Emotional Support Dogs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a small, well trained 7lb dog that I fly with. He never leaves his bag and 99% of the people in the airport never see him (he has to be hand carried through Xray machines). I pay the $150 ticket EACH WAY for him, but it's normally double or triple what my plane ticket is. He also counts as my carry on, so I have to pay for a checked bag.

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

Hey crazy lady, lap infants are free BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS WHO NEED TO BE CLOSE TO THEIR MOTHERS. Not even remotely analogous to your yippy little turd factory.

Woah. I didn't say my dog should be free. Just that airlines have made it increasingly difficult to allow dogs to fly and these fake service dogs are a result of that.

Oh and my dog isn't yippy.

Airlines have made existing difficult. Everything about their services, fees, etc get worse and worse. Ugh.

That doesn't mean people should bring animals onto flight inappropriately, however. Good for you for doing the right thing and paying for your dog.

$300 is not ridiculous when you consider your dog is an animal and could cause damage/issues that a human would not. Didn't you hear about the emergency landing caused recently by a dog pooping on a flight and making people sick? That extra fee is the airline trying to cover for issues like that when pets fly -- similar to a landlord charging a pet security deposit in addition to the regular security deposit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Best article ever about emotional support animals:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/20/pets-allowed

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That article made my day. Thankyou for posting!

+1!

[Anonymous]

My SO's friend is a vet with PTSD and he has one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't read the article but I know these dogs are used for people with PTSD, like returning veterans, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My SO's friend is a vet with PTSD and he has one.

There are legitimately trained support dogs who go to those suffering from PTSD. I know, my brother has one. What this post is about is dogs who are not trained to be support dogs. It would be like if my brother came home to his dog that he had from before he was shipped out and said "this is now a service dog" and bought a vest online. Your SO's friend likely has the same type of trained dog my brother has. One who is able to assess the stressful situations and act appropriately. A non trained dog isn't able to do this, they just provide a little comfort. So again, this is NOT talking about TRAINED dogs for emotional support. This is talking about people who take their untrained dogs and claim them to be service animals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Best article ever about emotional support animals:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/20/pets-allowed

Loved this article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My SO's friend is a vet with PTSD and he has one.

There are legitimately trained support dogs who go to those suffering from PTSD. I know, my brother has one. What this post is about is dogs who are not trained to be support dogs. It would be like if my brother came home to his dog that he had from before he was shipped out and said "this is now a service dog" and bought a vest online. Your SO's friend likely has the same type of trained dog my brother has. One who is able to assess the stressful situations and act appropriately. A non trained dog isn't able to do this, they just provide a little comfort. So again, this is NOT talking about TRAINED dogs for emotional support. This is talking about people who take their untrained dogs and claim them to be service animals.

Often times, the animal that ends up providing real support to people (veterans being a big group) are NOT specially trained service dogs. And you know what? That's a good thing. The time and money that goes into training a dog specifically for certain types of support is extensive. The wait lists are extremely long. People usually have to wait years. So if someone adopts a dog from a pound (or whatever) and that dog ends up alleviating anxieties, PTSD, etc -- GREAT! And by all means that dog should be allowed on a flight (the owner does have to provide a doctor's note.)

People should not presume to know the intimate details of a person's life and why or why not they may need a service or emotional support dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't read the article but I know these dogs are used for people with PTSD, like returning veterans, etc.

I think you are confusing genuine, certified assistance or companion animals that are trained.

"Emotional support animals" have no training or credentials. They interfere with the work of trained/certified assistance dogs. They are the bane of the assistance animal world.

Exactly. Emotional support dogs have no certification. A nut loves her dog and think she has the right to take it anywhere, just because. And they don't

There is no official, DOJ-recognized certification for ANY service animal.

Actually, this is changing.


And you can help.

Please take the pledge to stop service dog fraud.

Why This Matters

When untrained pets posing as service dogs behave badly, people who truly need assistance dogs can face added discrimination and lose access to public places--both violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
It's a devastating problem for people like Peter Morgan, who can't bend over without pain because of a spinal disorder. His Service Dog Echuka is trained to pick up dropped items and prevent him from getting hurt. But service dog fraud is making it difficult to keep them together.
"In the last few years, the questions and the looks I get have radically changed," Peter says. "Now wherever I go, I see fraudulent service dogs. I have been kicked out of businesses because employees think I'm an imposter."
Service dogs are more than a vest purchased for a few dollars online. They require years of expert training to perform specific commands and provide calm, reliable assistance to people with disabilities--including U.S. veterans injured while fighting for this country.
Don't let anyone be denied the benefits of a trained service dog when they truly need them. Help us expose service dog fraud and stop the discrimination it can cause. Please take our pledge today!

http://www.cci.org/site/c.cdKGIRNqEmG/b.9194893/k.652A/Stop_Service_Dog_Fraud/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=cdKGIRNqEmG&b=9194893&en=8hKFIRPvG7JOI1MyG6ILLXOIKiIIJ0MEKeKVK5OMIrI5G

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

[youtube]umWqE3qX3Zk[/youtube]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I volunteered at an organization who trained dogs as Autism Assistance Dogs, Hearing Ear Dogs, Mobility Assistance Dogs, Seizure Assistance Dogs, Diabetic Alert Dogs, FASD Assistance Dogs, Facilitated Guide Dogs, Food Allergen Detection and Alert Dogs, and Multipurpose Assistance Dogs. These dogs were amazing and many of these conditions while not visible on the outside are still very dangerous. So please when you see these dogs be kind, you have no idea why they are by their owner's side.

Totally different from an "emotional support dog," which is not certified and has no training and can be obtained by ANYONE.

This is true, but you can't tell the difference from just looking at the person or the dog. Be kind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I volunteered at an organization who trained dogs as Autism Assistance Dogs, Hearing Ear Dogs, Mobility Assistance Dogs, Seizure Assistance Dogs, Diabetic Alert Dogs, FASD Assistance Dogs, Facilitated Guide Dogs, Food Allergen Detection and Alert Dogs, and Multipurpose Assistance Dogs. These dogs were amazing and many of these conditions while not visible on the outside are still very dangerous. So please when you see these dogs be kind, you have no idea why they are by their owner's side.

[Anonymous]

Also remember that many times the diabetes or seizure dogs are usually smaller dogs. They are not the kinds of dog most people think of when they think of service dogs.

[Anonymous]

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

I would guess that the number of passengers who are allergic to lap babies is close to zero, whereas the number allergic to dogs is not.

[Anonymous]

Lions in Canada breeds labs, goldens, poodles for various purposes including vision, hearing, seizure:
http://www.dogguides.com/graduates.html