"There's an industry out there that provides very official looking service dog vests and even service dog ID cards," said Rinn. "And people use them to get access to places."

In addition to accredited guide dogs for the visually impaired, like Louie, there are other dogs that fall into the more general categories of "service dogs," "support dogs" or "comfort dogs."

I think most people out there have had it with that goddamned bullshit. Whenever I see people with their dogs in stores I just want to beat them to death for their selfishness. Even beyond allergies, a lot of people are terrified of dogs. And I don't want to be buying stuff that Rover managed to infest with fleas. Store managers have to start taking a firm hand and telling people that unless they're blind, no dogs allowed. And if said asshole gives them static, call the cops, have them arrested for criminal trespass. Fines should start at a $1000 - garnishable if they refuse to pay, have the dog taken away to be rehomed, and ban them from ever owning any other pets.

We always did that in our restos if someone was being an asshole. No fucking around. One warning, and if they weren't heading for the exit we just go over to the nearest phone and dial 911. Most people were bolting for the exit at that point. We always told staff, don't get in a fight, just call the cops, that's what they get paid - a lot of money - for. Only 3 times in 20+ years were people stupid enough not to leave and they were led away in handcuffs and thrown in the tank for 3 days and charged to boot. It ends up being a very expensive lesson for them, but one that is necessary.

Whew. Once again I am relieved that Cutter doesn't make the rules. Not living in Canada at least we don't have to worry about Cutter beating any of us to death. You ever been told that you have anger issues?

Looks like we're at the point where the Boeing execs are going to try to extract as much money from the company as possible, as quickly as possible before they completely drive it into the ground. Classic late stage capitalism.

Boeing Exec 1: How can we improve quality and repair our reputation?
Boeing Exec 2: Cut 17,000 employees?
Boeing Exec 1: Genius! Make it so! Include yourself.

Prez wrote on Oct 12, 2024, 15:31:
Whew. Once again I am relieved that Cutter doesn't make the rules. Not living in Canada at least we don't have to worry about Cutter beating any of us to death. You ever been told that you have anger issues?

Still, he's not wrong about the overall point. I'm tired of people bringing their pets into supermarkets where there is exposed produce and other food. It's the same reasons places that sell food insist customers wear a shirt and shoes. And pants. It's unsanitary.

In addition, as the article points out, such selfish people make it more difficult for people who rely on actual service dogs to live their lives.

unless you have a clinically diagnosed disability you shouldn't have a 'service animal'. i love animals too but it just makes me think less of animal lovers when they drag their pets everywhere with them and lie about a medical need for them. overbearing obsession with how cute your dog is, is not a medical condition.

My dog is my late wife's service dog. She served as a "hearing" dog, mobility assistant, and overall guard dog. She went to a specialist trainer to learn the first two roles. She definitely wore her vest/harness denoting her service.

These days, she goes most places with me where rational and permissable. Harbor Freight, Lowes, the lumberyard, my local gun store (which welcomes all dogs), and the like.

She does not go to the supermarket, restaurants, and other places that do not specifically welcome her. Could I if input her vest/harness on her? Yes but I don't because I don't need the services for which she was trained. That's just common sense (an oxymoron, I know).

Don't make it harder for actual working dogs to do their jobs.


/---\

So is Israel going to atone for the genocide in Palestine? Thought not.

Is this a problem specific to Canada? Or is it a problem here in the US too? I have taken more than a dozen dogs for evaluation if they could pass the service dog certification. I have an emotional support dog myself. If a dog is growling or jumping at customers, there's no way that they passed evaluation, much less certification. The certification for an emotional support animal is less restrictive but the animal still needs to be able to behave and mind you otherwise it's not offering any support. I have never heard of this issue before. I had access to a list of retailers who allowed dogs to enter their store regardless of certification, but as I recall none of them had unpackaged food that I can remember, and none of them were restaurants. Still, if a dog is a certified service dog, they are certified for a reason. You might be concerned about them being where you are but they are allowed by law, and they are there to help someone who needs help. If you are seeing misbehaving dogs everywhere those aren't service dogs, and they are very likely not emotional support dogs. Report them to management and they will demand proof of certification from the owner. If they aren't immediately kicked out, shop somewhere else.

Regardless, "beat them to death"? You don't consider that just a wee bit over the top?

This comment was edited on Oct 12, 2024, 18:17.

I find that humans are the problem 99.9% of the time, not the dogs. Service, emotional, whatever. Dipshit owner that thinks their "service animal" can just put their nose in anybody's space like being an emotional support animal means you can invade the space of other people who might have legitimate phoebias or allergies. Equally dipshit nonowners that run up to a strange animal and person and just reach out and attempt to pet....and then cry when the situation goes as badly as you expect it to. Its not a Canada problem, it's a human species problem.

Prez wrote on Oct 12, 2024, 18:04:
Regardless, "beat them to death"? You don't consider that just a wee bit over the top?

Of course it is. Thus my "Still, he's not wrong about the overall point."

Prez wrote on Oct 12, 2024, 15:31:
Whew. Once again I am relieved that Cutter doesn't make the rules. Not living in Canada at least we don't have to worry about Cutter beating any of us to death. You ever been told that you have anger issues?

Yet, 99% of the people out there manage not to bring their pets - not service dogs - into stores. It's the same with shitheels who take up 2 to 4 parking spaces, don't even make the attempt at parking properly. Leaving their grocery cart in the middle of the aisle. Saunter along with their fucking faces buried in their phones inconveniencing others. Etc. etc. etc. Yeah the world would be a MUCH better place without selfish assholes in it. I find it perplexing why you feel it's a better world with them in it. Yeah, I get angry at assholes, same as everyone else should. If they didn't we wouldn't have an asshole problem. It's the people who don't say or do anything about them that are the real problem.

