~ Today's Topic ~
Service Dog Laws (calm rant)
As some users may know, I have a service dog for med-alert and PTSD.
I don't need her often these days as my meds make my medical issue far less likely to trigger (I'd end up in the hospital when they used to trigger) and just having her near me at night has reduced my night terrors. Nonetheless, she is a service dog still because she can still help me when it's required and this means she can go with me into stores, on planes, etc.
Because I'm more stable these days then I used to be, I don't take her with me a lot for quick store runs. Right now, we don't do any training due to her leg injury (torn ACL). However, when her leg was healthy, from time to time, I'd vest her and take her with me to train to ensure she didn't forget the rules despite not going out often. She knew the vest meant working and things usually would go very smoothly. The worst situations we ever faced was her slipping on a newly waxed floor (not her fault) and getting momentarily cautious of cold blowers at the entry of a cold section at Costco (going back out she didn't hesitate).
She ignores people, stays close up on my side (her lead is only 16 inches at longest and I use two to ensure her had and body are both connected to me). We use sounds, tongue clicks, and very specific wording. For example, if she lowers her head because the floor has a smell on it (meat juice or something), I say "Head Up". This tells her to bring her head back up. If she looks at something, such as a child who shrieks, I say "Focus" and she is to return her attention to me.
Service dogs are still dogs. They are animals. It's why the ADA gives us the ability to correct them and give them some leeway when it comes to minor mistakes. Heck, a service dog provoked to bark or barks because it's startled is allowed to be corrected by the handler immediately. As long as it obeys, the law doesn't care.
Why do I say all this? To explain I know the laws. I have sat down and read over the ADA (American's with Disability Act) multiple times to familiarize myself with the rules and to ensure I am up-to-date with any changes.
So, imagine my frustration when I see people, usually online, fighting about service dog laws and how little people know. Those without service dogs I can understand only going on what they've been told or see on sites that are no the ADA.
It's the people who claim to be handlers of service dogs who say false facts that bug me.
For example, a big one I see is: "I have a service dog! A store cannot ask me if s/he is a service dog or any other questions!"
Reality? That's incorrect. The ADA directly addresses this.
The facility you take them two may ask two questions along these lines: 1 ) Is this a service dog required due to a disability? (Yes or No). 2 ) What tasks or work has this dog been trained to perform? (Vague answers such as Med Alert, Guiding, Mobility, etc).
What they cannot ask, for instance, if I say 'med alert' is to ask what medical condition I have. That's not allowed.
Here is the reason WHY these 2 questions are allowed...
#1 : A service dog is only a service dog when it is WITH its disabled handler or a trainer who is teaching it (may vary state to state on the second part). If, for instance, my mum had my dog with her because I had to go or do something where I thought it best not to take her (Carnival, the zoo, etc)., my mum cannot then take her into a store and claim 'service dog'. She isn't my mother's medical equipment and, in that instance, is not working. To my mother, she is a pet. To me, she is my medical equipment.
#2 : This one is, really, a question designed to trick people. Majority of people will answer this question with "Emotional Support". Well, sorry, a Emotional Support Dog is NOT a service dog.
The difference? An Emotional Support Dog is not trained beyond basic manners. It's there to provide comfort merely by existing. In that realm, all animals can be seen as emotional support.
A Service Dog has to be trained to perform a physical task. For example, when my service dog senses my immune system preparing to attack my body and organs, she walks over and leans into me and will not go away. This is her saying "Stop whatever you're doing, you're about to start vomiting for the next 12 hours." When we were on a road trip, I started feeling off and let her out to pee. When I was ready to get back in the car, she walked over and sat on me (first time she'd ever done that in the many years I had owned her). While I start to ask what she's doing, I suddenly begin vomiting. I end up in the hospital in a different state for over 12 hours and even they struggled to stop the vomiting/dry heaving.
Some service dogs bark at their owner when the owner is about to have a seizure, will paw at them to tell them to lay down, etc. It has to do a physical task beyond just 'existing' to be touched.
Real service dog owners have a lot of issues because people with fake service dogs or no knowledge about them continue to spread misinformation or fake them to have their 'precious baby' with them at all times. My service dog has been attacked in a store (thankfully by a much smaller dog). She's been lunged, barked and snarled at walking through an airport by dogs in 'service dog' vests. Faking a service dog is a federal offense.
It's...troubling. It's tiring. It's just annoying.
Due to age and injury, my girl is likely to retire in the next couple years. Service dog owners need to know the laws and their dog's limitation.
People without real service dogs need to respect the laws and not pretend to own them.
