What do you think about getting service animal vests for non service animals

[NightWatcher]

just so people can take them into public places?

I'm just sitting on a boring surveillance and am looking to stir up shit.

And no, I'm not getting a vest for my Chiweenie (half Chihuahua half Weiner dog). I can smuggle her in a small messenger bag or wear her on my shoulder, perched like some weird pirate's pet.

19 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	For it.
	0 (0%)
	Against it. And something about it taking away from legit service animals.
	19 (100%)
	Against it for other reasons.
	0 (0%)
	Other.
	0 (0%)
	I don't like dogs. (Go dunk your head in the toilet and flush for an hour and get back to me)
	0 (0%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Phoenix61]

1. I saw a woman wearing her dog in a baby pouch

at the store the other day. Actually a pretty good idea as it is really hot here and much safer than leaving in the car.

[SonofDonald]

9. A real service dog

Is on it's feet, on the floor, not in a pouch or a cart or anywhere else.

[LisaM]

2. I am very much against it, BUT....

I wish that there were more places you could take dogs.

[NightWatcher]

3. I keep seeing more and more dogs out in public and I'm businesses

As soon I can train mine more I'll start taking her more places. I'm working near a city park and see tons of them around.

[LisaM]

5. Yes, I have too.

I wish you could take them on Amtrak.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. There should be some sort of penalty, a decent fine perhaps,

for people who do that.

People take their dogs too many places with or without those service vests. They need to understand that not everyone loves dogs, and may especially not care for your particular dog.

Some of the same people who complain bitterly about small children think nothing about taking their dog everywhere. Leave the pooch at home. Or re-think actually having a dog.

[SonofDonald]

10. Correct, and I do love dogs. N/T

[mythology]

15. In my experience, most dogs are better behaved than most children

As somebody who on a good day finds kids to be obnoxious pains, can I request people get leashes and vests for their children? I not only don't love children, I find poorly behaved children to be insufferable and cause far more of a burden on everyone around them than dogs do.

Leave the kid at home. Re-think actually having a kid, the world is over-populated.

[Coventina]

35. !

[Rorey]

7. I used to joke that we should get our dog a vest

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

This was when he was getting groomed. He had mixed feelings about parts of the experience.

[irisblue]

14. That is quite a face

[Rorey]

17. He was a "retired" guard dog

He was a challenge in the beginning, but I started taking him for an hour walk every morning on a harness. In the beginning, a good part of the walk consisted of standing in one place with me pointed in one direction and him straining at his leash pointed in the other direction. I never so much as gave him a swat. I just let him know I was "the alpha" by winning these battles of will. I think the real turning point was the first time I had to pick his front end off of the ground by his harness when he threatened to go after a smaller dog who was off the leash. He just seemed amazed that I could do that. After that I just had to tell him "no". He never had to be told more than once not to do something.

I feel that this dog saved my life. He came into our home during my recovery from my little stroke. He was perfect exercise for me. Eventually our walks turned more into runs. He truly was great therapy for me too. I talked about everything with him. I wish I had still had him last November.

He was the smartest dog I've ever known (but of course everyone says that). He learned my voice commands and would go whichever way I told him to go. After he was trained, he was a great traveler. I never gave us a bit of trouble in hotels and was great in the van. When we were traveling was when I wish I could have taken him into public places like restaurants. But I never would have tried to pass him off as a trained therapy dog of any sort. That's as bad as using someone's handicap parking credentials to take those parking spaces.

[femmocrat]

8. Our dog was a registered therapy dog.

We took him to lots of training classes and qualified the legitimate way. He didn't have a vest, but had a bandana and tag for his collar. It it does annoy me to see people who call their pets "emotional support animals" or whatever, just to take them along for fun. Eventually they will ruin it for the qualified dogs and their owners/handlers.
Some people just think the rules don't apply to them, I guess.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. I know a woman who has an emotional support dog,

and it's the best behaved dog ever, aside from his predecessor. I don't know exactly why she has such a dog, but he's a joy to be around.

[csziggy]

16. My niece is one who abuses the concept of therapy dogs

She adopts small dogs, claims they are "emotional support animals" so she can take them into stores, but she never trains them or gets any training for them. She has had more than one removed from her care because they bit someone in a public place.

While my niece needs psychological help, I don't think she should be allowed to own a pet since she is as abusive to animals as she is to humans. She and her mother (my little sister) taught me what a malignant narcissist was before Trump got into politics. I no longer interact with them - life is too short to allow that kind of evil.

People with real service animals such as the woman that PoindexterOglethorpe cited are hurt by abusers like my niece. I believe there should be distinct requirements for service animals and penalties for those who take advantage.

[Lunabell]

12. I'm for it

Because restrictions on dogs are ridiculous.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. Of course I'm against it,

but it would be sort of fun to have one for my big friendly orange cat, just to see if anyone would believe he was really a service animal.

[Wounded Bear]

18. I feel about this about like I feel about people using handicapped stickers illegally...

Follow the rules and don't impose your animals on those who may not want to be around them.

[Aristus]

19. I'm opposed.

Not the least of which reasons is I have patients ask me all the time for a provider note that grants their pets service status.

The attitude seems to be: "Oh, he's got a medical license. I'll ask him to do something unethical for me."

