That's lame what if the dog is a whinging hound , I would pick a well behaved child any day

I don't think whinging hounds are normally used for service dogs.

Why do you assume they "don't understand..." what the consequences are? Do you think the able bodied people fraudulently obtaining Handicapped Parking stickers don't understand about the actual handicapped peoples plight? A while back I read about a guy suing for a Handicapped Sticker on the grounds that he was suffering from a handicap; it was depression. Yeah... that really merits a shorter walk to the grocery store.
Everyone is just be too afraid to crack down on this abuse. Someone might say they're "against the handicapped" and "cruel and heartless"... Then everyone jumps on the "see how much I care" bandwagon and nothing gets done.

Shouldn't "whinging" (sic) be capitalized?
Is that a new breed???
:shrug:

I think he was just winging it.

I would like to sit next to a dog, just about anytime. I also love children, even if they are whining, and I have some great tricks to get them to stop. Kids, old men and drunks just love me.

But sometimes I think people take advantage of others and use excuses that are lies like I am guessing the women carrying a dog into TooJays was doing.

It wouldn't bother me, but it would bother others, and generally they aren't allowed, and that is the point. Just follow the rules, please Lady with the small dog. You are making it harder for people to understand those who love furries.

And a few young"ish" men also. (Perhaps in my mind I'm young anyway)

You did notice in my post that I clearly stated a well-behaved dog or cat versus a crying child.

However, I have never had the opportunity to be seated next to a dog or cat on a plane.

I don't understand who the depressed person would sue? The handicapped parking card application must be completed by a physician and states on it what type of walking restrictions the applicant must have to obtain the card. It may not be a visible handicap but might be a lung or heart condition. I do not think a physician would complete the application for a depressed person.

I don't assume anything but I do try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Yes, there are some who truly don't care if they harm others but I think the vast majority do care. Those who insist on special rights to which they have no entitlement are selfish and egotistical. Their comfort comes before all others. But that doesn't mean they have a clue to the harm done to a person in need of the special services. More than once I've accosted someone parking in a handicapped spot replying they "will only be a few minutes". They don't consider that someone who truly needs that spot might come along in those few minutes. They see no harm in their actions. The same goes for people who think their dog needs to be with them at all times. They know what they are doing is wrong but I doubt they truly understand the issues it causes for those who truly need an ES animal. Regardless, their wants take precedence over the comfort of anyone else. Their actions are wrong and reprehensible.

Every time I go out here, I see more dogs on leashes in stores and restaurants, with no vests/collars that indicate service dog. The one that sticks in my mind right now was at a cashier counter line or counter front (like Bob Evans' cashier counter or Walgreens but it wasn't there), and the fairly large dog was freely sniffing in all the candy bar trays and other packaged snacks there.

The owner was doing the usual, purposeful looking away and across the room, pretending to not know the dog might be slobbering on or grabbing with his mouth a package of snacks.

Plus, he would not have seen if the dog started bothering another customer behind him who was waiting to pay. I'm seeing this more every month, in places where it's not appropriate for animals (unless they're a valid service dog).

The arrogance of such dog owners is disturbing, and it's getting to be more commonplace. They don't seem to care in the least if the dog leaves drool or snot on snack packages that another customer is going to pick up to buy. This disrespect for business owners and other customers is part of the whole trend of disrespect going on in this society and it stinks.

Sunny, I agree with you completely. However, haven't we all seen the exact same thing with toddlers at the candy/snack packages by the cash registers? Do you want to pick up those candies after it has been handled or mouthed by a child whose mother is self absorbed in the tabloids?

I love dogs and kids. Not so much liars and schemers and people out to con anybody.

Of course not. But babies and other unattended kids and parents who do nothing to correct them are there legally according to health and other laws/codes. And humans come before animals, regardless of what the selfish pet owners think.

As with the unruly or unattended pet, it's the parents, not the toddler, who fostered such behavior.

:22yikes: A dog in a store where he isn't allowed eating snacks while the owner ignores the behavior? Leaving snot and drool in the check-out line? We bought in The Villages in 2007 and I've never once seen the type of behavior you describe.

