"SDs" at Airport?

noludoru

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#1
So I've been sitting here in GA for two hours, and I've seen two dogs whose owners claimed they were service dogs. (No, I wasn't the one who asked.)

Dog number one was pulling on the leash and soliciting pets from strangers, which the owner encouraged.

Dog number two started a barking fit over a person too close to it. The owner brought a crate that only fit in the overhead bins, and both people had to jam the dog into the crate and hold it's muzzle shut to stop the barking.

Am I crazy or do both of these dogs NOT sound like service dogs to you?
 

LMost

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#2
Your not crazy, but it seems once there a SD, the owners can do a lot of damage to the training and they remain a SD.

Having my own issue with one now, in the neighborhood, that is clearly become DA, and slightly HA.

If you met the owner, you would know where the issue are coming from.
 

RBark

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#3
It can be very difficult to socialize a SD to airports and flight. The opportunities may just not be there, and if someone else trained the SD then the owners may not understand how to handle the issue

It's a high stress, extremely rare situation. And a lot to ask of a dog to be perfect in compared to the typical environment they are in.

I'm not saying they are or are not SD, but that's a situation where visual observation is rather unfair.
 

Ozfozz

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#4
Understandably dogs are not robots and even the best SDs are certainly prone to "dog behaviours" once in a while.

And as RBark mentioned, the airport isn't exactly an every day experience for most dogs.

The thing that sticks out most to me, is the handler encouraging the dog to solicit attention from strangers. To me, that would be counterproductive.
 

Julee

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#5
More than likely not service dogs. The most common time service dogs are faked is to get them on flights for free. Skymall even advertised a cutesy "certification kit" you could buy.

Honestly, an airport IS a busy environment, but isn't really any weirder than most other busy things they encounter (fairs, malls, etc). Em's first time at an airport (beyond the waiting area when you pick someone up) was when she flew over 3000 miles in under 12 hours. The second time is when she did it again, six months later. We also had two cats with us to add to the fun. She was flawless.

That being said, yeah, they are dogs. She's barked in public before. She's blown me off when she saw someone she knew. It happens. Some handlers do not care about petting (I don't, though I don't encourage my dogs to solicit it), so it's totally possible that one was legit. The other one was definitely not.
 

RBark

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#6
More than likely not service dogs. The most common time service dogs are faked is to get them on flights for free. Skymall even advertised a cutesy "certification kit" you could buy.

Honestly, an airport IS a busy environment, but isn't really any weirder than most other busy things they encounter (fairs, malls, etc). Em's first time at an airport (beyond the waiting area when you pick someone up) was when she flew over 3000 miles in under 12 hours. The second time is when she did it again, six months later. We also had two cats with us to add to the fun. She was flawless.

That being said, yeah, they are dogs. She's barked in public before. She's blown me off when she saw someone she knew. It happens. Some handlers do not care about petting (I don't, though I don't encourage my dogs to solicit it), so it's totally possible that one was legit. The other one was definitely not.
Eh, I still disagree with making judgement calls without knowing the situation. For example, if this was a store I would have no qualms with them being asked to leave for being a nuisance. It is often something you can put off if your dog is not performing well that day.

But flights can't be put off, in general. And there are a million what-if's at play here. Were they on their second or third connecting flight, and the dogs were stressed from the first flight? What are these dogs trained to do, and is something in the environment triggering their training even if it was the incorrect situation?

The person wanting people to pet her dog- maybe she's trying to get her dog to relax because she noticed the dog is getting stressed? Maybe she's trying to associate them with something positive?

What about if they are SDIT's? ESA's with owners who don't really know the difference? SDIT's have equal access rights as SD's in many states.

There's just so much that could be at play that it's really unfair to put someone on the defensive over one situation that you saw for a few minutes out of their whole life.
 

Fran101

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#7
hard to say.

That said, I felt Merlin wasn't ready for the airport/flight...and I paid the $$ to have him shipped as a pet.
Then again, I HAVE that option (as in I don't need him 24/7), some may not. Especially when it comes to ESAs being on the plane might be vital for them.

But yea, I think airports are hands down the most common place for fakers. In their defense air travel with pets is needlessly expensive but still, it's pretty scummy
 
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#8
NO,the airport or train station is not that tough on a well socialized,stable dog whether it is a SD dog or not.

Of all things,a trained SD dog should be confortable,in all situations and that includes airports,train station,metro,buses,etc.

TOOK Titus,twice to FR and back,with no problems,no barking fit and he went in the crate by himself.
Actually, He was complimented on how good he was by the people taking care of boarding.
 

RBark

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#9
NO,the airport or train station is not that tough on a well socialized,stable dog whether it is a SD dog or not.

Of all things,a trained SD dog should be confortable,in all situations and that includes airports,train station,metro,buses,etc.

