Companion/Service Dogs

[Ms_Butterfly]

Hello everyone,
There are companion assistance dogs that are provided by large accredited organizations and are highly skilled and trained for public access. They are trained to pass public certification by agencies such as Assistance dogs International Inc. They sometimes will have the word "companion" associated with the service/assistance animal.

Anybody can call the dog whatever they want to call it, but legally, the term is "service dog" and anything other than a service dog is a pet. If the dog meets the legal definition for a service dog (trained to do tasks for a particular disabled person) and the owner meets the legal definition of "disabled", it is a service dog no matter what term you want to call it (guide dog, hearing dog, assistance dog, etc.). Calling an SD a companion dog may be asking for trouble, anyway, since some organizations call emotional support pets "companion dogs" and those are not task-trained dogs (whether they are public access trained and/or certified or not - it is the laws that matter, not what the organization says).

4. Facility teams. All of which are highly trained to perform specific tasks for their disabled partner, and trained to have public access.

Facility dogs aren't service dogs, as they aren't trained for a particular disabled person. They are a type of therapy dog, just that they work at one place (and some live there full-time) instead of going to different places or just going to the place once or twice a month. Facility dogs do not have public access. Only disabled people have the right to bring their service dogs in no-pets places (the access is on the person, not the dog).

I do not know much about therapy dogs, emotional support dogs ect.

Therapy dogs are people's (disabled or non-disabled) pets who have been trained and certified to go on scheduled visits to hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries, etc. to cheer up people, help kids learn to read (or learn to love to read), etc. Their owners can only bring them to those places because the place has given them permission to go there at such'n'such a time on such'n'such a day. They can't go walk their dog in there or elsewhere at any other time/day, as they don't have access with that dog.

Emotional support dogs are not trained to do any tasks, but their presence helps a person with mental illness or who is elderly cope with life or being lonely. Their owners can't take them places, but they can live in no-pets housing and go in airplane cabins with a doctor's letter explaining that they are for emotional support for somebody who needs it, not just an everyday/anybody's pet.

A dog that is trained to do tasks that mitigate their owner's disability, whatever it is, is a service dog. Their owner can take them places because their owner needs their help in order to use those places like everybody else can.

our dog is a skilled companion assistance dog. She picks up objects of the floor, retrieves objects such as a pencil, keys, remote, etc. she closes drawers, doors, refridgerator doors, and opens with pull straps and many other tasks.She is highly trained to have excellent behavior in public, and to be "invisible".

As long as those are tasks that mitigate your disability, that dog is a service dog no matter what your program calls it. Some programs, however, call obedience-trained pets (usually for disabled children or ppl who can't handle a dog in public or don't qualify for a real SD) "companion dogs". Many pet owners also call their dogs their companions. So, if you say that phrase, many folks will think your dog is not an SD.

As far as producing our documents for public access, you are right we don't have too, and they should not ask. However, if they do we show ours. We were encouraged to do so, as "an ounce of prevention" it prevents any uneasy feelings as we all know can sometimes happen.

Yes, I know some organizations promote this - they also would like for dogs to only be able to come from organizations, which would mean SOOO many ppl wouldn't be able to have an SD - but it really does teach ppl that all SDs must have certification, IDs, paperwork, etc. either at all or with them at all times. Just do a Web search or take a poll of random ppl and you'll find out just how many ppl think all SDs are certified, registered with the gov't, etc. and asking for paperwork is allowed to make sure they aren't pets, etc. The question most asked from newbies to the SD world is about how can they get their dog certified/how can they get a certified dog/etc.

Nobody else has to show ID or paperwork to enter places - I refuse to show any just because I am disabled. I stand my ground, tell ppl the laws, etc. and have never been refused access anywhere, even in a country that doesn't have access laws (obviously there are no laws to tell them there, LOL, but explaining what SDs are and what other countries' laws are and such helps).

'Course, what bugs me the most is when ppl ask things like, "What's wrong with you?"

