[nagdu] it's not about the money

[Craig Heaps]

Here's my take, for what it's worth.

My guide dog is a vision aid.  As the ADA provides, I have the right to 
bring my vision aid with me most everywhere I go.  I cannot be denied 
access with my dog just as a person who is paraplegic cannot be denied 
access with his or her wheelchair.

But if I had paraplegia and chose to have a specially equipped van, I 
would not expect that my van would be exempt from the same licensing and 
registration requirements as other vehicles.  In the same way, I do not 
expect that my vision aid would be exempt from the same licensing and 
registration requirements as other dogs.  I would consider it 
inappropriate and illegal under the ADA if the county in which I live 
added a fee because he is a service dog. But I do not consider it 
inappropriate or illegal to require me to follow the same procedures as 
are required for the owners of all dogs. That said, my county waives the 
fee for service dogs, so it actually doesn't cost me anything for 
Chase's tags except whatever I might spend at the vet to keep his rabies 
vaccination up to date.

Craig and Chase, the vision aid who is also a dog


On 7/30/2015 1:16 PM, Julie J. via nagdu wrote:
> On the idea of the dog license issue, I have read most of the messages and there is a lot of, it’s only$10 or $15,  We should just pay it and some places it’s free or discounted. That’s all well and good, but it misses my point entirely.  It’s not about the money.  Here the license is $5 for a spayed or neutered dog.  I can certainly afford $5.   My point is, and always has been, that it is a fee for having a service dog.  The law is specific that no additional fees or taxes can be charged for a service dog.  The context is hotels and the like, but I don’t see how it’s not a fee if the city charges it.   I would not have a guide dog if I wasn’t blind.   I am being charged because I have a guide dog.   To me that seems a contradiction in the law.  I get that the DOJ has now stated that I am in fact wrong and cities can charge service dog users dog license fees.  I’ll obey the law, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it or that it makes any sense what-so-ever.
>
> 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
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