Service Dogs

Savile

Savile

Member
Mom is in a nursing home and there are several service dogs that come around to visit. BoBo is a big gentle Rottweiler who seems to love all the residents. And they love him. I have great respect for the owners of these dogs who are willing to share and serve. Thanks to you all!
 
I always tell my husband that when I’m old and in a nursing home you better sneak a dog in. ?That said...you are actually referring to a therapy dog. Therapy dogs are trained to go into public places where they comfort others. They do not have any service dog rights (not allowed in restaurants or on planes for instance).

Service dogs perform a task for their owner that the owner can not perform without the dog (seizure alert for instance). Service dogs are allowed in restaurants and planes and anywhere humans are allowed
 
The whole notion of therapy dogs is brilliant. I've seen a few such visits and the way that people who are lonely, in pain, tired, withdrawn from the world for whatever reason respond to the nudging muzzle and bright eyes of a dog is a joy to watch. People who are otherwise very happy, have lots of visitors and are physically comfortable also benefit. What's great is that the dogs enjoy this activity as much as the humans.
 
I knew that Kirsten! I meant to say therapy dog instead of service dog. Thanks for setting it straight. This Rottweiler I'm talking about was supposed to be a service dog but they found a heart murmur in him. He turned out to be a very good therapy dog instead and all the residents love him. Me too!!
 
Fake service dogs? Please explain. I've never heard of a fake service dog. Why would someone want to do something like this? Service dogs are highly trained to meet the needs of their "person." I just can't imagine trying to get away with something like this.
 
People do it so they can take their dog with them into restaurants and on planes. It’s so common now a days they are changing the laws on service dogs. Unfortunately, service dogs do not require any special training to be a service dog.
 
Kirsten said:
Unfortunately, service dogs do not require any special training to be a service dog.
Click to expand...

I'm a little confused by this statement.

This is from the ADA government site: Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.

They put the emphasis on "trained" with italics, not me, so it appears training is a requirement. I know about all the controversy that's been happening lately, but it was my understanding that those animals were ESAs (emotional support animals) and those pets are the ones that don't need any specialized training.
 
Service dogs can be handler (owner) trained and the handler/owner doesn’t have to have any experience and doesn’t need help from a professional. They can be “in training” AND be working. This is one of the loopholes that fake service dog people use. That the dog is in training and therefore not perfect. You can’t ask what level the dog is trained at or what the dog is trained to do so if you are faking you’re dog as a Service dog the issue is you can’t be asked any identifiable questions about your “Service Dog”.
 
Of course this is all reasonable if you have a genuine service dog. I have helped several people with disabilities train their service dogs and it really sucks for them because they are now always under scrutiny.
 
Well!! I just can't think like that. I would never lie about my dog just to get it into a restaurant or on a plane. It would just ever occur to me. Thank you for clarifying the training part. I knew they had to be trained some and thought they needed a lot of training. Good to know.
 
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