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm not certain, but I think maybe it has to do with health reasons? I've never met a service monkey, but I would think they'd be trained not to bite and such just as other service animals are. It does seem a bit peculiar that they can't touch them, though, since we're talking about national security and all. (I'm thinking the TSA folks are glad they don't have to be the ones touching the monkey's diaper, though!! )

I should haveput a smiley.
I did quite a bit of research when I wrote our hospital system's policy about Service Animals. Even though most service animals are dogs, I wanted to make sure I had a handle on other animals too.
Most 'service monkeys' are Cappuchin (?spelling) monkeys and most that I have read about assist people who are quadriplegic. They are the same type of monkeys that organ grinders used in the past and they are in general more trainable and calm than most other types of monkeys. Monkeys have the advantages of having very good 'hand skills' but they can also have a lot more problems, just because they are monkeys and some are mischevious.
Everything I have read about monkeys as service animals points out that they are less predictable than dogs, especially after they have reached maturity. So, even if they are totally gentle with their owner, they may not be with an unknown stranger.
Also, the vaccines that work on dogs have not been totally proven to work on animals like monkeys, so there is some concern about bites. Also, because they are primates, they are more closely related to humans and can carry some other illnesses that dogs and cats don't.

 

[gilesmt]

Hi, Thank you so much for fully explaining the law and the facts. When I first started to read the post I was getting furious that people were saying they had to be certified and such and that they needed vest and that you needed documentation, none of which is true, thank you so much for clarifying those things.

If interested please read my most in the last few days under transportation. I today filed a claim against this company that I can not name, for not allowing me transportation from MCO to Disney. I filed with BBB and with Florida I think Human Rights, I will keep you informed. Oh I filed BBB for him having a privacy notice stating that everything I emailed his company he would keep private, but when he refused to listen to law he went on another Disney board and copied all my emails with my name and address on them, leaving out anything putting him in a bad form. The Human Rights complaint quite obvious becuase he refused me/my family due to a service animal, plain and simple, word for word by him, he will not transport any animal service animal or not, in the end calling me and animal and stating he would not transport me either. Clear violation of the law.

I will keep you informed.

 

[lilmissdisney216]

Glad I found this thread!! I wanted to know what rules apply to a service dog in training. Come August I will be raising a puppy for leader dogs for the blind and have to socialize her as much as possible to various environments and me and my darling sister are planning on visiting WDW next December and I want to be able to bring her.

 

[momto2js]

When you have a Service dog you have certain rights, however something that has not been mentioned here is that you also have certain RESPONSIBILITIES!!! Most of the problems I encountered were directly related to people who came before me that were not mindful of those responsibilites.

I had Guide dogs for 10 years and they were both labs. Labs shed, however I would have gone to housekeeping and asked to borrow a vacume before I left hair on the carpet behind. If the room is damaged or requires more than the normal cleaning the establishment can clearly pass along the charges to you. In an eating establishment the dog was under the table or chair and other than the people that saw us come or go noone knew she was there. My dogs were never in the aisle of a bus or subway train. If I had to stand they sat between my feet with their tail tucked in so that noone else would step on it.

To answer the question about training dogs, that is a state to state issues and in most states the answer is yes they are also allowed. However, I'm not sure I would want the work associated with traveling with a dog is I was a puppy raiser. It might be a good time for the puppy to learn about a kennel.

We made many trips with a working guide and honestly a lot of the time it worked better for us to leave her in the, then park kennel, for at least 1/2 of the day. It was far to hot for her black fur coat. She was great in congestion but you think pushing a stroller through a crowd at disney at the end of the night, it is nothing compared to making sure the dog is not tripped over or stepped on. I don't believe they have the park side kennels around.

There is always a balance between what you legally have the right to do and what you should do for the good of the dog and for us often leaving her for a few hours was truely what was best for her. Even the most even tempered working dogs can startle and fireworks and rock concerts are often not a good idea.

I also rearly mentioned that we had one when making arrangements. On airplanes, I found the bulk head seats to be really, really uncomfortable and difficult to manage when I traveled alone. It always ment that the person next to me knew there was a dog there and often had a dog sleeping on their feet too the entire trip. My goal ALWAYS was that no one know until we were on the way out. Sitting in a regular seat worked for us because she could lay down on the floor and slide under the seat in front of me and lay between my feet. I put her harness in the overhead for the trip. This was also how we rode in the car with her sleeping on the floor of the between my feet, so the plane really wasn't much different.