It must just be happening in the new areas --- Don't hurt me --- I'M KIDDING. :duck:

Quote from an article in The New Yorker- by Patricia Marx

"Contrary to what many business managers think, having an emotional-support card merely means that one’s pet is registered in a database of animals whose owners have paid anywhere from seventy to two hundred dollars to one of several organizations, none of which are recognized by the government. (You could register a Beanie Baby, as long as you send a check.) Even with a card, it is against the law and a violation of the city’s health code to take an animal into a restaurant. Nor does an emotional-support card entitle you to bring your pet into a hotel, store, taxi, train, or park.

No such restrictions apply to service dogs, which, like Secret Service agents and Betty White, are allowed to go anywhere. In contrast to an emotional-support animal (E.S.A.), a service dog is trained to perform specific tasks, such as pulling a wheelchair and responding to seizures. The I.R.S. classifies these dogs as a deductible medical expense, whereas an emotional-support animal is more like a blankie. An E.S.A. is defined by the government as an untrained companion of any species that provides solace to someone with a disability, such as anxiety or depression. The rights of anyone who has such an animal are laid out in two laws. The Fair Housing Act says that you and your E.S.A. can live in housing that prohibits pets. The Air Carrier Access Act entitles you to fly with your E.S.A. at no extra charge, although airlines typically require the animal to stay on your lap or under the seat—this rules out emotional-support rhinoceroses. Both acts stipulate that you must have a current, corroborating letter from a mental health professional."

I think I'm going to print this out and tuck it in my purse.

I agree with Barefoot. We have an 11 year old yellow lab who is the center of our universe, however, we would not even consider taking him to a square, Home Depot or much less a restaurant. It is not considerate to those who are not dog lovers who also reside here. The dog can survive for a few hours while the masters are away.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine was visiting us in The Villages, and she brought her German Shepard wearing a "service dog" vest. I know she is in the process of getting him certified as a therapy dog, but as far as I knew, he really wasn't a service dog.

We went to Toojays at Spanish Springs and the Hostess asked for some sort of ID for the dog and when my friend couldn't produce it (saying they didn't need to show anything), the Hostess got the Manager. The Manager very nicely ... insisted that they needed to see some sort of documentation in order to allow the dog into the restaurant.

My friend was very upset, and of course we weren't able to stay there for dinner, but I was glad Toojays asked for ID and then required it in order to bring the dog into the restaurant. I think more stores and restaurants need to do this in since so many people are buying service coats online and fraudulently using them.

For many years I have been involved with a guide dog organization, and I know how difficult these personal dogs trying to pass as service dogs is making it for legitimate working dogs. Hopefully we'll see some sort of legislation to protect the real working dogs in this country.

Given your background you probably know this,but the ID the manager asked for is the key to linking the dog to the owner. He was entirely correct to ask for it. Your friend must be terribly embarrassed, especially since she didn't know the ID is mandatory.

You all cry more than a puppy.

It is the self centered American way of life.

Well , I read the ADA bulletin and I see "Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA." So I do not have the same interpretation that a comfort dog must be admitted. A person playing this game is the same as somebody who cuts in line. Just plain rude.

Too Jays or any other restaurant cannot ask to see documentation.
That could be a lawsuit.
Here is one of the paragraphs......

When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

Thanks, Bonny, for the correction. This must be relatively new because one of the original,purposes of the card was to use as proof that the dog and owner were legitimate as a pair. I've seen it requested in hotels, restaurants and other establishments over the years.

She got away with one. Travelling on planes with comfort animals is not part of the ADA, but rather the Air Carrier Access Act. Legally, the lady would need a letter from a mental health professional currently treating her for a mental illness listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. Under this provision, the animal needn't be a dog. It could be a gecko if that is what the shrink says the passenger needs.

way too many "comfort dogs" in TV. IMHO and I love dogs

Jeez, give it up. If the dogs aren't peeing, pooping, barking, whining or begging for food from others than their owner, LET. IT. GO.

I don't like CERTAIN people but I've learned to tolerate them.

There is a bigger percentage of the population of The Villages who are ballsy, pushy and in your face and will do what they want to do no matter how it inconveniences or aggravates others, far more then where I came from.

I HATE that about The Villages.

It is the first time I have run into this behavior on a regular basis.

I don't know whether it is age or how they were raised.

Thank goodness that because the place is so big we can choose not to hang out with them. Tons and buckets full of nice and kind and polite and caring folks.

