Service Dogs?

AdrianneIsabel

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#21
Here are some quotes from US Department of Justice (DOJ) officials on the subject of emotional support animals vs service animals. Note that the DOJ is the federal agency responsible for enforcing title III of the ADA (which is what gives public access rights to persons using service animals).

"The way we look at it is what the regulation says is that a service animal is an animal that's trained to provide services for a person. So something that is just a pet is not, and we try to be broad, because there could be a whole range of services that an animal can be trained to provide, but it has to be trained to do it and it has to be doing services. Because there has been a great deal of misunderstanding and we are told by a number of guide dog users around the country of abuses that are occurring and a backlash that's happening to people with service animals because of it. When we do the regulations that I'm talking about in the fall, we're going to ask questions about this issue and be specific about this. Should emotional support animals be covered by the ADA? Should they be required to be in restaurants? Should they be required to be in public transportation? In our view, they're not covered now unless they are providing a service to the person."

John Wodatch, Chief, Disability Rights Section, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice (from July 17, 2001 conference)

"An emotional support animal is not going to be a service animal under the ADA unless it does meet the [task] training requirement."

Phillip L. Breen, Special Legal Counsel, Disability Rights Section, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice (from April 16, 2002 conference)

"Generally speaking, if we're talking about therapy, comfort, emotional support animals -- and I think those typically are used interchangeably. Those are not going to be service animals under the ADA because they haven't been trained to -- remember that three-part -- that definition, they haven't been trained to do work or perform a task for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Typically, comfort, emotional support animals by their very presence certainly performs a valuable service, but it's an innate ability. It's their mere presence. It doesn't reach the level of having been trained to do work or perform tasks."

Sally Conway, Disability Rights Section, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice (from April 29, 2004 conference)

My dog was initially called an ESA prior to the law clarification, post clarification he was relabeled as a PSA and my second dog (trained when a relapse occurred and my previous dog was no longer an appropriate option) continues to muddy the line of retired and a back up plan should **** hit the fan.
 

JacksonsMom

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#22
I haven't looked into it a whole lot. The only main things I know are they can go on an airplane (not have to be shoved under a seat, also not charged) and if your in a building that does not normally allow dogs, I think they have to allow ESD's. I guess that's what I mean by emergencies. If I ever found myself in a situation where I needed to fly him or found myself in a living situation where he couldn't be there (both would be very rare). He already is an emotional support to me every single day, in more ways than one could know, so it was always in the back of my mind to get him 'titled' as such. My anxiety comes in spurts - it's certainly not enough to require a SD. Traveling brings on a lot of anxiety in me. I had my first real panic attack shortly after my car accident in '10 and it was SCARY. I never used to understand. My mom suffers from depression and panic attacks, and I just... never understood until I had my first. It was horrible. And I did not have Jackson with me at the time either. When he's with me, I tend to calm myself quickly, because he senses me tensing up, and I don't want to stress HIM, so it makes ME less stressed. If that makes sense. So basically that was the only reason I considered it. I know he wouldn't really have any more rights than he does now.
 

joce

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#23
I don't know a ton about it. I know we now have a local psychiatrist that is having patients get real therapy dogs though. Caresource is paying for it. Kinda shocked me.

I heard they are supposed to come with a year of training and be expensive so not sure what kind thats considered?

Long wait list.
 

JacksonsMom

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#24
Here are some quotes from US Department of Justice (DOJ) officials on the subject of emotional support animals vs service animals. Note that the DOJ is the federal agency responsible for enforcing title III of the ADA (which is what gives public access rights to persons using service animals).

"The way we look at it is what the regulation says is that a service animal is an animal that's trained to provide services for a person. So something that is just a pet is not, and we try to be broad, because there could be a whole range of services that an animal can be trained to provide, but it has to be trained to do it and it has to be doing services. Because there has been a great deal of misunderstanding and we are told by a number of guide dog users around the country of abuses that are occurring and a backlash that's happening to people with service animals because of it. When we do the regulations that I'm talking about in the fall, we're going to ask questions about this issue and be specific about this. Should emotional support animals be covered by the ADA? Should they be required to be in restaurants? Should they be required to be in public transportation? In our view, they're not covered now unless they are providing a service to the person."

John Wodatch, Chief, Disability Rights Section, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice (from July 17, 2001 conference)

"An emotional support animal is not going to be a service animal under the ADA unless it does meet the [task] training requirement."

