[nagdu] What about registering service dogs with the DOJ?

[Mardi Hadfield]

Hi Michael,It was just a suggestion and IF it was implemented it would be
only if you wanted to register your dog.You would be given that choice.I
have had many problems in Arizona and it does no good to argue about state
law vs.federal law here.They just don't care.Here you must show a laminated
ID card to show that your dog is a service animal in order to get the free
license. I pay for my 4 pets licenses.I get 2 free ones for my guides.My
friend and dog trainer Nick. who helped me with the training of my first 2
guides,made laminated tags for me on his computer.I was once in a hospital
emergency room and I had Nala with me. She was quiet and laying next to my
wheelchair when the security guard came by with the hospital's guard dog.
His dog went nuts,jumping in the air and barking and growling and he could
hardly hang on to it. Nala did not even move or make any noise.She was
perfect as always.I was asked to take my dog out of the ER.My dog did
nothing wrong!I was asked for ID which I did not have at the time. I was
asked about her training and her tasks and my disability was questioned.
Even her breed was questioned.If it were not for a nurse in the ER who knew
me, I would have been forced to take my dog out.That is when Nick made the
ID for me.There have been other similar incidents with my current dogs,and
they have never misbehaved. When Shaman was attacked by several pit bulls
he would growl when he would see another dog. I only worked him in petsmart
to get him over this behavior before I worked in public again.Shaman never
lunged at other dogs but did a low growl so I made sure he got over this
problem before working in public again.There have been so many,mostly small
dogs that have gone off on my dogs that were claimed as being service dogs,
Most are not even licensed and aren't even leashed.Some had vests on,but
most did not.I was working Neechee in a grocery store and a small Schnauzer
went off on Neechee. The woman could not control her dog at all and after a
while she just dragged it down another isle with it still barking and
growling.Neechee just acted like it wasn't there.I was so proud of her as
this was only the third time she had been in a store.This unruly dog was
wearing a purple vest but it had no patches or any thing on it. My friend
Carla, questioned the woman but the woman ignored her.This goes on in
Tucson all the time.Neither Animal control or the police enforce the
service dog laws here, just the showing of ID cards.This is why I made the
suggestion but I don't know if that would even work.If I refuse to show the
ID,I get treated like I am the criminal.No one has asked for my ID lately
but if I did not have one they would probably be asking for it.Nothing has
ever been done about the attacks on my guide dogs.If a dog bites a
person,they do enforce the law,but if a dog bites another dog,even a
service dog,they do nothing. I guess I am done with my rant now.Sorry for
bending your ears for so long,but it is a problem here.  Mardi and Shaman
and Neechee,GDIT.

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