[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by VApeople

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

So what is the rest of the joke?

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

[llmcdaniel]

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.😢

[crydzanich]

I have , several times.

[crydzanich]

Not all of them are support animals.

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by EdFNJ

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.

Like this......

[Bbgranny1]

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.

[swooner]

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.

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

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by nevjudbaker

I am one who pushes my dog in a stroller. I have balance problems .

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

[Girlcopper]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

There is a common misconception that there is some type of official certification, or vest required for service dogs. There is no such requirement. Anyone can have a dog, self train it to perform a task, and it will immediately become a service animal in full compliance with the Federal ADA law. The dog does not need to wear anything to identify it as a service animal. The only requirement is that the dog's owner, if asked, needs to say that the dog is a service animal trained to perform a task. If you ask anything else, you are violating the Federal law.

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.

[Girlcopper]

Originally Posted by kendi

True service dogs are well trained. It's not right that people can get that distinction for their dog so easily.

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

[Judy n Ron]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

There is a common misconception that there is some type of official certification, or vest required for service dogs. There is no such requirement. Anyone can have a dog, self train it to perform a task, and it will immediately become a service animal in full compliance with the Federal ADA law. The dog does not need to wear anything to identify it as a service animal. The only requirement is that the dog's owner, if asked, needs to say that the dog is a service animal trained to perform a task. If you ask anything else, you are violating the Federal law.

Wow! I'd hate to be sentenced to a stint at Leavenworth for asking the dog guy if he knows where the ketchup is!!

[raney3099]

I agree. I love my dog, but would never bring her shopping or visit to peoples home. She’s part of our family not everyone else’s. She’s still a dog.

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by Girlcopper

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.

From the US DOJ:



Q8. Do service animals have to wear a vest or patch or special harness identifying them as service animals?
A. No. The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.



Q17. Does the ADA require that service animals be certified as service animals?
A. No. Covered entities may not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal, as a condition for entry.



Q20. My city requires me to register my dog as a service animal. Is this legal under the ADA?
A. No. Mandatory registration of service animals is not permissible under the ADA. However, as stated above, service animals are subject to the same licensing and vaccination rules that are applied to all dogs.




Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA

[shyrlburt]

Emotional Support Dogs are not allowed in restaurants or grocery stores, whereas Service Dogs are. I daresay many of the dogs we see in these establishments are emotional support dogs.

II. Service Animal Defined by Title II and Title III of the ADA
A service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Tasks performed can include, among other things, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, alerting a person to a sound, reminding a person to take medication, or pressing an elevator button.

Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs are not service animals under Title II and Title III of the ADA. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not considered service animals either. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. 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.

Examples of animals that fit the ADA’s definition of “service animal” because they have been specifically trained to perform a task for the person with a disability:

· Guide Dog or Seeing Eye® Dog1 is a carefully trained dog that serves as a travel tool for persons who have severe visual impairments or are blind.

· Hearing or Signal Dog is a dog that has been trained to alert a person who has a significant hearing loss or is deaf when a sound occurs, such as a knock on the door.

· Psychiatric Service Dog is a dog that has been trained to perform tasks that assist individuals with disabilities to detect the onset of psychiatric episodes and lessen their effects. Tasks performed by psychiatric service animals may include reminding the handler to take medicine, providing safety checks or room searches, or turning on lights for persons with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, interrupting self-mutilation by persons with dissociative identity disorders, and keeping disoriented individuals from danger.

· SSigDOG (sensory signal dogs or social signal dog) is a dog trained to assist a person with autism. The dog alerts the handler to distracting repetitive movements common among those with autism, allowing the person to stop the movement (e.g., hand flapping).

· Seizure Response Dog is a dog trained to assist a person with a seizure disorder. How the dog serves the person depends on the person’s needs. The dog may stand guard over the person during a seizure or the dog may go for help. A few dogs have learned to predict a seizure and warn the person in advance to sit down or move to a safe place.

[Jmforrester]

Last year I saw a scared, shaking little puppy defecate on the floor at Walmart in the main isle in front of the registers. Not the puppies fault but the owners. Dogs do not belong in grocery stores or restaurants.