Phillip L. Breen, Special Legal Counsel, Disability Rights Section, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice (from April 16, 2002 conference)

"Generally speaking, if we're talking about therapy, comfort, emotional support animals -- and I think those typically are used interchangeably. Those are not going to be service animals under the ADA because they haven't been trained to -- remember that three-part -- that definition, they haven't been trained to do work or perform a task for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Typically, comfort, emotional support animals by their very presence certainly performs a valuable service, but it's an innate ability. It's their mere presence. It doesn't reach the level of having been trained to do work or perform tasks."

Sally Conway, Disability Rights Section, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice (from April 29, 2004 conference)

My dog was initially called an ESA prior to the law clarification, post clarification he was relabeled as a PSA and my second dog (trained when a relapse occurred and my previous dog was no longer an appropriate option) continues to muddy the line of retired and a back up plan should **** hit the fan.
Thank you for the info!
 

CatStina

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#25
I don't know a ton about it. I know we now have a local psychiatrist that is having patients get real therapy dogs though. Caresource is paying for it. Kinda shocked me.

I heard they are supposed to come with a year of training and be expensive so not sure what kind thats considered?

Long wait list.
You probably mean service dogs, therapy dogs are well behaved pet dogs that visit patients in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. You do not need a prescription for a therapy dog and therapy dogs have no public access rights.
 

Saeleofu

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#26
That's what I thought, is there some place to report places who deny SD entrance? If so, I'll get the name from David, might ahve him run there to make sure they still have the sign up and report them.
You can report it to the DOJ, but ONLY if YOU are the one denied access. A sign itself can't really be reported. You can mention it to the store manager if you'd like.


Anyone have an ESA?
Gavroche is my ESA (for my autism spectrum disorder). A handler does NOT have the right to take an ESA in public other than where pets are allowed anyway. The only two exceptions are airplanes (DOT) and housing (FHAA). An ESA is NOT a service dog. You must be disabled by psychiatric disorder (aka in the DSM) or be elderly to have an ESA. If you intend to take your dog on a plane or in housing, you MUST have a letter from the mental health professional that is treating you and has prescribed the ESA. They are primarily for home use.


Logan is my service dog. I have him for my autism spectrum disorder. I got him at a year old, and trained him for just over 2 years. Training a service dog from a puppy should take 2 years, give or take a few months. A dog is not a service dog when they're a puppy, even an older puppy. I anticipated it would take just over a year to train Logan, but it ended up taking a year longer than that, which is fine. Slow is fast in the SD world.

Logan has several tasks, some of which I use more often than others. Because I have Gavroche, Logan doesn't work much at home. Gavroche works at home, Logan works in public. Gavroche is EXCELLENT at deep pressure tasks and loves doing them, and Logan just doesn't care for them, so it actually works out pretty well. Logan will do them if I need them while we're out and about, but for the most part I need them at home. Logan does some guide work, signal work (signals to my flapping my hands or picking at my face/chewing at my fingers), balance work, blocking at intersections, finding the car, finding exits, finding bathrooms, etc. I didn't realize how much he helps me until he had to stay home when I went shopping the other day (my mom said he might have diarrhea, and I didn't want to risk it). I was falling and tripping and running into things all over the place and just not doing well. He's only been working full time since August/September, but by now it's "normal" for him to be with me.


Service dogs are NOT allowed absolutely everywhere. It comes down to reasonableness. As mentioned earlier, sterile rooms are off limits, whether it's in a hospital or in manufacturing or whatever. If you have to put on special equipment or take precautions going in somewhere, generally the dog is not allowed. If it is a fundamental alternation or direct threat to the place you are going, the dog is not allowed (for example, an open air aviary). If your dog causes a disruption, you can be asked to remove the dog. And then there are places where it's unsafe or unwise to take a service dog, like loud concerts, ice skating, etc. They're not barred from a place like that, but a good handler would think twice before taking the dog, and make other arrangements if needed (like a service human).

I do not take Logan to work with me because I work with animals in both my jobs. It's unreasonable and unsafe to bring a service dog into the exam room while someone else has their (potentially infectious/aggressive) dog in the exam room. It's also unreasonable to bring a service dog into the animal rooms behind the scenes at the zoo - not because he would do anything, but because his presence alone would stress the animals, and there are times an animal is loose in the room (especially the bird). I do not take him to classes at the zoo or our labs involving animals for the same reason.

