I think many people take advantage and use the "service dogs" excuse just to bring their pets everywhere. What do you think?
shareMaybe a few abuse the system but for the most part it seems some people genuinely need dogs around them for assistance
The few 'service dogs' I've seen were well behaved so whatever...
As long as the dogs are leashed and the owner has considerations for other people... whatever.
shareI am concerned by the photographs I have seen of these "emotional support" dogs. It seems to me they need emotional support dogs of their own. It reminds me of what Alan McGilvray once said " Solve your own problems, don't create them for others ".
I never heard of "emotional support " dogs. Is that really a thing? That sounds like a milennial thing.
shareService dogs, assistance dogs, emotional support dogs. Same thing. Personally I think people should grow up. A dog looks to its owner for guidance not the other way around. People who do this are ridiculous and feeble.
Indeed. They look foolish and childish. The worst are people who dress their pets! Yikes....
shareWomen and couples who treat dogs as a substitute for a child. More insanity.
"Women and couples who treat dogs as a substitute for a child. More insanity."
These are the people who speak baby-talk to their dogs in public. They don't stop and think how ridiculous it sounds.
Reminds me of the time I overheard a woman talking to her little dog in a babyish voice.
"Come on baby, shit down, shit down!" And she wasn't asking it to take a dump, either.
A service or assistance dog is there to aid a person who is blind, deaf, etc. There are even dogs that can sense when a person with epilepsy is starting to have a seizure:
https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/seizure-first-aid-and-safety/seizure-dogs
These are true service animals that perform a necessary function. They can be lifesavers.
I never heard of an "emotional support dog" until maybe five years ago. I think this is total nonsense.
Yes.
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Of course they do. Just the way people take advantage of everything else they possibly can. Most people are lazy and look for shortcuts and handouts as well. And that, is only getting worse unfortunately.
shareNot that I’ve noticed. I’ve only ever seen service dogs used by vision impaired people and I think you’d have to be some special sort of miserable c*nt to have a problem with that.
shareThe OP is not talking about dogs that provide a necessary service to disabled people. The subject is people who insist on bringing their dogs to stores or restaurants for no legitimate reason. When confronted about this, they get all huffy and claim it's an "emotional support dog." There's no such thing.
It's just more of the "me first, I'm entitled" mindset that is becoming more prevalent these days.
There is such a thing as an emotional support animal. It's called a "pet."
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And it doesn't belong in a restaurant.
shareOne exception
By tradition, the winner of Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden gets a fabulous meal served on a silver platter at Sardi's (a famous theater district restaurant)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9J-YP06ljI
^^^this.
shareThat seems disingenuous of you. You say “^^^this” so enthusiastically about a post talking about emotional support dogs when above you admit to never having heard of emotional support dogs before.
Really, how often do you encounter people taking advantage of having a service dog in your day to day life? Is it really that much of a problem to you? Like why do you care? If the dog is well behaved and it doesn’t disadvantage you, live and let live I say.
It irks me because they're clearly taking advantage of the "emotional support" designation when it's not truly needed. Not to mention, pets in some areas (restaurants, etc) can be a hazard. Plus, not everyone likes or tolerates pets (allergies, etc).
Again, I have no issues with service dogs. Vision, hearing dogs. Because they actually provide a necessary service. But an untrained "emotional support" dog is just a pet.
Yes. Up until Covid I would take 2-3 cruises a year and I always see people with their dogs on ships - some of them are dressed up and pushed around in strollers.
I love animals and really don't have a problem with pets on ships, in restaurants, etc. - just don't call them service dogs when they aren't.
Yes. An emotional support animal is a "pet" as far as I'm concerned. Many places have finally wised up to this and there are signs here outside restaurants that specifically say that service animal does not include an emotional support animal. But this is still allowed in residences here, that is, if an apartment building doesn't allow pets all you have to do is pay a few bucks to get a certificate that says Fido is an emotional support animal, and the building has to allow it in. These certificates are about as hard to get as a medical marijuana card. (Not hard at all.) I would add that even if the restaurant or business has a sign disallowing emotional support animals, sometimes they don't enforce it--the people who use these fake vests on their pets (or even without them) get very hostile if you challenge them. It is their God-given right to take their pet anywhere.
A true service animal is trained to do some specific thing(s). An emotional support animal is just a pet. The people who use those ridiculous service animal vests on their obviously untrained dog are the ones that annoy me the most.
I never could understand why these people find it necessary to bring their pets to stores or restaurants. This is unsanitary, and a violation of health codes.
shareThey have become quite arrogant in this regard, hence the hostility when they are challenged.
Our county (Washoe County, Reno, Nevada) issued guidelines disallowing emotional support aka companion animals in restaurants. The situation has definitely improved, though occasionally people still try and get away with it. As I wrote they can still get away with it in a no-pets apartment building.
It sounds like more "I'm entitled" mentality.
shareSome people care more about their pets than their own children!
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