Advocates fight against fake service dogs

Can I do this with a maltese in the states?

With a nick-a-nack paddy-whack, give your dog a boner

This old dog is named Homer.

Oh who would be against cute little doggies. Sure if they're all big and hairy but not the purse types.

Fuck you OP. Many of us love our dogs and have to have them by our sides at all time.

My brother rescued a dog about a year ago and, despite never having the dog (who I adore) trained and insisting that he's vicious if not approached correctly, calls the dog his service animal and takes him everywhere. He refuses to come to my house because it isn't dog-friendly (on the contrary, I love dogs and would let the poor thing run wild if it wanted, it isn't a problem) and flat out told my mom that he refuses to come to holidays if the grandkids are there (our other brother's kids) because "the dog has to be put first" except the dog is fine with the kids. So if the kids are going to be there, he makes maximum drama about not showing up... and then does at the last minute and makes the entire night about him.

The dog became a weird... symbol or something. Sort of something to justify his own strange behavior. But the dog isn't trained or certified yet he has huge entitlement about having his dog wherever he goes. FAKE.

Dog people are freaks.

Antisocial, maladapted, lonely, sad, bossy FREAKS.

I'm looking at YOU, R4.

I've seen this in action - people who have a piece of paper saying the dog is an "Emotional Support Dog".

Once I saw a whiny zitty emo kid wave a letter from his doctor, and whine that if he doesn't have "service animal" at his side he gets suicidal. On a thirty-minute train ride he's going to get suicidal?

Gays like cats, normals like Dogs. Don't expect anyone on this site to stick up for man's best friend.

You are a sad person r6.

[quote]Many of us love our dogs and have to have them by our sides at all time.

Then stay home.

I suspect that some of you most attached to your pets only like them because they don't call you on your crazy shit, as they would if they could speak.

YOU can't cope without that drooling, shitting, panting, whining furbag by your side 24/7 and I'M the sad one?

Good for her.

"Erin, who is not disabled, travels everywhere with Bo because she says she can not bear to leave him home alone."

She doesn't need a therapy dog. She needs therapy. And perhaps medication.

You're crazy, R8. I like dogs even more than I like cats.

R14, R8 was just shit-stirring. A statement like that will bring out exactly what he wants.

My husnand is severely allergic to dogs. He does not control his sneezes -claims he can't. His sneezing sounds like someone being murdered. I've never heard another human make a louder sound. If you take a dog into a restaurant or movie theater he is in, you are in for a whole lot of ear pain. Because he is going to nonstop sneeze at the top of his lungs.

I hate it when people take advantage of laws that are meant for people in need. Examples include people like this who lie about needing a service dog, people who illegally obtain and use handicap stickers, people who go on disability instead of unemployment. I've known a couple in each category, and none of them feel the least bit guilty about it. In fact, they pretty much announce it to the world as if they're proud of cheating. I always wonder why they don't think about the people that the laws were made for and just thank God they're not in such a position.

My brother in law and his wife brought their dog unannounced for Thanksgiving dinner - we have two cats and two dogs. We first tried bringing him in, but he attacked everything, and then tried the bedroom but he clawed at the door like he was going to break through it. Then outside, where he stood by the window and acted like he was dying. Ugh.

Why did they bring him, R18?

What a great question, R19.

People who don't want children at certain places/events have no problem bringing their dogs to those places/events. Mind-boggling.

Remember when people with dogs had fences? You put a fence in your back yard and a dog house and you went out for the day. Leave a bowl of water and some kibble and the doggie was fine. You didn't have to fence in the entire yard, just a part of it.

And i never saw people who lived in apartments cage their dogs until the 1980s.

Some stupid fuck walked into the Publix in front of me with a nasty dog that had a 'Service Dog in Training' vest on. The dog took a gigantic shit in the bakery aisle. This dog worship is out of control.