And my pet peeve - the service dog does not have the rights. The disabled handler has the rights.
 
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CatStina

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#27
You can report it to the DOJ, but ONLY if YOU are the one denied access. A sign itself can't really be reported. You can mention it to the store manager if you'd like.




Gavroche is my ESA (for my autism spectrum disorder). A handler does NOT have the right to take an ESA in public other than where pets are allowed anyway. The only two exceptions are airplanes (DOT) and housing (FHAA). An ESA is NOT a service dog. You must be disabled by psychiatric disorder (aka in the DSM) or be elderly to have an ESA. If you intend to take your dog on a plane or in housing, you MUST have a letter from the mental health professional that is treating you and has prescribed the ESA. They are primarily for home use.


Logan is my service dog. I have him for my autism spectrum disorder. I got him at a year old, and trained him for just over 2 years. Training a service dog from a puppy should take 2 years, give or take a few months. A dog is not a service dog when they're a puppy, even an older puppy. I anticipated it would take just over a year to train Logan, but it ended up taking a year longer than that, which is fine. Slow is fast in the SD world.

Logan has several tasks, some of which I use more often than others. Because I have Gavroche, Logan doesn't work much at home. Gavroche works at home, Logan works in public. Gavroche is EXCELLENT at deep pressure tasks and loves doing them, and Logan just doesn't care for them, so it actually works out pretty well. Logan will do them if I need them while we're out and about, but for the most part I need them at home. Logan does some guide work, signal work (signals to my flapping my hands or picking at my face/chewing at my fingers), balance work, blocking at intersections, finding the car, finding exits, finding bathrooms, etc. I didn't realize how much he helps me until he had to stay home when I went shopping the other day (my mom said he might have diarrhea, and I didn't want to risk it). I was falling and tripping and running into things all over the place and just not doing well. He's only been working full time since August/September, but by now it's "normal" for him to be with me.


Service dogs are NOT allowed absolutely everywhere. It comes down to reasonableness. As mentioned earlier, sterile rooms are off limits, whether it's in a hospital or in manufacturing or whatever. If you have to put on special equipment or take precautions going in somewhere, generally the dog is not allowed. If it is a fundamental alternation or direct threat to the place you are going, the dog is not allowed (for example, an open air aviary). If your dog causes a disruption, you can be asked to remove the dog. And then there are places where it's unsafe or unwise to take a service dog, like loud concerts, ice skating, etc. They're not barred from a place like that, but a good handler would think twice before taking the dog, and make other arrangements if needed (like a service human).

I do not take Logan to work with me because I work with animals in both my jobs. It's unreasonable and unsafe to bring a service dog into the exam room while someone else has their (potentially infectious/aggressive) dog in the exam room. It's also unreasonable to bring a service dog into the animal rooms behind the scenes at the zoo - not because he would do anything, but because his presence alone would stress the animals, and there are times an animal is loose in the room (especially the bird). I do not take him to classes at the zoo or our labs involving animals for the same reason.

And my pet peeve - the service dog does not have the right. The disabled handler has the rights.
Great post!! Thanks for this! :)
 

Fran101

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#28
Merlin is my SD prospect puppy lol he isn't "in training" yet officially and doesn't get his "service dog in training" vest until he is a bit older and more on his way.

I am working with a trainer. It's not something I could feasibly do myself so I have a private trainer who works with us. The trainer has a co-operative program that involves basically working with us and mostly A LOT of training me to train him (as well as socialization workshops and decided when we "pass" to the next level, kind of thing)
I found a trainer with a comprehensive training program/plan and went from there. All things go without a hitch, the whole thing takes about 3 years.

Before graduation (as well as getting through the program) he must..
- Pass his CGC
- Pass his OFAs with fair or above
- Be able to complete the PAT (Public access test)
- Be neutered (which is not something I'm incredibly fond of but..alas.)

The trainer himself is pretty hands off other than the formal exams to pass to the next level. He works with me TO learn how to work with Merlin. I have private lessons once a month.. but we attend group classes which are all held by a local obedience club (held by a trainer he knows who knows our situation/needs) every week.

Merlin is going to (hopefully) be a seizure response dog. I have epilepsy and my seizures are very frequent and resemble fainting spells. I wake up through tactile stimulation (nudging hands, nose poking kind of thing)..which is what Merlin will be trained to do. He will also learn to stay by me when I fall and sit next to me (sometimes I wake up disoriented and it's nice to have something..stable) as well as hand me my meds and water bottle when I wake up (I often can't see straight and have trouble fishing around for the bottle/water bottle)

Having Merlin, when he is trained.. means I can go places by myself without fear of dropping somewhere and not waking up or not being found. It's independence.. finally.