There are also 2 exceptions to access laws. One is hospitals and the other is zoos, If disney wanted too they could exclude a working team from AK and Busch could from both SW and BG. It is not the policy of eithor place but they could if they wanted to so at those venues if you are asked to relocate because of the dog it is a good idea to do so.

Good luck in your travels.

 

[SueM in MN]

I want to point out that this is a VERY old thread that was bumped by a poster in January 2011. There have been some changes to the ADA since this thread was begun in 2007. Basically, they were clarifications.

I am copying a post by Cheshire Figment from a newer thread that talks about the changes:

The following is taken from Page 56177 of the September 15, 2010 Federal Register related to the update of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition.
The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the handler's disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors.
The crime deterrent effects of an animal's presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.

(bolding added)

In addition, on page 56178 it continues to say

(f) Inquiries. A public entity shall not ask about the nature or extent of a person's disability, but may make two inquiries to determine whether an animal qualifies as a service animal.
A public entity may ask if the animal is required because of a disability and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. A public entity shall not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal. Generally, a public entity may not make these inquiries about a service animal when it is readily apparent that an animal is trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability (e.g., the dog is observed guiding an individual who is blind or has low vision, pulling a person's wheelchair, or providing assistance with stability or balance to an individual with an observable mobility disability).
(g) Access to areas of a public entity. Individuals with disabilities shall be permitted to be accompanied by their service animals in all areas of a public entity's facilities where members of the public, participants in services, programs or activities, or invitees, as relevant, are allowed to go.

So basically an "emotional support dog" is not a service animal and not required to be allowed in any public location as it is only a pet.

 

[wendylovesdisney]

I just got back a few days ago and saw 2 different dogs while there. I saw one at Chef Mickey's where the small dog was on a leash and not acting too badly (although the doggie really was just hanging out and being cute to other patrons) . The next dog was another poodle-ish breed and crawled under our table at Narcooses while I was trying to eat surf and turf. The dog almost gave me a heart attack as it barked up my leg under the table. The dog then went over with his too long leash and jumped on a lady's leg at another table. I was not too convinced these were service dogs in any way, shape or form, and saw no one at either restaurant asking questions.
I would hope that no one was just trying to bring their pet to Disney but I have to admit this was my gut feeling. What service dog begs for food from the neighboring tables? Or rather is allowed to?

 

[SueM in MN]

I just got back a few days ago and saw 2 different dogs while there. I saw one at Chef Mickey's where the small dog was on a leash and not acting too badly (although the doggie really was just hanging out and being cute to other patrons) . The next dog was another poodle-ish breed and crawled under our table at Narcooses while I was trying to eat surf and turf. The dog almost gave me a heart attack as it barked up my leg under the table. The dog then went over with his too long leash and jumped on a lady's leg at another table. I was not too convinced these were service dogs in any way, shape or form, and saw no one at either restaurant asking questions.
I would hope that no one was just trying to bring their pet to Disney but I have to admit this was my gut feeling. What service dog begs for food from the neighboring tables? Or rather is allowed to?

A very poorly trained one or one that is not a service dog.

On recent trips to WDW, we saw several questionable service dogs - questionable because of the behavior, not making any assumptions about need.

The first was in AK. My family was going across the bridge into Africa when I saw someone coming toward us out of Africa with a rather strange stroller. It was pink, very small and had a zipped screen cover all around it. As they got closer, I noticed it didn’t have a child in in, but had a small dog that was barking and growling pretty much continuously at each person who passed. It was lucky the dog was zipped into the stroller because it lunged at us several times, even though all we were doing was walking in the opposite direction.
We saw those same people several other times that day and at several other parks during that trip. The dog acted the same way each time we saw it, so if it was a service dog, it was a very poorly trained and hyper one.

