Service Dog Musings

in #life6 years ago

"Library lady, library lady! That lady's puppy tripped me!"


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Service dogs. Those two fur bedecked words are the source of no end of public business consternation. When someone walks in the door of a public business with a canine in tow, I can guarantee you that any employee present starts sweating, for in all probability that poor employee is going to be in the middle of a metaphorical dog fight at the "What's The Right Move To Make Here." corral.

This morning while I sipped my hot cocoa I read this article:

Tightening the leash on fake service dogs

The article opened with a story of a woman with an actual trained service dog riding in an elevator, minding her own business, trying to go about her day. Her legitimate service dog is an extension of herself, a living apparatus that gives her the ability she needs to function as a part of society with some independence and autonomy. Into the elevator stepped a woman with a poodle in her purse. This poodle was no doubt a beloved pet, as you would have to be in order to receive the royalty treatment of being packed around in a bag. As I am sure most of us know, there are pets out there that are well-trained, but trained for almost two years to be un-obtrusive, compliant, and useful I'd guess not. Before the elevator ride ended, the service dog was bleeding as the poodle had attacked.

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I'll admit it, I am an animal lover. Right now there is a dog lying at my feet, a cat in my lap, a fly perched upon left shoulder, and a few minutes ago I grabbed a largish spider out of my bathtub and placed it in my woodpile. From the lowliest ground crawler to the mightiest pachyderm I love them all. However, I love human beings and their well-being too.

Look, I get it, people love their pets. The problem is, other people have the right to go into a public place and not be jumped on or tripped. They definitely have the right to get into an elevator in their wheelchair with their service dog and stay unmolested. For as much joy as your pet gives you, there might be a person out there that is terrified or annoyed by the presence of your pooch.

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Even beyond that sentiment, there are deeper ideas to consider. An untrained, unsocialized dog is going to be very territorial and nervous. Throwing that animal into the chaos that is the public sphere just because you want it around is not the nicest thing that I can think of. There are lots of wonderful places to take one's pets, dog parks, hikes in the woods, even walks down the street if you have put the time in teaching Fido the ropes of societal interaction. However, I am a big believer of not wrecking things for the people that actually need it. Let's consider two examples.

Example One:

There is a disabled veteran that comes in to the library to use the computers. He is a quiet man, never one to impose, and one day when he crossed the library's threshold I noticed that he had a big, fluffy chow mix at his heel. The creature stayed right at his heel and disappeared under the computer desk as he sat down to use his allotted computer time for the day. For the next two hours that creature was a ghost, you never knew that she was there. Every once in a while if you looked closely you could see him rest his hand on her head and give her a pet.

Example Two:

The young blue heeler pup ran through the library door, his retractable leash stretched out no less than fifteen feet. The little land shark veered to and fro throughout the library tripping patrons as he ran from person to person jumping on them and nipping at their hands. Over the patron's squeals of shock and irritation you could hear the pup's owner's voice emitting, "He's a service dog in training, his vest just hasn't arrived yet."

"A service animal is trained to be in public and to be under control and non-intrusive and not bark," Favre said. "They are trained not to be a nuisance in any way. You should hardly even know they are there."

Anyone want to guess which creature was a legitimate service animal?

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These need a small metric ton of training to even be manageable!

The main thing that really causes stress to people that work in the public sphere is this little ADA rule:

The American with Disabilities Act requires all places open to the public, such as businesses, government agencies and entertainment venues, to give access to service dogs and their owners. And it permits them to ask only two questions: whether the dog is required because of a disability and what tasks the dog is trained to perform. It is illegal to request documentation for the dog or to ask the nature of the owner's disability.

When you have kids crying because someone's pet that they just have to take with them everywhere knocked them down, it can be hard to remember exactly what protocol to follow in that situation. In those moments I feel a certain amount of frustration towards the pet bearing, public serenity shattering individuals, for I absolutely despise it when the selfish behavior of others wrecks a good thing for people.

Service dogs are amazing animals. I mean, look at what they go through:

Service dogs receive up to two years of training, which can cost more than $40,000. Before they are placed, their new owners are often required to live at the training center for a week or two to learn about caring and interacting with their dogs.

Look, I totally get that people love to take their pets everywhere with them, I really do, but is having your pet with you worth causing even more convenience for the already disabled. The natural societal reaction of people's ill behavior is governments creating more laws, and guess what, that slide has already been slipped. The article speaks of states trying to cope with this problem. I am encouraged to see that education regarding dogs and training is being promoted as a solution to this predicament.

But for people who want to pass off their pet as a service dog, it's easy enough to be convincing. Anyone can go online and purchase for about $20 the types of vests that legitimate service dogs usually wear.

Ha ha! The people passing off their dogs as service dogs are probably the same people that rant en masse on Facebook about how the yearly Independence Day fireworks scare their little pet baby to death. Because Costco on a Saturday is just so serene!

There are so many places to take your pets! We have a local farm store, North 40, that welcomes pets in the aisles, and many responsible pet owners are more than aware of the local businesses and public places that are pet friendly. I personally love to see people out walking their dogs, cats, mini horses, tortoises, etc.! What I don't love is people that wreck an essential facet of other people's lives due to inconsiderate, selfish behavior.

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Pet parents, all I would ask you to consider is this:

There are people out there that depend on their service animals to let them know when their blood sugar is dangerously low, if they are about to have a seizure, to help them be ambulatory, to calm their broken emotions so that they can function in public, to be an extension of their form if it is broken, and for many more unmentioned disabilities. Their lives are already a challenge, let's not ruin a good thing for them! It's all about the Golden Rule, people!!!


And as always, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's hackles slightly raised iPhone.


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Well said!

There is no reason to harm the lives of people already harmed by life.

Kudos to you for finding ways to care for the genuine people in need of service dogs.

Looks sooo cute with the toy. Can't explain how I feel now lol

Awe, that's Zibbah, my mom's pup, and she was and still is a super cute girl! When you can get her to hold still that is, lol!

Then lucky you :)

Wow...cute puppy...
I realy like and love cats and dogs...

Thanks! Me too 😊

By riding public transportation a lot, I've come to appreciate how trained and focused a real service dog is. They can be on a lurching bus, crowded with people making lots of commotion, and still be focused. They are working while they are out there. These service animals behave so differently than even a well-trained regular dog. The people who train these dogs to be so calm and capable deserve to be commended, too.

Oh I so, so agree! Service animals and their trainers are just so amazing!

Hope you have an amazing weekend my friend!!!

OMG the Boxer Dog, just beautiful❤️❤️ You know I'm a big fan of boxers!
I don't mind veterans having their service dogs wherever they go, they earned the right. I do kinda feel odd about the very large people with teeny weenie service dogs. Ya feel me?🐓

LOL! I knew you'd get a kick out of the boxer pics if you happened along this post 😊

I'm totally feeling ya btw 😉

Very interesting article, I like all of the discussion involving pets. Service pets are a very special kind of pet, I agree, they are in a totally different league.

I used to work on the local Army base, lots of service dogs there, in the lunch room with people having food on trays, yet those dogs were perfectly obedient. That is where I gained my appreciation for well-trained dogs, there is nothing quite like it. I have also seen my share of fake service pets. Loathsome.

Keep up the good writing, I look forward to more! Followed!

I love discussions regarding pets too, and I bet you saw some interesting things during your time working on base, lol!

Thank you so much for such an awesome comment and the follow, I followed you too and I am looking forward to reading your posts 😊

sleeping like a man!) or a woman)) I am sleeping the same))

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