TOOK Titus,twice to FR and back,with no problems,no barking fit and he went in the crate by himself.
Actually, He was complimented on how good he was by the people taking care of boarding.
To be honest I've never met a single SD owner that claimed their dog is perfect in 100% of situations 100% of the time. As another poster said, they are not robots. And just because some people have dogs that don't have problems with it doesn't mean there aren't other dogs that might find it challenging. And furthermore the people on this forum are far more well equipped to handle a reactivity issue in an Airport with a SD than the vast majority of SD owners who know little to nothing about training. The people on this forum are hardly a representative of the general public.
 

MicksMom

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#10
More than likely not service dogs. The most common time service dogs are faked is to get them on flights for free...
That's my thought as well. I've been told (by a reliable source) of a well known obedience competitor who claimed her dog was a SD so the dog didn't have to go in the cargo hold.

Another thought is maybe they were SDs in training. The last I knew, until they are certified, they aren't supposed to be treated like a SD, but most people don't know that.


NO,the airport or train station is not that tough on a well socialized,stable dog whether it is a SD dog or not.

Of all things,a trained SD dog should be confortable,in all situations and that includes airports,train station,metro,buses,etc...
Pretty much my thoughts as well. And, yes, I know dogs are not robots. I can understand a SD being stressed in an airport, but they shouldn't be reacting the way the two in the OP were.
 

RBark

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#11
Another thought is maybe they were SDs in training. The last I knew, until they are certified, they aren't supposed to be treated like a SD, but most people don't know that.
There's no SD certification, and in many states SDIT's (SD in Training) have equal rights to SD's.
 
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#12
Sorry but I expect SD dogs to be better trained and socialized than the average pet.
Barking should not be allowed in public places,for the confort of other people.
If an SD is allowed everywhere then he should be bombproof.
If they arent,then they shouldnt be SD dogs.
SDIT is,again,different as they are learning their job but if they are SDIT,they should wear the vest.
 

RBark

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#13
Sorry but I expect SD dogs to be better trained and socialized than the average pet.
Barking should not be allowed in public places,for the confort of other people.
If an SD is allowed everywhere then he should be bombproof.
If they arent,then they shouldnt be SD dogs.
SDIT is,again,different as they are learning their job but if they are SDIT,they should wear the vest.
They don't have a vest for SDIT's. They have a tag, as in a collar tag. I have one for Priscilla.

But it sounds like your dogs never make mistakes or have bad days. Must be nice.
 
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#14
They don't have a vest for SDIT's. They have a tag, as in a collar tag. I have one for Priscilla.

But it sounds like your dogs never make mistakes or have bad days. Must be nice.
Arent you touchy!.
In Fr,they wear vests.

Please do tell me where I said that my dogs were perfect?.

And yes,I DO expect SD dogs to be trained and behave propally,in public or they shouldn't be doing that job.
If they cant behave,then,they are just simple pets,like mine!.
 

RBark

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#15
Arent you touchy!.
In Fr,they wear vests.

Please do tell me where I said that my dogs were perfect?.

And yes,I DO expect SD dogs to be trained and behave propally,in public or they shouldn't be doing that job.
If they cant behave,then,they are just simple pets,like mine!.
You say that they have to behave properly in public 100% of the time. By that definition, there is no such thing as a Service Dog.
 
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#18
Dont agree!.
I've seen many SD working whether in the US or FR and they were perfectly behaved and quiet,on the leash while working.
If startled,some would bark but would stop as soon as owner told them,to so yes,i do expect it,from them.
Now,take off their working gear and they were happy,playful,jumpy,barky dogs.
 

RBark

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#19
Dont agree!.
I've seen many SD working whether in the US or FR and they were perfectly behaved and quiet,on the leash while working.
If startled,some would bark but would stop as soon as owner told them,to so yes,i do expect it,from them.
Now,take off their working gear and they were happy,playful,jumpy,barky dogs.
Yes, I'm sure you saw a bunch of SD's on their good days, which is the majority of their days. That doesn't mean they never have off days. And since you're not with them 24/7, you have no way of knowing. You are, quite frankly, the only person I've ever heard claim that SD's are perfect 100% of the time. Not even the best SD organizations claim that.

And you know what? That's okay. Hearing aids break down. Walking sticks crack. Glasses get lost. Medicine doesn't quite mix right with something you ate or drank, or your body is more immune than normal. Wheelchairs break. Crutches break. All these things are normal, no tool works 100% of the time and there's nothing wrong with that.

One time my hearing aid broke, and was making a really high pitched noise that was a nuisance to everyone around me. But people were too polite to tell me since I couldn't hear it. Guess since it wore out, it wasn't really a hearing aid?
 

elegy

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#20
Were the dogs vested?

Steve is certainly not perfect. He has moments. Last week at therapy he alarm-barked at the client before me. It was embarrassing, but what can you do?

It doesn't change that he's a service dog, though. He is still trained to perform tasks that make it possible for me to function in the world. That is technically all that is required.
 

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