The other one was seen by my DH at the DVC Member meeting ( I was not there because DD was not feeling well and I stayed back with her). Anyway, he saw a woman sneak a very small dog into the meeting and then she hid the dog behind her on a couch in the room they use for the meeting. There are snacks like popcorn served at the meeting, which the lady was eating and the dog was sticking his head out and stealing from her hand. The lady kept “shh-ing” the dog and pushing it behind her to hide it again. DH also saw the dog pee (can’t remember if he said it was on the couch or on the floor, but the lady didn’t do anything about it).
So, if it was a service dog, again, it was a very poorly trained one (and why would anyone try to hide a legitimate service dog??)

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I think Sue M hit the nail on the head. Myself and I am sure almost nooneelse has ever have a problem with service dogs being admited to the resorts and parks or whereever to do their very inportant job helping the folks that need it.

However as listed above and as I have seen in many places, some people who have the attitude that the rules don't apply to them and thier *dear FIFI*.

People who pass thier pets off as a service dog.......just make it harder for the true service animals to do thier jobs!

Now,please don't flame me here.........but I would really like to know the answer to a question.

If the law says your allowed to ask what a service animal does to assit a person who is disabiled, why cant you ask to see the papers showing they are trained or tested or have demostrated to some qualitied group they can do that job?..........It seems a simple thing , all you would need is a card like a drivers license?

Thanks for your answer!

AKK

 

[livndisney]

I think Sue M hit the nail on the head. Myself and I am sure almost nooneelse has ever have a problem with service dogs being admited to the resorts and parks or whereever to do their very inportant job helping the folks that need it.

However as listed above and as I have seen in many places, some people who have the attitude that the rules don't apply to them and thier *dear FIFI*.

People who pass thier pets off as a service dog.......just make it harder for the true service animals to do thier jobs!

Now,please don't flame me here.........but I would really like to know the answer to a question.

If the law says your allowed to ask what a service animal does to assit a person who is disabiled, why cant you ask to see the papers showing they are trained or tested or have demostrated to some qualitied group they can do that job?..........It seems a simple thing , all you would need is a card like a drivers license?

Thanks for your answer!

AKK

Because offical "papers" do not exsist in lots of cases. Service dogs can be trained by owners.

Secondly you can "buy" papers online for Fifi.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Because offical "papers" do not exsist in lots of cases. Service dogs can be trained by owners.

Secondly you can "buy" papers online for Fifi.

I realize that now this is not possible, but my point is that by setting up qualified groups to train, test or arrange for a demostration of the dog/animals ability, it would make things alot easier all around.

Just my thoughts.

The reason this hit me is that I once watched a small dog, sit and bark at a true service dog, who that sat qiuetly. The owner of the barking dog insisted the dog was trained and if she had to leave so did the other dog..........

The group with the service dog, even after a number of diners near them, myself included told them to please stay, got up and took what was left of thier meals with them.

The Woman just sat there. In my mind this was just wrong.

AKK

 

[livndisney]

I realize that now this is not possible, but my point is that by setting up qualified groups to train, test or arrange for a demostration of the dog/animals ability, it would make things alot easier all around.

Just my thoughts.

The reason this hit me is that I once watched a small dog, sit and bark at a true service dog, who that sat qiuetly. The owner of the barking dog insisted the dog was trained and if she had to leave so did the other dog..........

The group with the service dog, even after a number of diners near them, myself included told them to please stay, got up and took what was left of thier meals with them.

The Woman just sat there. In my mind this was just wrong.

AKK

You get no argument from me. I agree untrained "service" animals do a great dis service to those actually trained and necessary.

In the situation you described, legally the lady with the barking dog should have been made to remove the animal. She could have returned without the animal (no denial of service). Even service animals that misbehave can be asked to leave.

 

[SueM in MN]

Because offical "papers" do not exsist in lots of cases. Service dogs can be trained by owners.

Secondly you can "buy" papers online for Fifi.

People would not even have to buy them. They could just make their own on their own computer.

The law DOES allow businesses to deny access to legitimate service dogs if the dog is out of control and the owner is not doing anything/not able to control it. The handler can be told to remove the dog, even if the dog is providing services - the handler can return without the dog.
If businesses did that, they would completely get rid of those with poorly trained dogs, whether the dog is actually performing services for the person or is ust a pet. That would be a better option than requiring cards.