Right now he is what is called a "prospect puppy" his training is much like any very socialized puppy. He is experiencing new things,places, people and learning basic manners and clicker skills.

He doesn't wear a vest or anything but when he is feeling formal..

lol
 

Saeleofu

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#29
Fran, I'm curious...has Merlin started to show any sign of alerting yet? They say if a dog will alert, it starts within the first 6 months of being with someone.

Of course he'll make a fantastic response dog either way, but I was curious about whether he's started alerting or not :)
 

Fran101

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#30
Fran, I'm curious...has Merlin started to show any sign of alerting yet? They say if a dog will alert, it starts within the first 6 months of being with someone.

Of course he'll make a fantastic response dog either way, but I was curious about whether he's started alerting or not :)
It's so weird, since having him.. I never have seizures around him. According to my mother "IT'S A MAGIC PUPPY!!" :rofl1: so we shall see. I don't have much hope he will alert, my seizures come on very quickly according to my scans, but hey, who knows!
 

joce

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#31
You probably mean service dogs, therapy dogs are well behaved pet dogs that visit patients in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. You do not need a prescription for a therapy dog and therapy dogs have no public access rights.
Yes. Long day! Lol!

In my head I'm thinking therapy for them.
 

Airn

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#32
Well this is all very interesting.

Now a few new questions:

This one is geared towards Fran, but obviously anyone can answer.
What do you do if the dog you are hoping becomes an SD, fails? I assume you don't want to get 'rid' of the dog, but I would imagine with all the money and time it takes to train this dog, failing would be pretty hard. Is it common for dogs to 'fail'?

Also, if you 'get' an SD, but do not NEED an SD, is it still legal to take the dog places? Or if the dog is trained for a certain disability, such as responding to a person who is in a wheelchair, and is now owned by someone who has a disability such as.... Austism. What should happen to the dog in that situation? Is it re-trained or should the new owner focus on getting an SD that is better suited to his/her needs?

Ideally SDs behaved excellently and do not bark/bite/misbehave. However, if someone/thing is bit by an SD, is it treated like a normal dog bite?

What if you are in an area with your SD and someone is uncomfortable with dogs? Like a phobia or allergic or something serious? Or the awful realization that....some people don't like dogs! :yikes: (Wish that worked with some children. Yikes.)

It just seems like it would be so difficult to create many regulations. Is there more being done to verify actual SDs? Some of the reasons I've heard for people having an SD is a bit ridiculous. Everyone has issues and dogs, especially YOUR dog is bound to make you feel better. I KNOW most SDs are not just "Oh you make me happy" dogs. But it is a bit of 'some bad apples ruin the whole bunch'.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#33
It's so weird, since having him.. I never have seizures around him. According to my mother "IT'S A MAGIC PUPPY!!" :rofl1: so we shall see. I don't have much hope he will alert, my seizures come on very quickly according to my scans, but hey, who knows!
Well, he is named Merlin...

So, someone once asked if my dog alerted for Denis (type1diabetic), before we had the malinois. It went like this.
Denis: no.
Me: well Arnold gets up with you in the night-
Denis: um... He hears the plastic bags of food opening. No love from that dog.

Sigh. Fail.
 

Laurelin

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#34
What is the benefit of having a dog 'officially' an ESA? They have no access rights. The big thing I've seen is housing, which wouldn't affect most people.

Since ESAs don't do any specific tasks to mitigate a disability, how do you get an ESA? Do you just need a diagnosis?

I'm not looking at getting an ESA, but I just don't really understand.
 

CatStina

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#35
What do you do if the dog you are hoping becomes an SD, fails?
It's called "washing out" and it does happen. I don't know how often, someone else may know the answer. If a dog washes out you either keep said dog as a pet and start over with a new candidate or rehome said dog to a pet home and start over with a new dog.

Also, if you 'get' an SD, but do not NEED an SD, is it still legal to take the dog places?
No. You have to have a disability in order to have an SD.

Ideally SDs behaved excellently and do not bark/bite/misbehave. However, if someone/thing is bit by an SD, is it treated like a normal dog bite?
I don't know, actually, I imagine so, but someone else will have to answer that one.

