[Chabill]

My sister in law buys " service animal" vests for her pets so she can take them where she wants. If only there was some way to guarantee that all the dogs are truly serving their owners and not just pets!

[vermonster]

Originally Posted by jsd412

Stop judging when you don’t know. Just because you can’t see what the impairment is doesn’t mean it’s not there. There are working dogs trained to alert their owner if their blood sugar is dropping, about to have a seizure, alert the hearing impaired of sirens, assist those with anxiety & ptsd. There are many reasons for a service dog that you cannot tell what service they are providing nor is it any of your business. Sure there will some who take advantage of the system but service animals are imperative to many people.

Yes, a service dog can be trained to help someone with a psychiatric disability such as PTSD and many others. It may not be obvious what that disability(ies) is (are). A proper service dog will have have behavioral training at the level of CGCA or the equivalent at the minimum, as well as training specific to the diagnosed disability(ies). It will have a docile temperament, will not approach other people without invitation, and will never get nervous around people or other dogs. It will have intelligence and intuition. BTW, I never confront people parking in a handicap space even though they may have no visible handicap.

[BossLady]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

Florida regs re service animals:
Florida Laws on Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals | Nolo.

Thank you for the link. Well, it’s not as tight of a Law as I would like.

[EdFNJ]

Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA

My favorite dog gross-out is when people sit their dogs on public chairs, like in the "baby seats" on supermarket carriages or the outside seating at restaurants or the chairs in front of Starbucks at LSL with nothing under their (the dogs ) butt end. I don't know any dogs who know how to use toilet paper.

[Number 10 GI]

Originally Posted by EdFNJ

Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA

My favorite dog gross-out is when people sit their dogs on public chairs, like in the "baby seats" on supermarket carriages or the outside seating at restaurants or the chairs in front of Starbucks at LSL with nothing under their (the dogs ) butt end. I don't know any dogs who know how to use toilet paper.

They use their tongue. So remember that when Fluffy licks your face.

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by Number 10 GI

They use their tongue. So remember that when Fluffy licks your face.

Yep, true, but not "MY" face, or hands or any body parts. Ever.

[Stu from NYC]

I took my monkey to a super market today and he was in a cart. Was very well behaved and when we went thru the fruit aisle one of the managers gave him a banana and when he wolfed it down he now got a dozen more.

Does anyone think we should have paid for the bananas? It was a real conundrum.

[bobnyce]

The truth is too many knuckleheads believe they should be able to take their babies (pets are not babies) anywhere. Our dog is 12 years old and has never been in a store or annoyed anyone. He is at home enjoying the air conditioning because he is smarter than the average knucklehead. Dogs is grocery carts is absurd. Dogs have dirty buts and bellies and sitting in a grocery cart is too much to handle. No dogs should ever be in a grocery cart! My two cents.

[Number 10 GI]

Originally Posted by EdFNJ

Yep, true, but not "MY" face, or hands or any body parts. Ever.

I completely agree.

[Rosebud1949]

The entitled and those with attitude strike everywhere......

[vivacious32162]

Service dogs are for the blind. It is long overdue for consequences for those who lack integrity. (The same goes for those using handicapped parking spaces illegitimately.) Those of us who are concerned about this must voice our opinions and take action. I have seen this also and find it unacceptable. What about stores selling food? Dogs do not have the same hygiene as humans. I have approached employees and managers. Their response is they cannot ask anyone to leave. Notice that their are signs posted at the entrances of many of these stores. If no one is going to enforce, thru are meaningless. What about people with allergies? I have approached the people with dogs. They laugh and walk away. They ask , “What business is it of mine? “
I believe there was a referendum on last year’s ballot that resulted in this. I began to notice the dogs in the stores this year.
I believe we must call the Dept. of Agriculture. I tried the local Dept. of Health. How can a store selling food permit animals also?
There are many issues here. First, people who do not own dogs have rights also. Dog owners , please keep your dogs on your private property, or leashed on community property, and let the dogs do their business in such places. I do not care to encounter your dogs sitting on chairs I use to dine (saw at Toojay’s in Spanish Springs). I do not care to look down when I walk around the Squares; so I do not trip on your dogs. When I am weeding on my property, or my grandkids come and play in my yard, I do not want to think your dog has done its business there. You may have decided to own a dog, but we don’t for various reasons. Each person has rights.
As we can readily see in our country, this lack of integrity has Large scale ramifications.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

As someone who has both pet dogs of her own and also helps train and socialize service dogs in training, it is in accordance with Florida law that the dog and handler of a dog in training are afforded the same rights as a fully trained service dog. I DO take the dog in training everywhere I go and 99.9% of the time these dogs are perfectly behaved and exactly what you would expect a true service dog to be as far as behavior. However, since these dogs are in training, sometimes you will see something that looks 'wrong' like a dog that hesitates before going into a store or pulls back from a shopping cart. I even had a dog bark at someone while under a table in a restaurant. It is very important that I, as the trainer, deal with these issues and uncover them before these dogs go to their intended disabled veteran at the end of training. If I didn't expose the dog to many, many different scenarios and push the limit of what each dog can tolerate then we wouldn't know what behaviors to correct before the disabled person finally gets their trained dog. Our dogs ultimately know almost 90 commands. They expect a well trained dog in the end and this doesn't happen by magic- it happens because someone put in a lot of work, took the dog to restaurants, stores, on planes, to parks, doctor's offices and everywhere the new owner might go. Only experience gives the potential service dog that kind of confidence when the time comes. It has to be the trainer; it can't be the new disabled owner dealing with a dog going to these places for the first time. And please remember that not all disabilities are visible. We have placed dogs with veterans with traumatic brain injuries that weren't immediately obvious by looking at a person or with PTSD as well as veterans in wheel chairs whose condition makes it more obvious. My biggest problem hasn't been the dogs, it's people who, when asked not to look at, talk to or touch the dog, will often say "I don't mind" and reach for the dog anyway. These dogs are medical equipment and necessary for the owner. You wouldn't object to someone bringing in their wheelchair to a store because the wheels carry germs or take up too much aisle space. BTW, in Florida only dogs and miniature horses can legally be service animals so no monkeys or gators, sorry. And I too am furious about the easy availability of the fake vest/fake service dog situation. It makes it much, much harder on those of us with a legit dog and purpose.

[kennie]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Read the Federal ADA law. The dog is a service animal who performs a necessary service for the owner, who has a disability and cannot function without the dog's assistance.

Maybe they should be wearing the leash instead.
If management wasn't so concerned about offending the people maybe they would say "GET DOG THE H%&* OUT OF THE STORE"

[Timeweaver1]

A service dog is highly trained and would not be sniffing food.

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by JGVillages

In 14+ years in TV, and I shop at Publix, I have never seen a dog that wasn’t a service dog.

Then you don't get out much. I shop at Publix, I have seen people carrying then, I have seen them in the push carts with food and of course I have seen them (once) in a baby carriage. Publix doesn't care about your health, or mine, they care about revenue. Just got to accept that or go someplace out of the bubble.