One of the problems with asking to look at a card is that says nothing about the behavior of the dog - people might see it as a free pass 'I showed my card and you have to let me in.'
The other problem is just who do you show it to and how many times. I know every time we go into Walmart with DD's service dog. She has an obvious disability, the dog is with her and is wearing a sd vest. My guess is that Walmart asks every person who comes in with a dog the same question. I think that is appropriate, but I would not be too happy to have to show papers to every person if each person in the store could ask.
Our dog's behavior is excellent and I have mo fears of being told he is misbehaving because he won't.
Our SD trainer said if businesses just made a point to deny access to poorly behaving dogs, the problems of people bringing pets in would be gone ( or even SD that they trained inadequately themselves).

 

[livndisney]

People would not even have to buy them. They could just make their own on their own computer.

The law DOES allow businesses to deny access to legitimate service dogs if the dog is out of control and the owner is not doing anything/not able to control it. The handler can be told to remove the dog, even if the dog is providing services - the handler can return without the dog.
If businesses did that, they would completely get rid of those with poorly trained dogs, whether the dog is actually performing services for the person or is ust a pet. That would be a better option than requiring cards.

One of the problems with asking to look at a card is that says nothing about the behavior of the dog - people might see it as a free pass 'I showed my card and you have to let me in.'
The other problem is just who do you show it to and how many times. I know every time we go into Walmart with DD's service dog. She has an obvious disability, the dog is with her and is wearing a sd vest. My guess is that Walmart asks every person who comes in with a dog the same question. I think that is appropriate, but I would not be too happy to have to show papers to every person if each person in the store could ask.
Our dog's behavior is excellent and I have mo fears of being told he is misbehaving because he won't.
Our SD trainer said if businesses just made a point to deny access to poorly behaving dogs, the problems of people bringing pets in would be gone ( or even SD that they trained inadequately themselves).

 

[gilesmt]

I think Sue M hit the nail on the head. Myself and I am sure almost nooneelse has ever have a problem with service dogs being admited to the resorts and parks or whereever to do their very inportant job helping the folks that need it.

However as listed above and as I have seen in many places, some people who have the attitude that the rules don't apply to them and thier *dear FIFI*.

People who pass thier pets off as a service dog.......just make it harder for the true service animals to do thier jobs!

Now,please don't flame me here.........but I would really like to know the answer to a question.

If the law says your allowed to ask what a service animal does to assit a person who is disabiled, why cant you ask to see the papers showing they are trained or tested or have demostrated to some qualitied group they can do that job?..........It seems a simple thing , all you would need is a card like a drivers license?

Thanks for your answer!

AKK

Saw this and I will try to explain and show you how hard it is because I go both ways with this issue. In some ways I want it to me more law orientated to stop all those that abuse it, in the other sense I want it to be left alone so that those who can not go thru an avenue can still get a dog to work with them.


I am a service dog user, I have had one trained, one I trained myself and one I will be going to get next month that will be trained at a school. Oh, I am visually impaired.

My ex is a service dog owner, his dog was suppose to be a trained dog for autism, and a company bought him and retrained him for hard of hearing and PTSD for my ex.

So I am aware of the state and federal laws.

First law certification. There is no national certification, some want it, many suggest it, but would it really be a good thing. I am on the fence, in one way it would help the businesses, they could ask, see and know it is true. But who is to stop the false schools opening up. How trained do they need to be. A trained guide dog takes 18 months or more and cost well over $40,000, if you ask several of the big schools. Thing is, for me a trained school is free or almost free, some ask for $200, that is an amount most people could pay. They pay for training, then training me, flying me to the school and such, I could not afford $40000 for the dog if I had to pay for it.

Most other schools are not free, I know of dogs for autism, dogs for mobility and others, I was a case worker, some of the wait list for these dogs are 5 years long and they cost anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000.

For this reason, I do not agree with a law stating they have to be trained by a school, or in a special way. Many people with disabilities live on small incomes and could not afford the dog if forced to go to a trained school, medical does not pay for any training. So many many people would be unable to get a service animal if you were to do this and the ADA people have fought against it for years because of that. This gives the an individual to train there own dog, or have it trained. I believe there may be a few people who abuse this, but truly to me the ones who are abusing the system are the ones who truly have no disability and take a dog into a business and call it a service dog.