Jivaro wrote on Oct 12, 2024, 20:21:
Equally dipshit nonowners that run up to a strange animal and person and just reach out and attempt to pet....and then cry when the situation goes as badly as you expect it to. Its not a Canada problem, it's a human species problem.

Maybe this is a Southern thing but I've always had people ask if they may pet my dog before attempting to do so. Perhaps it is the way my dog carries herself that causes that situation. I always answer "You can present her with the opportunity to be petted but if she backs up a pace or two that's a hard no from her." Everyone has, thus far, respected that and not tried to press it.

What I don't tell them is that she wants exactly three and a half people in the entire universe to pet her and no more. Myself, my dad, my sister, and sometimes my mom (thus the half).

My dog Lady was a rescue, and was an emotional support/service animal of some sort with some basic training according to the shelter. Her previous owners moved to Texas during the pandemic and left her at the shelter on the way. Same shelter they got her from when she was a puppy. That is wild to me, abandoning a dog that has been with you for 8/9 years, but I try to remember that I don't know people's situations and that was a very traumatic time for a lot of families. Lady had been at the particular site I visited for 6 months straight when I saw her for the first time. I like older and sizeable dogs, and I prefer rescues. She was the first dog they let me visit with when I got to the shelter. I didn't ask to see another.

Lady is my companion, not my service animal. I need the emotional support and I have a lovely therapist for that reason who would be glad to sign off on it, but now that I am not renting I really don't have a need to keep a certificate up on her "emotional support status". She is huge for her breed mix, 50% American Staffordshire Terrier/ 50% German Shephard. 120 pounds instead of somewhere between 50-80lbs as her DNA says she should be. (recent DNA test ftw!) Its mostly muscle, even now at 11 years old, so she is visibly intimidating to people not familiar with canine body language. She is not a barker, and for that I am grateful. When she barks, I know its an actual problem, not a fucking leaf in the wind, a cat on a fence, or some toy poodle being walked by the front of my house.

She loves people, she does not trust other dogs, and the people that always want to walk up and pet her are often people walking non-service animals. So neither that owner or that other pet are educated and my dog doesn't trust other dogs. To avoid issues, since it is my dog that would most likely be overly defensive, I have put a vest on her that clearly says "ask to pet" and "not animal friendly". So far, still no tragedies, but you would be amazed how many people......and usually grown fucking adults and not kids...that I have to check with "not friendly to other dogs" in an overly baritone voice so they don't just ignore me and pet her anyway. People are dumb, news at 11 I guess.

The behaviorists that I worked with always said that service dogs (that are working that is) shall not be petted under any circumstance. If you have to make a sign and post it on your service animal do it. I've seen a few actually.

To answer your question as I understand it, no I don't wish death upon people for ignorant behavior. I accept that anyone can behave badly, and I recognize that some people make a habit of it. Do you really think that I would want them dead because my life would be easier?I'm not that self-centered. I didn't think that was a radical concept. I am not a doctor or a therapist, but you definitely seem to have serious anger issues to me my friend. Do I get angry at ignorant behavior? Not really. I shake my head and sullenly think, "yeah that's normal for most people now unfortunately", but I don't get angry. What's the point? Me getting angry just raises my blood pressure and puts me at a higher risk of another stroke, while it has a zero percent chance of fixing anything. If that makes me part of or even the majority of the problem, I don't know what to tell you. That's not my style.

This comment was edited on Oct 12, 2024, 23:15.

I don't know about service dogs, but I do know that violent psychopaths who publicly fantasize about beating others to death for the high crime of bringing their service dog into Home Depot or whatever should probably be jailed indefinitely.

In Memphis (all of West Tennessee really) Home Depot was always considered very dog friendly as it had wide aisles and nothing that would get "germs" on it. (I frankly don't understand that one). I brought many of my dogs to Home Depot to socialize them as many of my dogs had never seen a human that didn't want to abuse or exploit them. I never once had anyone tell me that their allergies were killing them because a dog walked by them. I had them double leashed with a harness with a 4 ft leash to control them and warned everyone who might think to approach to stay away as I had just gotten the dog and was not familiar with his or her behaviors, aggression, or fears. I never had a problem. It's kind of shocking to me that some of you guys have such strong opinions about this but I will be honest with you: the worst dog I ever had was better than the best human I have ever known, and while I am very careful to stay in my lane and not upset anyone, I don't really care if anyone might have had a problem with it. Stay clear of me I guess?

This comment was edited on Oct 13, 2024, 01:15.

Dogs rule, humans suck.

The refrain hasn't changed in 15,000 years.

NKD wrote on Oct 13, 2024, 00:26:
I don't know about service dogs, but I do know that violent psychopaths who publicly fantasize about beating others to death for the high crime of bringing their service dog into Home Depot or whatever should probably be jailed indefinitely.

But everyone else is the asshole, right?

What's that saying about how if everyone you run into is an asshole, again?

Prez wrote on Oct 12, 2024, 15:31:
Whew. Once again I am relieved that Cutter doesn't make the rules. Not living in Canada at least we don't have to worry about Cutter beating any of us to death. You ever been told that you have anger issues?

For once I agree with him, not the beating part, but the rest about blind or GTFO, F yes!