[nagdu] Fake service dogs sully reputation of real K-9 helpers

[Buddy Brannan]

Yay me! I’mthe first comment on this article. 
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Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Aug 13, 2013, at 7:57 AM, Ginger Kutsch <gingerKutsch at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Fake service dogs sully reputation of real K-9 helpers
> 
> Monday, August 12, 2013 by:jennlouisew at gmail.com (Jennifer Wadsworth)
> 
> Source:
> http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/hottopics/2013/08/12/fake-service-dogs-su
> lly-reputation-of-real-k-9-helpers/
> 
> 
> 
> Liars undermine the work of real service dogs like this one. (Photo credit:
> Lisa Norwood / Flickr)
> 
> Fake service dogs are a real problem, akin to a perfectly able-bodied person
> hogging a handicap parking spot. An undercover reporter added to the problem
> one recent afternoon to prove a point - well, two points, really, one of
> which was that it was a slow news day.
> 
> New York Post reporter Tara Palmeri 'fitted up her mom's 3-foot-tall,
> 70-pound retriever-poodle mutt, Hampton, with a fake service vest and took
> him out to various restaurants and shops. Hampton jumped up on patrons and
> frayed nerves of maitre d's legally forbidden by the Americans With
> Disabilities Act from asking for proof of the dog's medical purpose.
> 
> "The city's craziest, most badly behaved sons of bitches can run wild in the
> most elegant eateries in town - as long as they're masquerading as service
> dogs," Palmeri begins.
> 
> 
> 
> Hampton and Palmeri hit up a bakery, a grocery store, Starbucks and even the
> super-posh Le Cirque, where servers feted the pooch with a bowl of ice
> water.
> 
> "Hampton - showing off his phony "service dog'' patch we had specially
> embroidered - happily slobbered as he wolfed down an 8-ounce salmon filet,"
> the piece continues.
> 
> 
> 
> Experts say that poser service animals spoil the reputation of real ones.
> Actual guide dogs are trained to not act out in public, unlike their
> civilian counterparts who jump up on laps and generally haven't learned to
> reign in their excitement. SF Weekly profiled a particularly aggressive
> Chihuahua, Tita, in 2009, remarking on the ease with which any old creature,
> even a vicious lap pup, could gain certified service animal status.
> 
> "In San Francisco, snakes, lizards, pit bulls, chickens, pigeons, and
> rodents have all been declared service animals, hauled onto public
> transportation, housed legally in city apartments, and, essentially, given
> the full run of the city," the story states.
> 
> ADA laws make it easy for anyone to obtain service papers for any old
> canine. You could also buy a vest online. But those same laws prevent anyone
> from asking for proof of the animal's legitimacy, making it an easy stunt to
> pull if you're absolutely insistent on bringing your dog to a white table
> cloth restaurant.
> 
> No legal repercussion exists for these regular dogs masquerading as helpers,
> but advocacy groups are fixing to change that. There's a petition underway
> that's calling the federal government to crack down on service dog fraud,
> including a ban on fake service dog vests sold online.
> 
> Ethics aside, it just seems like a huge hassle to go through just to bring
> your pet to dine out. Is it really that great?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> h/t The Atlantic Wire
> 
> Find Jennifer Wadsworth on Twitter at @jennwadsworth.
> 
> 
> 
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