday's ago, my family visited Piezannos at Lake Deaton and out comes a patron with his wee dog on a leash. No Service Dog indicator, just a privileged senior on one end and a spoiled dog on the other.

Everyone in my party made the same set of comments "hope it didn't do its business in my booth" or "I hope it didn't pee on the chairs", etc.

We tend to comment about the lack of mental strength and health of our younger generations. I say, guess where they go it.

With that remark, I'm willing to bet, you're a DOG owner. :doggie:
Your Rover don't belong where the public eats, period!

This situation is now out of control. Saw a couple outside of Darells and they had three small dogs with them and sitting on blanket. None of the dogs had markings showing that they were a service dog.

Brother's son had a real service dog and it was trained for 18 months and had to have certain criteria such as longevity temprament, etc These dogs are now emotional "support" dogs.

That is legal according to the Federal ADA law. No documentation or proof is required for a service dog. No Florida law can supercede it.

But, I propose that Florida enact a law that, anyone dining in a restaurant when a dog enters, can notify the manager and leave immediately without owing any money to the restaurant. I think that would help to alleviate the problem.

Correct...

"You may not require proof that the animal has been certified, trained or licensed as a service animal. You may not require the animal to wear an identifying vest or tag. You may not ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the task or work."

Yes, not surprising, today.

You can be anything you want to be by just identifying as such.

You could probably identify as a service dog and be allowed to sit at the feet of furry lover at a sushi bar.

I identify as a restaurant patron who prefers no animals around the preparation or consumption of food.

While I agree the fake service dog thing is out of control, the outside seating at Darrell’s is pet friendly and non service dogs are actually encouraged by the establishment. Their slogan is Darrell’s Dog Gone Good Diner, with a picture of what appears to be a yellow lab.

It is very much out of control. If you claim it is a service dog when in fact it is not you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Outdoor setting is for patrons with well behaved pets.

But it’s ok for people to bring their rug rats kicking and screaming to restaurants!

SD or ES
 

I do not live in the Villages but my two dogs are ESA. Both have red harness staying Emotional Support. Both have been certified as such and both have ESA cards I carry with me. But, there are people out there claiming such and the animal is not registered . They allow the dog to do whatever like a spoiled two year old. Service Animals are a necessity plain and simple. I do not take my ESA to a restaurant because I do not need Emotional Sport to eat. I have seen older females hanging on to their ESA dog for dear life or pushing the little darling throughout the eatery in a doggy stroller. No need for that.

Esa
 

It does not matter if a person has a note from a doctor that states that the person has a disability and needs to have the animal for emotional support. A doctor’s letter does not turn an animal into a service animal.

Florida’s ESA rules make clear that in order to have a valid emotional support animal, the tenant must possess documentation from a licensed health care practitioner.

All prospective ESA owners should understand that a mere certificate, ID or registration bought online will not be enough to properly qualify their animal companion as an ESA.

This lady claimed it was a Service Dog, not a ESA.

Chapter 413, para 413.8

b) Documentation that the service animal is trained is not a precondition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal. A public accommodation may not ask about the nature or extent of an individual’s disability. To determine the difference between a service animal and a pet, a public accommodation may ask if an animal is a service animal required because of a disability and what work or tasks the animal has been trained to perform.

I was in Publix on 466A last week and a lady on one of the store’s electric carts came down the frozen foods aisle with TWO (2) “service” dogs. Some folks just have to abuse things!

I am a lot more concerned with people who park in handicap spots and are not handicapped. Lots of people keep handicap placards Way beyond when they really need them also and think it just gets them a better spot but for someone that has a true handicap it makes it a lot harder

There is no such thing as a certified ESA dog. An ESA dog can legally ONLY go where any pet dog can go in public. They get ZERO special privileges except for being allowed to reside in a rental dwelling without a pet deposit /allowed where in a rental where pets are not allowed or allowed in hotels. That's it and sadly this has turned into a massive scam as well that sadly many "doctors" have jumped on the bandwagon with for their scheming patients to get out of paying deposits or getting their pets allowed. Hopefully that will go away soon just like ESA dogs are not allowed on planes any more.

And I'm a huge dog lover, have a retired SAR k9 (search and rescue) . I'm just sick of all the fakes out there taking advantage of the system.

Darells allows dogs to be outside. The people did nothing wrong.

The owners identify the dog as a child that can eat their leftovers and lick the plate clean.

That is not even close to a true statement. ADA does not cover animals.

Darrell’s allows dogs there, unfortunately

Huh?

"Under Florida law and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), people with disabilities may bring their service animals to all "public accommodations," such as restaurants, museums, hotels, and stores. These laws also require those who operate transportation services to allow service animals."

