[nagdu] The harm a fake service dogs good article

Mon Aug 17 19:02:40 UTC 2015

I definitely understand that.  We all use service animals for
different reasons.  I felt like the author of the article was trying
to get people to feel pity for anyone who uses a service animal and
use that pity to convince them not to say their dog was a service
animal when it wasn't. First, that reasoning won't work for people who
want to say they have a service animal when they don't.  Second, It
can make us look helpless when we are not helpless at all.  I will
reread the article and give it more thought.

On 8/17/15, The Pawpower Pack via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Marianne and all,
> For many blind people, working with a guide dog is a choice. Many blind
> people do equally as well with a cane, but for various reasons prefer a dog.
>  They like traveling with a dog better, but can and do, still use a cane if
> the dog cannot work with little disruption in their lives.
> However, for many people, me included, partnering with a service dog and
> having that dog work for you is the difference between being stuck at home
> or a very limited area without that dog, or working that dog and being able
> to do much, much more.  If I did not have a dog, I don't know if I could
> work, I certainly would be much more limited in what I did for activities
> outside of what was necessary.  i would need about $3000 worth of
> modifications in my home if I did not have a dog.  So while many people work
> a dog because they like it, there are those of us who work a dog because we
> literally would not be able to be as independent without one.
>
>
>  Rox and the kitchen Bitches:
> Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
> Pawpower4me at gmail.com
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Aug 17, 2015, at 8:28 AM, Marianne Denning via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Below is the text of the article.  I was not the one who posted the link.
>>
>>
>> I have a friend who lost a leg ten years ago. No one has ever said how
>> lucky he is to have such a cool prosthetic and how they really want
>> one, too. Yet, if he used a dog instead of a prosthetic to function,
>> that's exactly the kind of comments he would get. Even worse--plenty
>> of people are trying to pass as disabled so they can bring their dog
>> everywhere.
>>
>> I don't think they realize what it means to have a disability so
>> severe that they cannot function at a "normal" level--to be unable to
>> work, go shopping, get around in their own house--without assistance.
>> Constant pain, seizures, loss of vision, hearing or having a
>> life-threatening illness are not good trades for a pet, even a
>> miniature horse, or a really cute monkey.
>>
>>
>> By expressing a desire for a Service Dog, you're also wishing for the
>> accompanying disability. For a disabled person, hearing an able-bodied
>> person openly wish for a disability (even if you don't actually say
>> those words) is deeply hurtful. It suggests you don't take them or
>> their disability seriously and furthermore, it makes light of the
>> thousands of hours of training and socialization their partner has
>> undergone to perform his [or her] job. Anythingpawsable.com
>>
>>
>>
>> I have a friend with a disability that is often invisible to
>> strangers. She uses a service dog to pull her wheelchair, or provide
>> balance assistance while walking. The dog can retrieve items and
>> provide a number of other tasks, for which she underwent two years of
>> intensive training.
>>
>> The cost of a dog like this is around $20,000. While sponsorships are
>> available, one site which places around 75-100 dogs a year, has a
>> current wait list of 1,600 people. That equates to 16-22 years of
>> potential wait time.
>>
>> "To see someone who threw a cheap vest on their dog's back because
>> they like to have it around is like kicking me in my dislocated knee,"
>> one service dog handler said.
>>
>> Emotional Support Animals are not the same as service animals. They
>> provide much needed comfort to many people. They do not require
>> training, and accordingly do not receive the same protection. Properly
>> documented Emotional Support Animals can be legally kept in housing
>> that prohibits pets. Often times they can be brought on airplanes. But
>> they cannot be brought to restaurants and movie theaters and
>> everywhere their owners go. Unfortunately, the ease with which a pet
>> can be labelled an Emotional Support Animal means that few people
>> really know what rights they do and do not have.
>>
>> Service animals provide valuable assistance in myriad ways. This full
>> list  details ways animals can help with psychiatric disabilities,
>> which are above and beyond the comfort of an Emotional Assistance
>> Animal.
>>
>> Here are just a few examples of the tasks a trained animal can perform:
>> •Bring medication in a crisis, by retrieving bags, even opening cupboards.
>> •Bring fluids to swallow medications.
>> •Remind their partner to take medication on schedule.
>> •Call 911, alert partner to smoke alarms.
>> •Provide balance support for walking, ascending and descending stairs.
>> •Vigorously lick their partner's face to interrupt an episode of
>> combat side effects.
>>
>> I was with someone who brought their emotional support dog to a
>> restaurant last week. She had her doctor write her a letter stating
>> her need for such an animal because her condo didn't allow pets and
>> she wanted a dog. The pet sported an orange vest she bought online and
>> sat next to its owner in one of the restaurant's chairs. She couldn't
>> put the dog on the floor because it was not reliably housebroken. The
>> dog ate off the table on one of the restaurant's plates. She told me
>> the dog was "legally allowed anywhere she went," and that she was
>> considering, "getting a letter to make her cat an emotional support
>> animal, too."
>>
>>
>> The only indicator that [a handler/dog] team is "legit" is the dog's
>> behavior. Service Dogs are well-trained, well-mannered, calm,
>> unobtrusive and handler focused. anythingpawesable.com
>>
>>
>>
>> In researching this, I went to the American Airlines website to review
>> their policy on service animals and emotional support animals.