The animal has to have undergone training at a licensed facility. And the patient has to have a verified disability other than 'I like dogs and feel nervous when mine isn't around'.

I could lose my medical license, or at best get hauled before a disciplinary committee for signing off on your animal if those criteria aren't met.

So please don't ask...

[NightWatcher]

20. So, you're not going to give me a recommendation for a medicinal weed card?

[Aristus]

21. No.

1. I'm not licensed to do so.

2. Cannabis is available over-the-counter in Washington State. Walk into a cannabis store and make a purchase.

[NightWatcher]

23. Just messing with you.

My rheumatologist is going to sign me up here in Fl when/if the state ever gets their shit together and grants licenses to more than terminally ill.

I've helped him expand his knowledge of cannabis and he has since made recommendations to others.

[Aristus]

31. I hope it happens for you. Cannabis has relieved a lot of suffering for a lot of people.

Methotrexate is an excellent pharmaceutical for reducing the pain, inflammation, and bone deformation caused by RA. But the side effects? You don't even want to know...

[NightWatcher]

33. I'm on methotrexate. I just dont take as oftenas I should

That and plaquenil make me feel like shit sometimes. Now I take a lot of cbd oil and ingest other cannabis daily.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

22. Yes, otherwise I have to leave the dog in the car

and the car is in the space authorized by my counterfeit handicapped parking permit.

So of course I get a service-dog sweater-vest from eBay.

Sheesh. Enjoy your surveillance duty!

[NightWatcher]

24. ...parked outside the Olive Garden no doubt?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

25. It might have been there, or ...

... I might have parked in the Handicapped-only spot at the fitness club, to save myself a couple of steps.

How did you know about the Olive Garden? I thought I was being discrete..

[petronius]

26. I'll take the middle ground: I support vests that don't specifically say service or have

any official insignia, but are perhaps a bit vaguely confusing - and if people can't tell the difference, then obviously the dog isn't causing a problem.

[heaven05]

27. for it

as long as they are not anti-people(vicious).....dog buddies are just that....

[lapucelle]

28. People at work were talking about this just a few days ago.

Apparently, in my county the only thing you have to do is fill out an online form and send in a small fee. No other documentation is necessary.

I was appalled that anyone would game this particular system. There is a genuine difference between need and entitlement.

There's a classic Simpsons episode in which Homer games the system in order to get a highly trained helper monkey to do his chores for him.

http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Mojo_the_Helper_Monkey

[Coventina]

36. Pray. For. Mojo.

[lapucelle]

38. Indeed.

[beachbum bob]

29. Nope...not at all

[thucythucy]

30. I know people who have guide dogs.

The dogs go through months of training, after which they're teamed with a person who then also has to be trained in how properly to use the dog.

A non-trained dog can actually be a danger to someone who relies on a guide dog. If the non-trained dog decides to jump at the service dog, if it snaps or barks or worst of all gets into a fight, it can put the life of the person with the disability at risk. Imagine, for instance, being at the edge of a subway platform and suddenly having to deal with your guide dog being distracted like that (this situation actually happened to someone I know). True, guide-dogs are trained to deal with that sort of crisis, but a dog is a dog and even the smartest and best trained dog can have problems when confronted with an out of control animal.

Aside from that, a poorly trained and behaved "service animal" makes it more difficult for people using the real thing. Some businesses are already reluctant to allow service dogs on the premises (though it's the law). People faking the credentials for use with a poorly behaved dog just makes it that much more difficult for the person with the genuine need.

So no, I'd prefer people who don't need them not pretend their pets are service animals. It can be harmful in ways you might not be able to imagine.

[Nwgirl503]

32. I'm deathly allergic to most animals, so no thanks!

I'm gonna rant a bit here. Animals are a severe trigger of my asthma. My life is already affected enough. I don't need people who, for whatever reason, feel the need to have their pets everywhere with them in public places.

I've had to turn down job offers cause there was an office pet (I quit one job because my cubicle mates clothing was so covered in her 5 dogs' hair I was blowing through inhalers like candy). I can't go to someone's house who has pets for more than a half hour. I've been rushed to the ER in the middle of the night from a damn hotel, cause they had a house cat that slept in the rooms, but no notice for the public. When I move finding a place that's never allowed pets puts added strain. It's been a deal-breaker in relationships cause the guy had an indoor cat or dog. I can't ride in people's cars who take their pets in their cars. God help me if I have to push someone's dog off me and don't wash my hands immediately and get my hands near my eyes. Hello swollen shut eyes and possible eye infection. I swell and welt up if I get licked. A scratch can turn into a scar if I don't clean it immediately and put ointment on it.

People don't understand the severity of my allergies, which is fine. I've long since given up trying to explain to the person who says "have you tried Benadryl?" that my allergies are way more severe than that. I haven't been to an allergist in years and maybe there's something now that can help me, IDK. But the doctors I've seen in the past all had the same solution: "stay away".

I don't push my allergies on other people. I just try to be as aware as I can and avoid the triggers. I understand the need for service animals and make adjustments as best I can. But I definitely don't need more allergy landmines at public places than already exist.

[NightWatcher]

34. Yikes. So sorry to hear that.

[Nwgirl503]

37. Thanks!