Dogs etc.
 

I fully understand a service dog that is identifiable and needed, like a blind person, a physicaly handicapped person, but an ESA dog, bird, snake, what a crock. Seems we are becoming a weak emotionally disfunctional society. Believing in dragging all sorts of animals around to inappropriate places imposing on others. Thinking it's ok to state what gender we identify as when nature has clearly made that decision already. Etc etc. We have become a weak society. I could go on but to what end. This country is too far down the road to ruin to stop it now. So glad I am not a youthful person, I'm hoping I won't be here to see the end.

Was that law passed to get votes from people who think their “fur babies” cross a “Rainbow Bridge” instead of being euthanized and dying? It doesn’t seem very sensible. If people are so emotionally fragile that they require an “Emotional Support Animal” to keep from melting down, they shouldn’t go to places where dogs haven’t generally been allowed. (I don’t include guide dogs.) What passes these days as a need for “emotional support” generally means some people around here like to take their dogs everywhere. l like dogs a lot, especially smaller ones, and I don’t mind their going around with owners if the dogs are well-trained, but staying at home instead of going to the restaurant for humans won’t kill them.

The biggest reason to not bring your dog to a restaurant is so that those who are dining there who are very allergic to dander would like to be able to comfortably breathe while doing so.

If I wanted to eat with a did, I go to the kennel. Restaurants are for people!

If you mean outdoor seating that is not allowed according to Florida law. Local governments can issue permits if certain rules are followed.

Calm down
 

Dogs do not walk around carry disease just by being present! If you are so concerned about a dog sitting on the ground at the next table, Please never let your mind think about the kitchen in which your food was prepared or the folks preparing your food. Many more sanitation issues with those!! Even at the best of restaurants!!

We build biographies of strangers in our minds based on very little information. I’m as guilty as anyone. But today I’m going to attempt to be a little kinder and less judgmental. Anybody with me?

How do you know that. Why be so judgemental without knowing the story!

I have rejected a handicap parking placard several times. I am short of 60 and would like to think I can get around on my own. Just because the doctors want me to get one does not mean I need it. There are many for whom that spot is a necessity.

Are you a child? Only a child can identify what a child is. Stay in your lane.

(As I reread the above post, as ludicrous as it is I believe there will be some, perhaps many, who believe it and frighteningly so agree with it. It was written in jest)

Thank you for mentioning people that are allergic to animal dander. Many years ago I made an airline reservation months in advance. This is when the airlines first started allowing animals on flights. A women got on the plane and sat next to me. She had a cute small dog. After a short time, I started to notice that I was getting a tightness in my chest and started to wheeze. I excused myself and went to the stewardess and told her that I had a problem. The only solution was for one of us to move all the way to the back of the plane. Guess who had to move? I was the one with the problem, so I had to go to the rear of the plane. I called the airline when I returned and asked if there is any way I could know in advance if there would be an animal on a flight I was going to be on. I was told that they don't know in advance if someone is bringing an animal. The only solution would be to ask to be moved further away from the animal or wait to get on the next flight and there would be no guarantee if there would be an animal on that flight. I guess her dog had more of right to be on that flight than I did.

You may, however, ask the function for which the dog has been trained.

I am a dog person, I love them, hell I like them more than people. That said, I think the ADA should certify service dogs, and the owner should be required to produce proof of certification if they want to bring their service dog into restaurants and food stores. I didn't actually feel this way until recently. A member of a group I'm in, has a dog who wears a service vest. He brings the dog everywhere. The dog goes up to people to be petted, the dog barks at people it decides it should bark at. The owner doesn't even discipline the dog when she barks at people, which happened in a restaurant last week. If there was some sort of certification, not where they owner has to reveal their reason for needing a service dog, but to prove the dog was legit..... things like this would be eliminated.

People don't realize that there are those with severe allergies to dogs that if they are to touch something that a dog has been against and then touch their own face they will have a severe reaction. Dogs do not belong in restaurants or grocery stores where it can possibly be harmful to others.

What rules, regulations, decorum and/or laws apply in public places for ESH’s…emotional support humans?

Emotional support dog owners have only limited legal rights that typically require a letter of diagnosis from the owner’s doctor or psychiatrist. Although they don’t have unlimited access to public spaces, the Fair Housing Act mandates “reasonable accommodations” for emotional support animals, even in buildings that don’t allow pets. As of January 2021, airlines are no longer required to accommodate emotional support animals.

The fact that "The dog goes up to people to be petted, the dog barks at people it decides it should bark at." is all the info you need to know that the dog is not a certified service animal!

Dog
 

🤣. Now that’s funny!