I'm surprised the system isn't more stringent. You can actually take tiny dogs on planes already i they are in their little crates. Not ideal for long flights, but it generally works on domestic flights within the continental united states.

[quote]Once I saw a whiny zitty emo kid wave a letter from his doctor, and whine that if he doesn't have "service animal" at his side he gets suicidal. On a thirty-minute train ride he's going to get suicidal?

Didn't that psycho woman-beater/serial liar Jian Gomeshi say the same thing about his widdle binky Big Ears Teddy?

Most dogs in public are at worst annoying, but this asshole has the gall to take a giant PIT BULL into places of business, by slapping a vest on it and calling it a "service dog". "Giant" is not an exaggeration, by the way. Seriously, is this abomination on steroids??

[quote]You put a fence in your back yard and a dog house and you went out for the day.

You'd leave your dog outside all day long? I hope you had a dog door, or that someone was home to let him in and out.

It's helicopter parenting for people without children. Dogs are generally great, but the "special snowflake" thing that has invaded parenting has invaded dog ownership.

I have a small dog and I'm gonna do that. I'm going to give $150 to a web page, get her a vest, and take her on the plane with me. She'll sleep the whole way and now I don't have to drive everywhere, including 8 hours to Maine. I could take her with me on a plane without her vest and official emotional support paperwork but it would be $300 round trip on top of my fare.

Now here's a question. If someone took their small dog on the plane in the carrier, kept the carrier on their lap or under the seat, and the dog slept the entire way BUT you knew the person had just gotten "Emotional Support Dog" credentials from a web page, would that piss you off more than if you knew they'd paid the $300?

I'm curious if it's the fake or the actual dogs that bother people.

When did this pet obsession start?

I remember as a kid in the 60s, dogs and cats were always outside.

They were almost never allowed in the house. They had fleas.

Was it the invention of the flea collar that did it circa 1970?

What about kid obsession?

It's the culture overall. I prefer the pet obsession.

It's the dogs that are where they aren't supposed to be due to faking owners, R29.

The dogs and cats of my childhood went in and out as they liked. They didn't have fleas. This was in the 1950s-1970s. I can't imagine why someone would want to keep a pet outdoors.

R31, why is it either or? I don't prefer either one. They're both revolting. I don't need to, have to, or want to choose.

I think people can't control their dogs anymore than they control their kids.

My dog is a shih tzu I got as an adult from the ASPCA. I took her for a long walk before bringing her into the apartment. She mostly just lay there taking everything in except she barked every time she heard anything outside the front door. Each time she barked, I shushed in a "I hear it too and it's fine, shhhh" sort of tone, and she stopped. It didn't take long before she mostly just cleared her throat or made soft non-barking sounds. Not much longer after that her attitude switched to, well, if that sound out there doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother me. Now I think she'd snooze if a burgler came in. Recently I ran into a woman who couldn't get her puppy to settle down or walk straight. She kept reasoning with it. I ignored the dog and talked to her and as we kept walking the puppy got bored because she was ignoring it, but kept walking, so the puppy just walked.

You know the parents who make everything with their kids hugely complicated and special? These are the same generation with dogs.

Exactly, R35. Dogs are animals and need discipline, boundaries, and training. Everyone is afraid to do that nowadays for some reason when in reality it's not only best for everyone around them, but it's best for the dog as well. Dogs thrive when properly trained.

Just like people.

re R26's link. I'm curious as to whether the dog is a real registered service dog or the guy bought a registration just to prove a point about the breed. As people have pointed out in the comments section of the video, you're not supposed to interact with a service dog but this guy is inviting people to pet the dog, take photos with it, etc.

R34, it's not either/or. It's not dogs OR kids. It's people who grew up entitled and they're passing it on. The same people who are parenting this way, if say, they don't have kids, and they have a dog, they treat the dog that way. You know the threads here about kids? Kids on planes, kids in restaurants, how in our day or when we were kids, we were never like this, knew our place, blah blah blah? But now, today, a lot of parents think the behavior of their kids should be our problem? It's not about being parents. It's about how a certain generation was brought up, and they are this way about their kids, about their dogs, and about themselves.

