Fake Service Animals

[Walkoff Balk]

Man says his emotional support alligator, known for its big social media audience, has gone missing | KHON2

Alligator shoes just walkoff away.

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Phillies deny emotional support alligator from entering ballpark | KHON2

See you later, alligator.

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Dog brought into grocery store sparks anger as fellow shopper lets the F-word fly, Reddit user says (yahoo.com)

At least dogs don't do the five paws discount.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.yahoo.com/news/emotional...121920131.html

The Covid vaccination being an issue showed how some people are selfish.

[mel]

Re: Fake Service Animals

They need to enforce this everywhere. All airlines and beyond that... stores, restaurants, theaters, etc.

"A Dec. 2 ruling from the U.S. Department of Transportation that amended the department’s Air Carrier Access Act grants airlines the authority to classify emotional support animals as pets rather than service animals. Under the ruling, only dogs that meet specific training criteria are allowed as service animals for people with physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disabilities."

Hawaiian and Southwest. I hope you are both next.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.yahoo.com/news/alaska-ai...194403777.html

Emotionally support animals know their rights.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dot-rule-...162325987.html

It's so unfair when you get to cheat the honor system. Wait, that was the artist formerly known as the president who get to do that.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/...over-dog-bite/

Delta get you there. So, just rub some dirt on the dog bite.

[matapule]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.yahoo.com/news/emotional...121920131.html

It's an emotional support animals on service dogs crime.

The article is 100% spot on and I agree with it. Emotional support animals receive no training. Service animals are highly trained and highly skilled and can prove it. For example my dog has passed stringent AKC (American Kennel Club) certifications and has passed with "Canine Good Citizen" and "On Leash Obedience" titles (which took a year of training to obtain}.

I am all in favor of stricter requirements for animals in public places.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.yahoo.com/news/emotional...121920131.html

It's an emotional support animals on service dogs crime.

[matapule]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...234848498.html

It's an emotionally support animal if the horse can talk.

I take issue with much of what is reported and quoted in the article. For example, an 'emotional support' animal IS NOT a 'service' animal. The definitions of each are completely different. And the owner reported she had an autoimmune system disorder. If that is true, then what is the horse specifically trained to do to identify that condition (which is a question that is permitted by Federal law for a service animal)? This woman is a perfect example of the threat to people with legitimate service animals.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...234848498.html

It's an emotionally support animal if the horse can talk.

[matapule]

Re: Fake Service Animals

As some know, I have been absent from HT for a couple of years and I was unaware of this thread until today. I have some considerable experience in this area and perhaps I can address some critical concerns addressed here.

I have a legitimate, medically treated disability.

I am the master of a highly trained, highly skilled, bona fide service dog. He has two obedience titles from the AKC (American Kennel Club)

I am allergic to some dog breeds, My dog is non-shedding and hypoallergenic breed. He causes me and those around him no allergic reaction.

He was six years old last week. I got him as a 9 month old puppy who showed potential exceptional skills as a service dog. He has lived with me for almost 6 years now and we obedience train on a daily basis. We know each others capabilities quite well. Right now we are participating in "search and rescue" training. He is not certified yet but he is showing an uncanny ability in this area too! I hate it when my dog is smarter than I am.

Besides being my service dog, we also volunteer at local hospitals and convalescent homes for therapy support where he is a highly regarded and welcome therapist.

He is worth thousands of dollars on the open market, but he is priceless to me. We will be together forever.

*************************************

To address some of the issues expressed in this thread:

"Service Dog Vests' can be purchased on Amazon for around $50. No proof of service dog training is required. I can spot the difference between a trained service dog and one that is not. In my estimation, about 90% of dogs wearing a service vest are not legitimate service dogs. A legitimate service dog is not required to wear a vest by Federal law. My dog does not wear a service vest, in fact, wearing a service vest could represent a potential danger to me. I will not explain further.

Occasionally a legitimate service dog (including my dog) will bark to alert me for a potential danger to me. In particular situations they are trained to bark. However, a legitimate service dog is trained to quiet immediately at the owners command, once the owner accesses the situation. It would be rare that a legitimate service dog would bark incessantly and frequently. Something is very wrong in that situation including the possibility that the owner is in need of immediate help.

Legitimate service dogs are permitted to go anywhere their owner goes including restaurants and grocery stores. However they are trained to lie quietly at their owners feet while eating. A service dog owner should not feed the dog scraps from the table. Feeding a dog from the table is a red flag that both the dog and owner are not legitimate. DO NOT CONFRONT THE PERSON IN THAT SITUATION! I encourage you to talk to management immediately to resolve the issue.

I do take my legitimate service dog to restaurants, grocery stores, Home Depot, retail stores, etc. HOWEVER, at a restaurant I always take a table outdoors and at grocery stores and retails stores he rides in a cart if available (he only weighs 15 pounds). I do this in consideration for other people who do not understand or don't want to understand the valuable service provided by an appropriately trained dog.

A trained service dog poops and potties on command. My dog would never eliminate unless I give him permission. He just holds it. On the other hand, the owner is trained to recognize signals by the dog the need to eliminate so the owner can take him to an appropriate location (usually outdoors). I carry "poop bags" in my pocket and I ALWAYS pick up any waste and dispose of it in an appropriate container. Any dog that eliminates indoors in a public location IS NOT a legitimate service dog unless the dog is sick and in that case he should not be out in public and working.

I sometimes leave my dog, unattended in the car while I run errands. In California this is not a good idea since the law permits that a "good Samaritan" passerby can break a window or forcibly enter the car if they thinks the occupants (whether they be animals of any type, children, or the elderly) are in distress. There is no legal liability (I am not sure about Hawaii). HOWEVER, I drive a Tesla car. When I leave my dog in the car, there is an optional "dog mode" air conditioning setting. I can set the AC to whatever temperature I desire (usually 72F) and a message will be displayed on the large user interface screen (about the size of a 17" laptop) which shows an animated balloon dog and a message that says, "the temperature is set to 72 and my owner will be back shortly." I roll up all the windows and lock the car. I can leave the car this way for several hours if I wish (the most I have left him alone is about 20 minutes) and causes no pollution because the car is operating on the large internal battery pack. Consequently, I have never heard of anyone breaking into a Tesla to rescue a dog, even in Hawaii (other brands of cars, yes).

There is a difference between a legitimate service dog and an emotional support animal. The requirements are too numerous to enumerate here, but essentially an emotional support animal requires medical documentation and has fewer privileges than a service animal. The incidence of various unusual animals being passed off as service animals or emotional support animals is increasing. This is causing a lot of problems and discrimination to legitimate owners. Therefore a coalition of service animal owners is lobbying to crack down on the regulations and identification of legitimate animals. The law is being reviewed as we speak. I can't say with certainty whether, say, a peacock on an airplane is a legitimate service or emotional support animal because I don't know, OR IS IT MY BUSINESS TO KNOW what the individual circumstances are. What I do know is that if an animal is acting inappropriately or causing disruption you have every right and I encourage you to complain TO MANAGEMENT.

I hope that I have addressed most of the issues expressed in this thread. If you have additional questions, I will be happy to respond but please stop the rhetoric and be respectful.

Mahalo, fakamalo, and gracias

[Karen]

Re: Fake Service Animals

The idea of service animals is an idea-gone-wild....miniature HORSES allowed on some airlines?!
We would've joked, sounding ridiculous abourt such an idea not that many years ago.

Insanity.....

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Fake Service Animals

https://www.yahoo.com/news/airlines-...180048921.html

Two for one sale. Each passenger has to be accompanied by a service animal flights.