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!

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.

Thank you for posting this law
 

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

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.

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

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.

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.

I completely agree.

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

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.

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.

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"

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

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.

Ask them.
They'll tell you it soothes their anxiety bouts. I think they should just get an invisible friend, like I had when I was four :ohdear:

Fred

Isn't that called "stealing"? How did she pay for the grapes and lettuce if it didn't go through the check-out first. If I were store security I'd save photos of the lady for the next time she came and hand her over to police with the tape.

I agree, keep the dogs in the home... Same if they are in a Restaurant!!!!!!

BS....... 80% are fake service dog.

ADA rules:
ADA 2010 Revised Requirements: Service Animals

It has to be a dog, performing a service.

It has to be under control

Or it can be a miniature horse.

Crazy people!!!!

My public service announcement
 

To me the " service dog" issue is. 99 % merely much adoo about bs. Degree in liberal arts decrees

The pet monkey was with the big dog!!

I am one who pushes my dog in a stroller. I have balance problems plus bad lungs. My doctor wants me to walk daily. I can't handle a big dog. I have a legal emotional support dog. She has done so much for us. My husband also has medical problems. If I didn't have her I would never be motivated to go for a walk. She loves her walks & makes sure we go out daily unless it rains. She also can't handle the humidity here. I can't carry her when she needs a rest. I bought the stroller so we could go on walks. She is potty pad trained so we don't have to worry about taking her out if the weather is bad. Strollers help people be with their pets which helps with daily stress. A dog in a stroller is not interrupting your life what so ever. Dogs drooling, laying on the floor & shedding hair I can understand. My dog lays in her stroller & is very well behaved. She brings so many smiles to peoples faces & negative looks from people like you.
I would rather have a dog curled up in a stroller next to me anywhere than a Kid or grandkids squirming, screaming, running up & down the floor. At the town squares people bring their kids. All they do is yell, scream & run around trying to get attention. Dogs are just laying on the ground. Very sad that ndogs are better behaved than kids. Next time you see a stroller you can be negative or just be thankful they have the stroller. Store owners will allow the strollers. Most elders now days want to be with their dogs. Elders are the ones supporting the economy. Many will allow well behaved dogs in strollers. Only wish they would only allow well behaved children & grandchildren.

So how about a quarter horse?

Read the regs. "In addition to the provisions about service dogs, the Department’s ADA regulations have a separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. (Miniature horses generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds.) Entities covered by the ADA must modify their policies to permit miniature horses where reasonable. The regulations set out four assessment factors to assist entities in determining whether miniature horses can be accommodated in their facility. The assessment factors are (1) whether the miniature horse is housebroken; (2) whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control; (3) whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight; and (4) whether the miniature horse’s presence will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility."

At least the horse has to be housebroken.

Hi ho Silver! Isn't this a great country?

Publix let in people who may have a cold or not feeling well. They let in runny nose screaming kids & let them run down the isles touching everything. A dog will not affect your health. Think about that next time you go shopping.

On a post a few pages back, someone referenced that a person with diabetes had a service dog and that it WASN'T A SERVICE DOG.

Believe it or not, service dogs are available for people with severe diabetes. They can actually smell when blood sugar is very low. ..very specialized sense of smell.

OK, so a pet monkey and a big dog walk into a bar . . . .

So what is the rest of the joke?

I guess my sarcasm failed.

I would tell you but think I would get bounced. Besides my monkey is underaged for a bar

My sister has epilepsy and seldom leaves home for fear of a seizure. Meds have done little to control them over the years. Her small dog actually senses when one is coming and licks her face in a certain way. When she does enter a store, she has Wolfie and another person with her so they can get her to the car. Her seizures are a fugue-like state, not grand mal. Because she looks “normal,” she has been criticized many times and openly humiliated in public. It’s a no-win situation both ways.😢

I have , several times.

Not all of them are support animals.

Like this......

Non-service dogs in grocery stores - The Law
 

The Food and Drug Administration's Food Guide lays down the law: with few exceptions, live animals of any kind are not permitted on the premises of a grocery store, a restaurant or other food establishment. The prohibition applies to dogs, cats, birds and other animals. Animals are unsanitary, and the law protects the national food supply from contamination from dog drool, urine, feces and other material that dogs carry on their coats and paws and might leave behind on store shelves or counters.

Exceptions
Some dogs are allowed access to grocery stores in spite of the general rule that they are not. For example, law enforcement dogs can come inside, as long as they're accompanying a police or security officer. Without this exception, a canine-officer team in hot pursuit of a criminal would have to stop the chase if the bad guy ran into a grocery store. A similar exception permits service animals for the disabled to be in grocery stores under certain circumstances.

Service Dogs
Laws that regulate dogs in grocery stores must not interfere with the rights of disabled people who use service dogs. The FDA requires grocery stores to allow disabled employees, customers and other business visitors to bring service dogs into their stores. The disabled person must be in control of the dog at all times, and the store can restrict the dog's access so it is only allowed in parts of the store where its activities don't pose a health or safety hazard.

If someone sees a non-service animal inside a grocery store, the person should contact the Food and Drug Protection Division of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at (919) 733-7366. The law allows the division to assess penalties of up to $2,000 for violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, depending on the degree and extent of harm caused by the violation. But, in fact, many states are cracking down on fake service dogs. That includes Florida, where it's actually a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to 60 days in jail, to misrepresent your pet as a service animal.

Enforcement
No dogs are allowed to be in a grocery shopping cart. Service dogs have "four on the floor" when they're not performing a task. This means they walk with their owners and are not transported in a purse, bag, cart or stroller.

That has nothing to do with this issue. Dogs and the people who bring them into grocery stores are simply disgusting!

Those crappy strollers are not going to prevent you from falling. Get a walker.

Not true. You must have certification for the dog and it must be registered to be a service dog. And it has to be labeled to be allowed into businesses.

Service dogs are well trained. Its the “emotional” digs that are usually strays and not trained. If you have such anxiety, maybe a friend should be by your side instead of an untrained dog