[nagdu] Are we in search of a solution without a problem?

[Cindy Ray]

I wouldn't sign the petition for starters, but here are some of my thoughts:

1. I think it would be hard to know if one was denied access because of the behavior of fake service animals.

2. My dog guides; he was raised in a puppy raiser's home up to past one year; then he was trained for approximately four months, plus time spent with me. He had a lot of exposure to socializing experiences along the way to help prepare him for his life's work.

3. I believe this is a problem; I don't currently believe that it is quite the problem that any petitions currently would say, though I have to say that an airline said they needed to give me a special boarding pass because my dog was a emotional support animal; this did not used to be a problem. More and more airlines seem to be saying that they have to document the dog. Maybe they have always done this and I just did not know it, and who knows for sure why.

Cindy Lou Ray

On Aug 18, 2013, at 7:45 AM, Aaron Cannon <cannona at fireantproductions.com> wrote:

> Hi all.
> 
> The recent petition from CCI that was forwarded to this list made some
> assertions:
> 
> "When untrained pet dogs are somewhere they shouldn’t be, it can
> create all kinds of problems that make business owners think twice
> before allowing the same access to legitimate service dogs and the
> people who need them.
> 
> "This outrageous and potentially dangerous fraud only adds to the
> discrimination often faced by people with disabilities who actually
> need assistance dogs.
> 
> "Legitimate service dogs require years of expert training to perform
> specific commands like picking up dropped items and opening doors that
> benefit people with disabilities – many of them U.S. veterans who are
> injured while fighting for this country. These dogs provide calm,
> reliable assistance to their human partners and help them live more
> independently.
> 
> "Now is the time to crack down on service dog fraud and end the online
> sale of fake service dog certification products. Please don’t allow
> the benefits of a service dog to be taken away from people who need
> them."
> 
> 
> First, has anyone actually seen some evidence, anecdotal or otherwise,
> that this is as big a problem as they claim it is?  Has anyone been
> denied access because someone else used a fake ID card?  Honestly
> curious, as I have no information either way.
> 
> Second, (and now I am being a bit sarcastic) did anyone's dog receive
> a few years of expert training?  Did it concern you that your dog took
> over 6 times longer to train than the average?  What sorts of amazing
> things can your dog do with all that expert training?
> 
> Third, does anyone else get a bit suspicious when people or
> organizations start appealing to "think of the children" or "think of
> the service men and women" arguments to make their case?
> 
> Fourth, has anyone seen anything that might indicate that the benefits
> of service dogs are in danger of being taken away from "those who need
> them"?
> 
> There are other issues with this petition which I'll address in
> another email, but in short, I'd think carefully before signing.
> 
> Aaron
> 
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