What you're going to do is immoral, R29.

Am I robbing the airlines of $300, R39?

I do feel better with my dog. Are the criteria for emotional support standardized?

I bet these advocates pissed about dogs are just LOVELY with their children. I wouldn't be surprised if they're the sort that expect an entire restaurant's worth of patrons to "help" raise their children to learn restaurant manners - it takes time, you know.

I think it's one set of entitlements clashing against another.

My niece is a veterinary nurse and she brought home to my sister's house a two year old Lhasa Apso who had been abandoned outside her workplace with a note tied to it's collar asking the vet to take care of it or put it to sleep. Said the dog was vicious and untrainable. The vet kept the dog on the premises for a couple of days to gauge if it was actually vicious and it wasn't, it was just neglected and unsocialized.

My niece spent some vacation time with the dog, getting it used to having company and being in a family home. He's now named Frankie and spends all day with my sister in her office where he interacts happily with everyone. She doesn't pretend he's a service dog because no-one ever asked her, they just assumed if she brought him into the building he was supposed to be there. Just over a year now and no-one has questioned it.

American Red Cross offers "Pet First Aid" courses which includes learning how to do CPR on canine manikins.

It's really interesting how people who take those classes open admit they would never perform CPR on a person but would do it on their dog in a heartbeat.

R31 dogs don't pay into the social security system. Dogs won't grow up to be doctors, nursing home workers or provide any of the services you'll need when you are old. I see childless people letting their dogs run off leash at playgrounds, even when there are no dogs aloud signs. I've never seen anyone let their toddlers run loose in an off leash area.

All right, I realize a lot of people use the economic model as a moral model.

"no dogs aloud signs"

Well, I guess as long as they're quiet...

People who treat their dogs like they are babies are being abusive to the dogs, and should have the dogs taken away from them.

Clean up aisle nine!

[quote] You'd leave your dog outside all day long? I hope you had a dog door, or that someone was home to let him in and out.

Spoken like someone who confuses dogs and cats with humans.

Well trained dogs with responsible owners are great.

Unfortunately, in my experience, there are many pet owners who have unnecessary concerns about leaving their dog outside while totally ignoring basic necessary training.

These entitled assholes are fucking up the lives of a lot of mentally ill people who are genuinely sick and need these dogs to live a normal life.

It's not easy nor cheap to get a service dog, and the priority is given to the physically disabled.

Unless you are a seriously autistic child, forget getting a service dog if you are mentally ill.

Often a doctor's note is a reasonable compromise considering that most mentally ill people don't get the level of care they need to function.

For every legitimate story of people who are gaming the system, there are many others you don't hear about whose lives have stabilized with service dogs.

[quote]Fuck you OP. Many of us love our dogs and have to have them by our sides at all time.

Fuck you, you awful piece of SHIT.

You're ruining it for people who legitimately need service dogs because they are disabled.

I hope your dog rips your throat out.

Here's a really great (and funny) article about the issue.

Plus je connais les hommes, plus j'aime mes chiens.

That article linked at R52 is so full of grammatical errors I can't finish it.

I worked at a resort that didnt allow pets but of course accepted service dogs (as they should). We had a middle aged frau check in and shortly thereafter we discovered that she had a yappy little Yorkie which was running around the pool. When we confronted her with our no pets policy she went ballistic and insisted that it was a service dog. When we asked for the dog's credentials she yelled "I don't have to show you shit". After some further discussion she came back a few hours later and threw a piece of paper at us that looked utterly fake stating that her dog was a "service dog" We did some research and sure enough this woman really didnt have to show us shit. All you really need to do when you have a dog is announce that its a serivce dog and pretty much anywhere has to allow your dog to accompany you. Strange but true. Some sort of legislation is in order , I think.

R55 - it's a problem.

