[nagdu] Fake Service Dogs

Cindy Ray cindyray at gmail.com
Thu Nov 3 14:08:00 UTC 2011


Yes, the dogs are the problem, I would agree, but it is the not fraud owners who end up paying in this regard. Eventually we will have to prove that the dogs are service dogs. It is a shame really, but I see it coming to that one day. The one thing they do have going for them (owners of the establishments) is that if a dog misbehaves they can then ask the person to leave with it. Still, I think the incidence of that is going to be higher and higher, and people will begin looking askance at all service dogs.

Cindy

On Nov 3, 2011, at 9:00 AM, Julie J. wrote:

> You know when I read the subject line the first thing that popped into my head is that there are no fake service dogs, only fake service dog owners.
> 
> I guess it's like that old saying, "there are no bad dogs, only bad dog owners."
> 
> I don't think there will ever be any progress with this mess until we recognize that the dogs aren't the problem.  The fraud of the owners is the real problem.
> 
> JMHO
> Julie
> 
> 
> 
> On 11/3/2011 8:37 AM, Ginger Kutsch wrote:
>> Fake Service Dogs
>> 
>> Reported by: Chris Womack Email: cwomak at cbs42.com
>> 
>> Published: 11/02
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)- People with disabilities often rely on service dogs
>> to help them go about their daily lives; but, not all service dogs are what
>> they appear to be.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Janet Skotnicki uses her service dog Splash to help her walk.  An autoimmune
>> disorder causes Janet trouble maintaining her balance.  Enter Splash, a
>> Great Dane, who wears a harness and acts like a mobile handrail.  "He's
>> given me my freedom back, which means the world to me.  He's a great
>> blessing," she says.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> It takes serious training for a new-born puppy to mature into a service dog.
>> Hickory Nut Kennels in Cullman trains service dogs, with canines all over
>> the southeast assisting those with disabilities.  "It starts from the time
>> they're born, [with] the socialization.  Then we go through the puppy
>> training, the basic obedience, and then after 6 to 8 months of age they go
>> into the specific task training.  That's whatever they have to do for their
>> person," says Liz Walls, part-owner of the kennel.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> All people love their dogs.  People who use service dogs, however, depend on
>> them.  Because of that dependence, they're allowed to take their dogs into
>> restaurants and other businesses that other animals are not allowed.  Across
>> the country, however, people are dressing their dogs up as service animals
>> to get them access into these places.  "I speak to people, almost on a daily
>> basis, business owners who are having problems with this, other service dog
>> users and so forth," says Andi Krusoe with Guide Dogs of America.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> The dastardly deed goes almost uncontested.  Because of ADA guidelines,
>> business owners are back into  a corner.  Krusoe says it can be tough to
>> detirmine a real service dog because they are not required to wear a
>> harness, jacket, or any other form of identification.  It puts restaurant
>> owners like Andrea Snyder, who founded Urban Cookhouse in downtown Homewood,
>> in a bind.  "We will ask them, 'Is your dog a service dog?'  They aren't
>> required to show us an ID.  As long as they tell us, 'Yes it is,' they're
>> allowed.  Non-service dogs are not allowed," she says.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> It doesn't stop there.  Some owners are being ransomed like they're in an
>> old western film.  "We've had situations where people bring their dogs in
>> and they'll be told to take their dogs outside, and  they'll say, 'No, this
>> is my service dog and if you don't give me this amount of money, I'm going
>> to sue you.'"  And they end up making a deal and giving them money," says
>> Krusoe.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> The only defense a business owner has, is if the dog misbehaves.  "We call
>> them bomb-proof, because they have to be out in the public, and on buses,
>> and in malls, stores, resaurants, and they have to be extremely well
>> behaved," says Krusoe.  If the dog does not behave this way, then the owner
>> can ask the person to take their dog outside.  Until then, the only resort
>> for legitimate service dog users like Janet Skotnicki, is to plead with
>> these atrocious abusers.  "You need to stop doing that because you're going
>> to make it more difficult for other people."
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Source:
>> 
>> http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/Fake-Service-Dogs/68a13VVlkEia_
>> MHIEjH2SA.cspx
>> 
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> 
> 
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