I quite agree with you, Gracie - in the midwest we were taught not to be self-centered, but to be mindful of others. I don't see much of that attitude in the stores and restaurants here. Thank goodness we have found lots of wonderful friends to hang out with here in The Villages. You can have lots of fun without being obnoxious!

Maybe the dog is the only one to agree or approve of, it's owner. :D

In the northeast we are taught to be self-centered and not mindful of others. That takes many years of practice and studying but as soon as we pass the test they ship us to Florida. That's why we make up 40% of the population and don't see it on a regular basis.

It's more about how you were brought up and not where you were brought up! Didn't mean to offend anybody.

I wasn't offended. I was just trying to be satirical.

Last week was all about not whining, being happy to be alive and how wonderful it is to live here.

That's funny, and I appreciate the humor. But there is some bit of truth in there. Northeasters, especially because of the overcrowded conditions, tend to be more self-centered--and I do not mean "self-absorbed" at all. It's not all about them. It's all about their attempts to get around.

We lived in north Jersey for three years after being raised and living in Pittsburgh, one of the friendliest cities in the US (had to get that in). We noticed how difficult it is to accomplish daily-living chores in north Jersey, such as grocery shopping, driving from point A to point B on overcrowded highways, getting to the post office (you think the lines here are long???). Even to the point of there not being enough grocery carts at Pathmark for all the customers, and lines to check out snaking down the aisles. And don't even think about going to a shopping mall during Christmas and expect to find a place to park, much less checking out with less than an hour's wait.

After the first year, when we got involved in the schools and talked to people at our little neighborhood beach and bus stops, people got to know you and loosened up. What we had been seeing was the general public. Then we got to know the people around us. Great people.

Sorry if I'm off topic. Now back to The Nerve of Some People...

What we had been seeing was the general public.

Isn't the general public the same people who live in other little NJ neighborhoods including mine?
"The Census Bureau has defined the Northeast region as comprising nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania." Besides, Pittsburg, PA is in a Northeast State." You really never left the region.

I don't understand the big surprise at finding pushy, selfish, and entitled people around here. By the time people are retired, they may feel that they have made enough compromises in their life so now they are going to do things their way. They have followed all the rules until now, and from here-on it's time to have more fun. They have worked hard to retire in style, and they have no use for the people around them who have not. Maybe they are just more grumpy because of the aging process. Maybe they resent the injustices in society, and want to strike back in some way. We may not find many of these personalities where we came from, because of population diversity. But, a retirement community does have a high concentration of them.

In terms of crowding, we really did. Also, Western PA is more closely associated with the eastern part of the mid-west. Strangers did not walk down the street in Morristown or Lincoln Park and strike up a conversation for no good reason. (Isn't this a beautiful day, love your dog, etc.) I once commented on how cute a baby was in a stroller in pathmark, and the mom rushed off immediately as if I might kidnap it.

I came to appreciate the directness of the east coasters and even some of it became ingrained eventually--like know what you want before asking a question, esp. in small stores, be succinct, don't hold up lines.

If I was stuck in a house, didn't have any friends to speak of, didn't have a ton of activities and clubs waiting for when I can't golf anymore, nothing to shovel in the winter, AC wherever I go in the summer, I would agree with you.

I got nothing to be cranky about down here. I'm not being a pollyanna either. If we found this place when my folks were alive, they would have moved here too.

To whom are you speaking? If you,re talking to me, I think you misinterpreted my comments. I love it down here.

Like CFrance, I was born and raised in the western part of PA and as a young adult I moved to southeastern PA. There really is a significant difference between the people of the 2 regions. I always said the dividing line between the Northeast and the Midwest is really somewhere in the middle of PA because of this. I'll never forget the first time my husband, who is from southeastern PA, went with me to my hometown to meet my family. We were walking down the street and random people passing by kept saying "hello". He asked me if I knew all of these people and when I responded no, he wondered why they were saying "hello" to us. I really didn't know how to explain it to him except to say that's just the way it is around here. To me that was just normal - not so to him. And that's when I first realized the difference between eastern PA and western PA. :smiley:

If you need a dog for emotional support, I hope the same person who issued the dogs ID as a "Comfort Dog", put her in the system so they cannot buy a firearm. If you need a dog to lean on you sure don't need a gun. If they have guns in the house, they should be turned in.