Let me point out the obvious the fact you use the pejorative "frau" makes it difficult to take your complaint seriously.

So fuck-off.

So can i do this with a maltese?

I work with a young woman who brings her emotional support dog into the office. The gal does have a lot of anxiety from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I do get a weird vibe from her though but maybe it's the anxiety. She was physically wounded and has slight brain trauma. She's very intelligent and outgoing so maybe it's PTSD.

The dog is nice.

Entitled, annoying young women are 100% of those perpetrating this nonsense. Someone eventually needs to tell them "No!" for the first time in their lives!

R55, the legislation you mention also says that businesses only have to permit service animals so long as they are under the owner's direct control and do not create a disturbance. No service animal must be tolerated if it is creating a disturbance and/or isn't fully under the owner's control. A barking "service" dog running around a pool doesn't have to be put up with.

R59, the post at R5 specifically states his brother, that would be a male in case you weren't sure, is perpetrating this nonsense so maybe dial back the fuckwitted hyperbole a bit?

Hey, r56? Why not get a "service dog" for your anger management problem?

R56, it would correctly be "fuck off", not "fuck-off". A fuck-off (noun) is what you probably are and have been all of your fucking life.

Oh, shut up, r61.

Have YOU noticed men doing this, or do you only observe what your confirmation bias allows?

WHAT R6 SAID!!!!!!!!!

Many Americans are mentally ill obsessives. At least the ones who post on DL are.

That reminds me of an incident a year or so ago. You know those harnesses people use to strap an infant to your chest so the baby just hangs there facing forward and leaves your hands free? I went to a laundromat on Nob Hill and there was a young woman there doing her clothes and she had a small dog strapped to her chest in one of those baby harnesses. As soon as I saw it I just burst out laughing. And she gave me such an offended look for laughing, too. Too bad, lady. That dog hanging there in a baby harness was the goofiest thing I've seen in ages.

This "emotional support" shit with fake credentials needs to be stopped, no matter what kind of animal. Check out this one:

An emotional support python. The perfect pet for compulsive knitters. Your snake would never run out of sweaters which would double as scarves until your neckware killed you.

All it's going to take is one of these untrained "service" dogs mauling someone on a plane. Probably a pitbull. The entire industry will crack down and they'll adopt some decent standards besides a vest and a pretend certificate.

I love my dogs, but they stay home and are probably much happier sleeping in their crate then they would being dragged around town with me.

A woman with a dog sat next to me on a park bench. I looked at the dog, looked at her. She asked "Is my dog bothering you?". I jokingly responded "As long as he doesn't lift his leg" and smiled. The woman switched straight into indignance, berating me with didn't I see the dog was a female and don't I know that female dogs don't lift their legs and her dog is well behaved and wouldn't . . .I got up and walked away.

R40, you said that you're going to get a fake service dog vest so that you can't take your small dog on a plane for free instead of having to drive for eight hours. That's immoral. Board your dog, or drive your dog… But don't abuse a system that is set up for truly needy people just so you don't have to pay to fly your dog for a fee.

Are people really this bad now? They really don't understand the difference between right and wrong?

^ "can" take your small dog (not can't)

Whatever. I've seen a lot of blind people be really rough with their poor dogs, jerking them away when the dog's just looking at something. The advocates just want to be special, and other people with dogs is just ruining for them.

Hicks leave their dogs outside.

[quote]I'm curious if it's the fake or the actual dogs that bother people.

Fake "therapy" pets r29. I actually know a few genuine therapy dogs who legitimately scored their jackets by working children's hospitals, hospice care and other charitable causes.

They're lovely and well trained pets who aren't just being dragged anywhere and everywhere because their neurotic owners can't seem to manage even the smallest day to day chore without their pet beside them every fucking second of the day.

I'd compare this to the whole "legitimately ordained online minister!" crap. For a nominal fee, of course.

