[nagdu] Fake Service Dogs

[Tami Kinney]

Julie!

Bingo! You win the prize for the most sensible thing ever said. /lol/

Tami

On 11/03/2011 07:00 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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