Then you have the confusion with the words "companion dog" vs "service dog", companion dog is just that as stated a dog for companion and although I think there is a huge need for these dogs, they are not service dogs and should not be giving the rights. Yet, you find that the federal government in an attempt to fix one problem made another problem worse. In 2007 a law suit filed because of HUD federal housing was not allowing companion dogs for senior citizens assess to apartment living. In the end, I agree companion dogs can add life to seniors, keep them moving, give them quality of life an a lot of good, I can not speak for all states but in this state the law that past to allow companion dogs the same right as service dogs in housing, they have to allow them, they can not charge for them and such. Started a down fall and in the last 4 years you see the outcome everywhere. Now the bus companies are not even asking for paperwork on dogs, dogs that come on buses and bite, and nip and bark on the bus. I have had many conversations with bus drivers commenting on loving my dog because he is so well behaved.

So one law I would love to see past is that ALL companion dogs need to pass good citizen testing and basic training. But that would cost about $200 a year and we are talking elderly on fixed income. To me, if they can not afford it than leave the dog home.

I could go on forever, but these are some of the problems. Even in the one law I believe fully needs to be passed all companion dogs pass a test, would not really be great for service dog owners, because that may force all of us to show paperwork and that would not be in my best interest, I have the right to some privacy. So if the bus driver was to ask for paperwork today I can say sorry not allowed, if they pass another than that bus driver would either have to see something that he is a service dog and exempt from one law or give it to prove they are companion. Which would mean they have access to private personal information.

In the end it is a mess, and I go back and forth as I think the federal government does. It would be easier if non service dog owners would just not try to pass there pet off as a service dog.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Thanks for your time Sue and Gilemt. I see your points but I guess for now I would have to agree with giles.*in the end its a mess right now*.

Hopefully it will get better

AKK

 

[KAYzEyes]

No doubt anyone with a SD already knows this, but for those folks who don't... the revised ADA (as of March 15, 2011) states that ONLY dogs can be Service Animals now (with a provision for mini horses, usually for sight impaired people). No more monkeys, snakes, pigs, ferrets, or any other of the many animals people have tried claiming to be "service" animals.

There'll always be fakers out there, and even if there were to be some sort of universal certification those who want to fake a bogus Service Animal will find a way.

I've been legally blind since birth and in the last 26 yrs have been partnered with five superb guide dogs. I'm currently between dogs, and hopeful to have my sixth guide by the time I visit DW next January.

I'm also partnered with a miniature Dachshund, Maizie, who is my Diabetic Alert Dog. It's quite rare for a person to work with two Service Dogs... not something I'd recommend, as it can be inconvenient and the risk of access challenges is higher working two dogs. But it's doable, and I feel quite blessed to have my little amazing Maizie to alert when my glucose drops (I have Hypoglycemia Unawareness... cannot feel the symptoms of low glucose) along with a guide dog to enable me to travel independently and safely.

gilesmt ... I know this thread is a few months old, so no doubt you now have your new guide dog you spoke of in your last post on this thread. Where did you train w/your guide dog in the past and where is your current dog from? My first three guides were from Guiding Eyes f/t Blind in NY, and my last two were from The Seeing Eye in NJ.

 

[SueM in MN]

No doubt anyone with a SD already knows this, but for those folks who don't... the revised ADA (as of March 15, 2011) states that ONLY dogs can be Service Animals now (with a provision for mini horses, usually for sight impaired people). No more monkeys, snakes, pigs, ferrets, or any other of the many animals people have tried claiming to be "service" animals.

There'll always be fakers out there, and even if there were to be some sort of universal certification those who want to fake a bogus Service Animal will find a way.

I've been legally blind since birth and in the last 26 yrs have been partnered with five superb guide dogs. I'm currently between dogs, and hopeful to have my sixth guide by the time I visit DW next January.

