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

[Cindy Ray]

Today was the second time it was posted and I posted on it yesterday.

CL

On Aug 13, 2013, at 12:54 PM, Buddy Brannan <buddy at brannan.name> wrote:

> Yay me! I’mthe first comment on this article. 
> --
> 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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