A service dog actually has to DO something, it's cannot just be for emotional support. Also a service dog doesn't have to be registered, in fact there is no such registry for a service dog.

But look here, you have a thread with dog owners, who have dogs that are diabetic, blind on their last paw but the owners are spending thousands of dollars to keep them alive.

The half dead dog has no life, while healthy dogs being gassed in pounds have no future, because you choose to keep your brain dead dog on life support.

REAL service dogs are outraged that these undereducated little fakes are being taken seriously.

Why so many dog haters. They're so cute. If a dog doesn't like you, it's cause you're nasty. Dogs can tell. Like they know when someone has cancer or when an earthquake is coming.

I have an emotional support gerbil.

If I fly with my dog under my seat he will whine and cry. I had a therapist friend write a letter declaring that the stress of flying was overwhelming for me and am now able to hold my dog (12 lb. shih-tzu) on my lap where he immediately goes to sleep and stays that way throughout the flight.

I agree with R6.

Fake service dogs are just going to make it harder for people who actually need REAL service dogs.

Yes, R83, that's been stated multiple times, but thanks for weighing in before you bothered to read the thread.

You're welcome, R84. Cunt.

What is wrong with some of you? I'm looking at you, nutjob at R77. Do you want to criticize the color of their carpets and the style of their jackets as well?

[quote]Why so many dog haters. They're so cute. If a dog doesn't like you, it's cause you're nasty. Dogs can tell. Like they know when someone has cancer or when an earthquake is coming.

Typical mentally retarded "dog person." Grow the fuck up.

I honestly don't see many misbehaved dogs, or an over abundance where they shouldn't be. My pet peeve is when their owners drag them to crowded places like street fairs or Home Depot on a Saturday and they seem terrified and nervous. It's not fun for them. They would be much happier at home. Everyone needs some alone time.

I'm looking at you Henry Cavill.

If you are such a delicate flower that you need to have an "emotional support animal" with you every fucking where you go, do us ALL a favor and just stay the fuck at home!

This shit is getting out of hand. I'm tempted to bring "emotional support" tarantulas on my next flight.

"B-b-but...I NEED my tarantulas with me for EMOTIONAL SUPPORT! Look, I have little vests that have "Therapy Animal" stitched on them and letter from a certified on-line therapist stating that I NEED MY SPIDERS WITH ME AT ALL TIMES! I'm so emotionally fragile, I need comfort from my critters AT ALL TIMES!"

R90, you're a cunt.

And I don't need to have an emotional support dog to recognize the awfulness of you.

I think emotional support animals should be available to all of us at airports and on planes.

I like that idea, R92.

I completely agree with R90. So sick of freaks who think dogs are people and have to bring them EVERY fucking place. Could you imagine if everyone brought a dog on a plane? Planes and airports are cramped and stressful enough as it is, and then have a bunch of dogs everywhere pissing, shitting, slobbering and barking would make things twice as chaotic. If you can't bear to be without your stupid dog, fucking drive instead.

Isn't this dog obsession pretty much a white people thing? Are Europeans as dog neurotic as Americans?

Can't we teach dogs to fly the planes?

r95, because Europeans aren't predominantly white?

There has been a trend in the USA where the public can no longer be trusted to be honest,

Remember third party calls? You could call someone from a pay phone, and bill the call to your home phone, or other phone. This is when Long Distance calls cost extra. People started charging the calls to stranger's home phones, so the phone companies stopped allowing it.

The honor system at schools is a joke, if they still have it at all.

People used to leave their doors unlocked, but no more.

This thing with service dogs will end, too.

What other things were there, but no more? I know there's a ton, but can't think of more of them at the moment.

Attitudes of entitlement are getting worse and worse. Don't lie about needing a service dog. Be grateful you don't need one. Don't abuse a needed system for your own convenience. You have a pet and your dog will be just fine when you treated him as a pet. He's an animal. He isn't your fur baby.

*treat

Oh, and when you travel, get a dog sitter or board him. Or don't travel.