I'm also partnered with a miniature Dachshund, Maizie, who is my Diabetic Alert Dog. It's quite rare for a person to work with two Service Dogs... not something I'd recommend, as it can be inconvenient and the risk of access challenges is higher working two dogs. But it's doable, and I feel quite blessed to have my little amazing Maizie to alert when my glucose drops (I have Hypoglycemia Unawareness... cannot feel the symptoms of low glucose) along with a guide dog to enable me to travel independently and safely.

gilesmt ... I know this thread is a few months old, so no doubt you now have your new guide dog you spoke of in your last post on this thread. Where did you train w/your guide dog in the past and where is your current dog from? My first three guides were from Guiding Eyes f/t Blind in NY, and my last two were from The Seeing Eye in NJ.

Thank you for pointing out the changes.
I think this thread first started in 2007, before the changes, so there were some grey areas with what kind of animals could be used as Service Animals. The new guidelines are much clearer now.

Link to the final rule.

Link to Fact Sheet summarizing the final rule.

I can see it would be more challenging to work with 2 dogs, but I can also see that sometimes one dog just won’t do.
My youngest DD has a Service Dog to help her with alerting people and picking things up (she is in a wheelchair and can’t speak because of cerebral palsy). When we got the dog, the trainer was hopeful that he would alert to seizures so he could let us know when DD is having one. In our case, that would have been a plus, but because she is in a wheelchair, she doesn’t need advance warning to get someplace safe to avoid a fall.
The dog is almost 3 and is fully trained now, but just never did pick up on the seizure bit (despite our cat trying to teach him!).
If DD actually needed that service, she might have to have a second dog that was actually able to alert to seizures.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I may get flamed for this but I've said it once and I'll say it again...I truly don't think it's as hard as people sometimes make it out to be for the government, whether at a state or national level, to figure out a way to certify service animals. Yes disabilities differ from person to person, and yes not all people that have the same diagnosis would use a dog in the same way...but would it really be that hard to say "a service dog must be able to complete tasks a,b, and c as relating to disability x". Even if you're training a dog at home, there's particular things it should know. I think that paired with a legal declaration of a disability to a proper government office would work, and then said person and dog could be issued a card just like a drivers license. You'd still get fakes but it'd be a lot harder to do.

I'm sure there's flaws in my little idea but service dogs use is going up, be it for blindness, autism or allergies, but with all those dogs there's going to be more fakers and there's going to be problems. I just think there should be some kind of regulation put into place sooner than later.

 

[SueM in MN]

I may get flamed for this but I've said it once and I'll say it again...I truly don't think it's as hard as people sometimes make it out to be for the government, whether at a state or national level, to figure out a way to certify service animals. Yes disabilities differ from person to person, and yes not all people that have the same diagnosis would use a dog in the same way...but would it really be that hard to say "a service dog must be able to complete tasks a,b, and c as relating to disability x". Even if you're training a dog at home, there's particular things it should know. I think that paired with a legal declaration of a disability to a proper government office would work, and then said person and dog could be issued a card just like a drivers license. You'd still get fakes but it'd be a lot harder to do.

I'm sure there's flaws in my little idea but service dogs use is going up, be it for blindness, autism or allergies, but with all those dogs there's going to be more fakers and there's going to be problems. I just think there should be some kind of regulation put into place sooner than later.

THere are already Service Dog tests that can be given (basically high power obedience tests). Even that would weed out a lot of the dogs that are being passed off as Service Dogs.
We live in Minnesota, which does actually require service dogs to be certified (which is probably out of compliance with the ADA< but what the heck). They require that the dog be trained by a certified trainer - although the training can be done by the owner working with the certified trainer. (Sorry if this is not exactly what Minnesota law says. I actually read the law a few years ago and am trying to summarize and paraphrase it). After passing the test, you get a card with a picture of the dog with the user (that was not much fun trying to get DD and her dog both with their heads in the same picture. Funney, but not much fun).
But no one would ask to see the papers and I would not want to have to show it all the time.

I still think the way to solve the problem is for businesses to be aware and comfortable that they don’t have to put up with poorly behaving dogs. And that they can tell someone to remove their poorly behaving dog, even if the person says it is a service dog.