>>
>>
>> To show that an animal is a service animal, you must provide (at least
>> one of the following):
>> ▪ Animal ID card
>> ▪ Harness or tags
>> ▪ Written documentation to verify the service, psychiatric or
>> emotional support status of your animal
>> ▪ Credible verbal assurance
>>
>>
>>
>> Sounds good, right? One problem:
>>
>>
>> There are no papers, documents, certifications, vests, tags or special
>> IDs required for Service Dogs in the United States. Under federal law,
>> disabled individuals accompanied by Service Dogs are allowed access to
>> places selling goods or services of any kind, including places
>> offering entertainment, lodging and food.
>>
>>
>>
>> Yet you can easily register a fake service animal online and have
>> really nice paperwork to prove its necessity. Do you see how the
>> preponderance of fake service animals is making it harder for disabled
>> people with legitimate service animals to get around?
>> While it's tempting to buy a fake vest online and bring your beloved
>> pet everywhere, think about what you are really saying. Think about
>> what your actions are doing to the community of disabled people who
>> rely on their animal partners to function. If that isn't enough to
>> sway you from faking a service animal, CBS News reported that,
>>
>> Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it's a federal crime to use
>> a fake dog. And about a fourth of all states have laws against service
>> animal misrepresentation.
>>
>>
>>
>> However, the need for creation of laws to punish people who are taking
>> advantage of the system is placing the burden of proof on the
>> legitimately disabled.
>>
>> I am a dog owner and an animal lover, but faking a disability to enjoy
>> your pets' companionship is not only inappropriate, but detrimental to
>> people who rely on service animals to experience a modicum of the
>> able-bodied privilege so many of us take for granted. Calling your pet
>> a service dog is the same as the person you see in the disabled
>> parking spot in the Home Depot parking lot, throwing one hundred pound
>> bags of concrete into their car using their grandmother's parking
>> permit.
>>
>> Follow Lara Lillibridge on Twitter:
>>
>>
>>> On 8/17/15, Marsha Drenth via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Julie and all,
>>> It would be preferrable  if the person who is posting a link, could also
>>> copy and paste the article along with the link into the email. We have
>>> lots
>>> of people on list who are reading emails in many different formats. Yes,
>>> links do fall under the one line one word rule.
>>>
>>>
>>> Marsha drenth, NAGDU List Moderator
>>> email: marsha.drenth at gmail.com
>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>> Please note that this email communication has been sent using my iPhone.
>>> As
>>> such, I may have used dictation and had made attempts to mitigate errors.
>>> Please do not be hesitant to ask for clarification as necessary.
>>>
>>>> On Aug 17, 2015, at 7:04 AM, Julie J. via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I'm with Debbie.  If there isn't something in the body of the message
>>>> explaining the article in a way that makes me believe it's a legitimate
>>>> link and not a link to download a virus, then I'm not clicking.   I
>>>> would
>>>> specifically like to know why you thought it was a good article.  What
>>>> was
>>>> the key take-a-way?  Was there a new idea brought up?  Does it relate to
>>>> something recently discussed?
>>>>
>>>> And does posting the link only violate the one word one line message
>>>> rule?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Julie
>>>> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now
>>>> available! Get the book here:
>>>> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
>>>> -----Original Message----- From: Jimmy via nagdu
>>>> Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2015 10:40 PM
>>>> To: Debby Phillips
>>>> Cc: Jimmy ; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>> Users
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] The harm a fake service dogs good article
>>>>
>>>> Good evening.
>>>> Thankyou for your reply. I understand your thought. Hence, that is why
>>>> when I posted the mentioned article I put in the subject line of my
>>>> posting-The issues or problems of fake service dogs-good article. This
>>>> this give you a good idea of what the article is about. If that subject
>>>> interests you, you can select the link and read it.  I would prefer
>>>> myself
>>>> a short and to the sweet posting that gives the subject  and the main
>>>> point in the subject and then I can choose to read it or not rather than
>>>> have a posting that rambles on and on . I will keep your mention in mind
>>>> in the future to make sure my subject lines are specific, but I, like
>>>> many, do not have time to always rewrite or explain the article. I hope
>>>> you are well! Have a great week!
>>>>
>>>> James Alan Boehm
>>>> Phone: 901-483-1515
>>>> Personal Email: jimmydagerman80 at gmail.com
>>>> Refer NFB correspondences to:
>>>> secretary at nfb-tn.org
>>>>
>>>> "Blindness never limits- Low expectations do! Live the life you want!"
>>>>
>>>>> On Aug 16, 2015, at 9:44 PM, Debby Phillips <semisweetdebby at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi Jimmy, I'm not a moderator, but I do wish that you would post
>>>>> something about why you've sent these links, at least.  I usually read
>>>>> my
>>>>> email with my Apex and forward emails to another email address I have
>>>>> that's just on my phone for when I want to look at a link someone has
>>>>> posted.  But if I don't know anything about the article, I don't do it.
>>>>> Perhaps I'm the only one who feels this way, but there may be others
>>>>> who
>>>>> don't wish to just hit a link just because someone posts one.  Thanks.
>>>>> Debby and Nova
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>> -----
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
>> Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
>> (513) 607-6053
>>
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>
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-- 
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053