What if you are in an area with your SD and someone is uncomfortable with dogs? Like a phobia or allergic or something serious? Or the awful realization that....some people don't like dogs! :yikes: (Wish that worked with some children. Yikes.)
If you had read the ADA's section on Service Dogs, which has been linked several times, you would know that, "Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals."

It just seems like it would be so difficult to create many regulations. Is there more being done to verify actual SDs? Some of the reasons I've heard for people having an SD is a bit ridiculous. Everyone has issues and dogs, especially YOUR dog is bound to make you feel better. I KNOW most SDs are not just "Oh you make me happy" dogs. But it is a bit of 'some bad apples ruin the whole bunch'.
Legally in order for a dog to be an SD it has to be task trained, "Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA." Faking a SD IS against the law, the DOJ handles cases of fraud, though I don't think it happens often. There is talk of maybe having some kind of registration process, but, at present, there is no Nationally recognized certification or registration necessary for SDs.
 

Fran101

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#36
Well this is all very interesting.

Now a few new questions:

This one is geared towards Fran, but obviously anyone can answer.
What do you do if the dog you are hoping becomes an SD, fails?

He will be a very well trained pet. It is INCREDIBLY common for dogs to fail, less so for seizure response (in comparison to say, guide dogs).. but still, it's a hard job and requires being basically bombproof in many cases. It would suck, of course.. it is a lot of money and time invested but alas..this is the risk I was ready to take on when I decided to train my own dog

Also, if you 'get' an SD, but do not NEED an SD, is it still legal to take the dog places? Or if the dog is trained for a certain disability, such as responding to a person who is in a wheelchair, and is now owned by someone who has a disability such as.... Austism. What should happen to the dog in that situation? Is it re-trained or should the new owner focus on getting an SD that is better suited to his/her needs?

The right to have a service dog go places is with the handler, not the dog. So yes, it is illegal to parade around with a service dog that you don't need (even if the dog is trained) It's like taking someones wheelchair and wanting to skip the line at disney world.. it is a real wheelchair, you are sitting in it, but it isn't YOURS.

As for the trained dog..what would happen to the dog depends on the handler and the dog.. I'm sure some dogs could be re-trained, some couldn't/some would rather retire. If the dog is young and proven to be a stable, happy to work dog, I would imagine it would be totally ok to re-train the dog to suit your needs.


Ideally SDs behaved excellently and do not bark/bite/misbehave. However, if someone/thing is bit by an SD, is it treated like a normal dog bite?

Honestly, I don't know. It is treated much like a regular dog bite I suppose.. but I would guess if the police are involved, the handler's dogs public access rights might be affected. No idea honestly. No dog who is aggressive should be a service dog honestly.

What if you are in an area with your SD and someone is uncomfortable with dogs? Like a phobia or allergic or something serious? Or the awful realization that....some people don't like dogs! :yikes: (Wish that worked with some children. Yikes.)

Service dogs are not supposed to bother anyone (that includes touching or drawing attention to themselves) They should also be well groomed (so fur/dander isn't flying) so what they do if they face someone with allergies I assume is up to the handler, I would personally be fine with moving or doing what I can to get away from that person.

As for phobias/not liking dogs, again, the dog is on leash, shouldn't be touching, making noise or otherwise bothering people, if these people are still bothered by his presence then well.. they are outta luck. They can move or leave the situation. I am not going to leave or bend over backwards to leave a situation when my dog isn't bothering anyone and the person is just personally offended by him being AROUND minding his own business.

The ADA covers allergies/phobies better than I have.


It just seems like it would be so difficult to create many regulations. Is there more being done to verify actual SDs? Some of the reasons I've heard for people having an SD is a bit ridiculous. Everyone has issues and dogs, especially YOUR dog is bound to make you feel better. I KNOW most SDs are not just "Oh you make me happy" dogs. But it is a bit of 'some bad apples ruin the whole bunch'.

It's easier said than done when it comes to "making more regulations" how would a test be put into affect? what kind of proof? what would qualify? it's a complicated issue. As far as I know..as it is, the ADA is staying the way it is. There are bad apples yes, but there are more good ones than bad and to try to weed out the bad, could harm the good.. and frankly, why would the bad apples care about new rules anyway?
necessary text.
 

CatStina

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#37
What is the benefit of having a dog 'officially' an ESA? They have no access rights. The big thing I've seen is housing, which wouldn't affect most people.

Since ESAs don't do any specific tasks to mitigate a disability, how do you get an ESA? Do you just need a diagnosis?