[quote]Isn't this dog obsession pretty much a white people thing?

Pretty much.

I have an emotional support krait. It's great for those occasions when someone tries to force their emotional support dog on me.

This started happening when people STOPPED having lots of kids.

When people have 6+ kids, they don't have time to worry about the dog.

White people are pretty much the only ones not having children anymore, so they're filling the void with dogs... sometimes cats. It's kind of sad and pathetic.

All my life, I'd heard blacks were afraid of dogs, which is understandable, given history. And then the whole pit bull thing happened in the '80s. Somehow, I can't imagine crack dealers taking their pit bulls on planes as therapy dogs.

I just recently has a friend who was furiously posting on Facebook about being kicked out of a restaurant for bringing his snake in with him. He went on and on about how it was his emotional support care animal, he was suing, it was illegal for them to kick him out...I linked him to the ADA laws and he shut right up.

[quote[Are Europeans as dog neurotic as Americans?

Neurotic, non. But animals have been allowed in restaurants in France as far back as I can remember. One sees dogs frequently on public transport, in shops, etc.

Even in classic French literature there are many references to the sublime companionship of a cat or dog.

R106. Interesting. I live in a burgeoning-hipster section of Brooklyn, and here's what I see. A gazillion rescue pit bulls adopted by tree-hugging (I mean that in the best way), athletic 30somethings. These pit bulls are the mushiest, sweetest dogs. The ones in my building shrink away from my little dog. They go jogging with their owners, make themselves flat when a small dog approaches, tail wagging, and are so bonded with their owners I'm pretty sure I've seen some with an athletic towel draped around their neck after a run.

AND I've seen more urban types with maltese, shih tzus, yorkies. Especially the white maltese. As the pit bull has become a bit of the rescue dog of choice for hipsters, at least around the margins, some of the urban community is going the other way, at least around the margins.

Of course, not long ago I had to go to a T-Mobile center in another part of Brooklyn and as we crossed the street someone was crossing with their pit bull that looked like Spike the dog from a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Musclebound. Low to the ground. Swung his her head around to stare at my dog and actually licked his chops. Had what looked like a truck-grade chain holding him. I think that's the secret for these poor dogs. Chain em up and pull em back when you go anywhere, and they think they have to pull forward against the chain. It gives them ideas.

r101 do NOT board your pet.

Get a pet/house sitter.

Seriously.

R104, I think this may also have started when some of the smaller breeds mainstreamed. A lab, a pit bull, some of the mid-size dogs are actual dogs. A real nose, they drool, they shed a bit. These are dogs whose historical DNA involves a bed in the barn.

My shih tzu, if she were a stray, would quickly become swallowed up by her fur. That's not natural. A lot of these little dogs actually do require care an attention that your old mixed breed family dog of yore would not. My dog WAS a stray - it's not like she's some fancy dog I bought. This breed was bred as a companion animal - there is no "job" in their DNA, which is a pretty terrible thing to do to a dog. No herding interest, no desire to pull a sleigh, no love of the water.

Someone I know just took over the care of a toy poodle her daughter (a med student) got from a breeder. The problems this dog has before it's a year old is ridiculous. This dog would die in the yard, and it has show dog blood, from a good breeder.

r110 is correct.

A house/pet sitter is so much easier on any animal.

The pet's routine and surroundings remain the same, only the human is different.

Boarding a pet is massive stress on the animal.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Maybe Cavill is blind, R113.

It's also possible Cavill needed one of those dogs that are trained to pick up things you drop.

I could see Cavill being too delicate for that sort of work.

Cavill's a fucking douchebag for doing that.

Nowhere in that article does it say WHY Cavill needs a service dog.

Why do all of Cavill's pictures with women come off as so stiff. He looks so uncomfortable. And don't say it's because he's gay because I refuse to believe a man that beautiful and masculine is gay. Sorry fellas I love you but you gotta leave some for us ladies.

[You do realize that this is a troll, right? You might want to stop talking to it.]

I don't think anyone's really anti dog. They probably want one but cannot have one, so they be jealous.

I have dogs. They stay home where they belong.

Any time you see someone with a "support dog" engage them in conversation about how reprehensible it is when people have FAKE service dogs. Owners of actually trained service animals will join you in a rant. Fakes will cringe and evade. Go way overboard, they can't say a word. Shame the shameless.

"Erin, who is not disabled, is a cunt."

Puppies that are intended to serve as legitimate service dogs grow up with families, reach whatever age, and are then evaluated stringently. My cousin did this and all three of his giant labs were supposed to have gone on for service training flunked for various reasons. Service animals that are being used in a service capacity are trained to do a job and are not pets first. Takes a lot of money to train these dogs. Dogs can be trained to detect high blood sugar. Anyone around autistic kids knows how animals sooth them. An Iraq vet with PTSD can have as many dogs as she needs. But these overweight matrons sparkling of diamonds who stuff those yappy things into their ponchos are fakers.

I work at Trader Joe's in L.A., and have to deal with this fake service dog crap nearly every day. It's fucking tiresome.

Especially the assholes who put their fake service dogs IN the shopping carts.....because, gee, what could possibly be wrong with that??? Why would this ever bother anyone???

My cousin is a flight attendant for a major airline (Atlanta based) and recently had 9 large dogs on her flight. One was a Great Dane-and all were claimed to be service dogs. Good service dogs are well trained, but she has had the faux service dogs s** in the aisle and the customer tells her to clean it up!

Two weeks ago I man with a large dog and no service dog collar was walking in Terminal B United. He stopped at the flight screens and the dog politely S*** and Pi**** on the floor. He looked and casually walked over gate to get on the plane going to SFO.

This is bull****!!!!

My spouse and I have two dogs and we love them madly. However, they do not like traveling in the car and we never take them anywhere except for walks and to the dog park nearby. Our girls LOVE their VERY expensive plush beds made by Orvis and it's hard to get them out, even for a walk. They are perfectly content sleeping in for as long as they can and we have to wake them up just to get them out for their daily walks!

R67's story made me laugh.

I'm sick & tired of pet owners, in this instance, dog owners, thinking their little precious is more important or more deserving, than other peoples pets. Theses people live in a deluded world, where it is beneath them, to follow leash laws, their dog would never bite anyone or hurt another animal, therefore, laws don't apply to them. If I had a dollar for every unleashed dog, that attacked & bit a person, another dog, another animal, I'd be a rich SOB. The courts are clogged with cases of special people & their special unleashed dogs, reeking havoc. These same a holes, are the type, to leave their car,in a no parking or stopping anytime, while they just run in to get something quick in a store. They don't have to obey signs or laws, it's beneath them. This getting fake papers & such, so their little special dog, can go everywhere with them, sickene me. People who legitimately need a service dog, do not.

I'm blind and I have a seeing eye wildebeest. He flies for free, goes everywhere with me, restaurants, movie theaters, shops. I don't know what I'd do without him.

R129 I agree, it's sick.

I wonder when dogs went from becoming pets to people? Was it the late 90's? I know it was definitely by the early 2000's when Parasite Hilton was bringing her little stupid dogs everywhere.

In any case, it's disturbing.

[quote] I went to a laundromat on Nob Hill and there was a young woman there doing her clothes and she had a small dog strapped to her chest in one of those baby harnesses. As soon as I saw it I just burst out laughing.

Haha, same here.

I was at the grocery store, and this lady had her tiny pomeranian in a baby stroller.

The cashier was waving and talking to it like a child, and I didn't even realize it was a dog, until I looked down and saw it.

It was the craziest fucking thing.

The woman pushing the stroller and the cashier, were both acting as if the dog was a real child.

[quote] Can't we teach dogs to fly the planes?

No, but Cooper wants his ice cream!

I like most dogs more than I do most people.