I'm not looking at getting an ESA, but I just don't really understand.
An ESA provides comfort or emotional support. In order to get an ESA, you have to be diagnosed with a disability and having a pet will help you "feel better." The benefit of having an ESA is that you can live in housing that generally doesn't allow animals and you can bring the animal on an airplane at no extra charge.
 

Saeleofu

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#38
Laur - an ESA is designated an ESA primarily for housing or flight. I got Gavroche's designation before I moved into no-pets housing. Most people that have an ESA don't have it officially designated as one because they don't need it. It really is just a pet.

Well this is all very interesting.

Now a few new questions:

This one is geared towards Fran, but obviously anyone can answer.
What do you do if the dog you are hoping becomes an SD, fails? I assume you don't want to get 'rid' of the dog, but I would imagine with all the money and time it takes to train this dog, failing would be pretty hard. Is it common for dogs to 'fail'?
It is VERY common for a dog to wash out. Very, very common. Most dogs do NOT have what it takes to be a service dog. This is why you have to find the dog with the right lines, the right temperament, the right size, etc - and even then they can still wash out. This isn't an issue if you get a program dog, the program takes care of all of that for you. Problem is, I have yet to find a reputable autism program, which is why I ended up owner-training Logan.

Some people WILL rehome the dog. If they need a service dog, and they can't have another dog, then they may decide a service dog is more important. I got Logan to be a service dog, but if he washed out I would still have kept him because he's also a competition dog and a pet, and I can't imagine parting with him. But some people get an SD prospect JUST as a prospect, and rehome it if it doesn't make it. Some people will also rehome a dog when it retires, even if it's owner-trained. I couldn't possibly do that myself.

Also, if you 'get' an SD, but do not NEED an SD, is it still legal to take the dog places?
NO. If you are not disabled, then the dog is NOT a service dog. The dog is only a service dog when paired with its disabled handler. ITS disabled handler, too, not just ANY disabled handler. They are INDIVIDUALLY trained to perform tasks to mitigate the handler's disability. If a dog's handler dies, it usually goes to stay with family or back to the program for rehoming. If it happens early in the dog's career, the dog may be retrained and placed with another person.

Ideally SDs behaved excellently and do not bark/bite/misbehave. However, if someone/thing is bit by an SD, is it treated like a normal dog bite?
Yes, And the dog should no longer be a service dog. Very, very, VERY rarely can a dog that has bitten go back to working, and only under specific circumstances.


What if you are in an area with your SD and someone is uncomfortable with dogs? Like a phobia or allergic or something serious? Or the awful realization that....some people don't like dogs! :yikes: (Wish that worked with some children. Yikes.)
The person that is afraid/allergic/whatever can move away. I have every right to be in the grocery store with my service dog even if the person next to me doesn't like dogs. Deal with it. People DO come around a corner and scream when they see a dog in the store. Stupid, but it happens, just like people WILL bark at your service dog. For the most part, I ignore it and continue minding my own business. If someone is allergic to dogs, they'll react to the dander on any dog owner's clothes. A properly maintained service dog doesn't have fur flying and should be bathes regularly to keep dander to a minimum.

It just seems like it would be so difficult to create many regulations. Is there more being done to verify actual SDs? Some of the reasons I've heard for people having an SD is a bit ridiculous. Everyone has issues and dogs, especially YOUR dog is bound to make you feel better. I KNOW most SDs are not just "Oh you make me happy" dogs. But it is a bit of 'some bad apples ruin the whole bunch'.
A person MUST be disabled to have a service dog. If they're not, they're fakers, and that's illegal. It can go so far as them losing their social security benefits if they're faking. I feel national certification is in the future, whether that's good or bad I'm still a bit undecided. But thanks to the "PSD Explosion"
and people gabbing on about "THEIR RIGHTS!" people think they can just take their pet dog anywhere and claim it's a PSD even though it's NOT task trained and they DON'T have a disability (prior to PSDs being common, these types of people claimed the dog was for seizures and the like...basically, anything invisible). The people who do this are costing real service dog teams because their dogs are NOT behaving like service dogs and the handlers are NOT behaving like good service dog handlers. And THAT is why certification is looming. They did recently tighten up the laws a bit. A service animal is now dogs only, no parrots or snakes or anything ridiculous. If you are flying and have a PSD, you need documentation. No other SDs do, just PSDs. It's awful that it had to come to that.
 

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