I'll never forget what my grandfather told me about dogs: "They have no conscience. It doesn't matter how much they 'love' you; catch them in the wrong mood and they'll rip your face off."

I've never had a dog, and I try to avoid interacting with larger or more aggressive breeds (e.g., German shepherds, pitbulls). Why would you want a pet that could kill you?

Preach, R134. I was mauled by a rescue border collie. Any dog that's more powerful than you are is dangerous, I don't care how sweet and wonderful and loving they seem to be. Takes one moment of the animal in them to come out and they won't care who or what you are.

I don't go near any dog that's more powerful than I am.

[quote] They have no conscience. It doesn't matter how much they 'love' you; catch them in the wrong mood and they'll rip your face off

So they are just like average american humans.

There's a difference between literal and figurative, R136.

Surely the real service dogs can be trained to spot, maim and kill the fake service dogs.

That is some dog action I'd love to see in a supermarket or Starbucks near me! Maybe not on a plane, though; the grounding will make me late.

The case of the "hearing-ear dog" at the opera.

I love my dog but people who get bullshit service animal credentials are reprehensible.

[quote] R134: I'll never forget what my grandfather told me about dogs: "They have no conscience. It doesn't matter how much they 'love' you; catch them in the wrong mood and they'll rip your face off."

This is true of people, too. I've had dogs all my life, and I've never been hurt by them. I have been hurt by people, though. I think it is really silly to be afraid of dogs because gramps was. I've loved my dogs, Six of them, so far.

I'm seeing my sister at Easter. She has a newish Golden Retreiver. I cook-up a pound of bacon before I go and after I eat the BLTs, I bring him the leftovers. He loves that.

This is not a service dog related post.

Dogs LITERALLY rip your face off, R141. Pretty sure no person has done that to you.

Why do people on this thread have such trouble with that difference?

But that hasn't happened, R143.

Except for all the times it has, R144.

R145, I mean to anyone in my family or by my dogs. I can't imagine the dogs I've raised doing such a thing. They've never done such a thing.

Other dogs raised poorly and mistreated and not fed? Sure, I don't trust strange dogs.

"I was mauled by a rescue border collie."

It probably shouldn't have, but this made me laugh. A border collie? Really?

The original comment didn't make me laugh, but thinking of it while looking at the photo linked at R147 did.

Yes, R147! That's why I said I'm now wary of any dog that's more powerful than I am, no matter what the breed reputation. Especially a rescue.

Did he rip your face off?

What about coyote protection? There are coyotes all over the city now. Maybe I need a dog with me at all times to fight off or distract a coyote.

With the knick, the knack, the paddy wack, it gave his dog a boner

This old man is named Homer

We were in Mexico this past week, and flying back there was a 40s white couple, complete with a miniature pinscher service dog. Everyone knew it was a pet with a purchased vest - it was ridiculous. We need to push back on these asshats.

My husband runs a museum, and tells me the law states you can’t ask a person if they are disabled. Meaning, if someone walks in with a huge pit bull but says it’s his service animal, you can’t question it or ask to see papers, etc.

R14, why justify that troll's comment.

[quote]Gays like cats, normals like Dogs. Don't expect anyone on this site to stick up for man's best friend.

Really, you're going to respond to someone using "normal" to describe non-gay?

On to the topic at hand. I work in a hotel and can tell you that people bring their "service" animals that are clearly lying because a real service animal isn't distracted and barking in the lobby and doesn't pee on the floor. Actual service animals are trained and focus solely on their companions and are not distracted by anything. R154 is correct about current laws forbidding questioning which is why people abuse the service animal rules.

Not precisely, R154. You can ask what function the animal provides and how it was trained.

I like to ask in a very loud voice. The fakes get indignant and go all I WANT TO SEE A MANAGER. Here’s the best part. They don’t have any supporting disability documentation. See how that works? Not even an AAPD membership card.

At that point, you may tell them to fuck off.