What would you do

[April]

I was in an antiques mall a couple weeks ago. While I was in there, a lady had a small fluffy dog on a leash. This dog was pulling the leash, trying to jump on people walking by, running back and forth, etc. An employee walked up to the lady and said "I'm sorry ma'am, all dogs except for service dogs must be held while in the store". The lady snaps back "She is a service dog. I'm blind"

Now I know that there is NO way that this was a service dog for the blind. Service dogs don't yank at the leash, jump on people, run around etc. This dog would have walked her into displays, because the dog ran under a few of them. (I am aware that being legally blind does not mean without sight completely)

The employee must have decided it wasn't worth the fight because she backed off right away.

When we were leaving, they left just a minute before us, and the dog took off and almost jerked the own off her feet.

But it got me thinking, what would you do? Is there anything you CAN do? If this lady had said ANYTHING other than she was blind, I might have been more open. Like a seizure disorder that the dog senses or something.

[eltf177]

The problem is that nobody CAN do anything. Once they claim it's a service animal it's all over - they don't have to prove it even though it's obvious they're lying.

As the dog was obviously out of control I do believe you can eject it at that point but you know you're opening yourself to all sorts of complaints and possibly even official scrutiny.

The best outcome is dog bites someone and it goes to court, and that's not saying much...

[RealUnimportant]

As I understand it, working dogs (or other service animals) are required to be recognisable as such, and even then not every kind of service animal is allowed to contravene "no animals allowed" restrictions.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

In the states, there is no requirement for a service animal to wear anything that identifies it as such. AFAIK

The antique shop could've ejected the animal due to its behavior, but that would be risky. Complaints, official investigations, unwanted media attention and all that.

Society would rather deal with animals being someplace they shouldn't, than disabled people being unable to be out and about and live a relatively normal life. So it's probably for the best that they let the matter drop.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

In Canada you are allowed to remove service dogs that are not behaving. You are not allowed to to discriminate against the disabled service dog owner. If the owner of the dog agrees to take the dog outside you have to ask what services the dog provides, and supply a means of providing those services. For a blind person that would involve having an employee shop and check out with the person, helping to direct them where to walk, etc. The only exceptions to above are housing, (including hotels) and transport (because obviously even if you accommodate someone`s disability to get them to arrival once there they are stranded without their service dog. If a service dog is behaving badly in one of those situations you are going to have to live with it, or call the police and let them decide if the animal needs to be removed.

But you asked what would I do. If I was you I would have followed the woman outside, taken note of her car license plate, then called the police about the `blind woman`who was driving. Just because I can be a bit of a bitch that way.

[EricKei]

Check your local laws, but it is my understanding that *most* states allow you to ask two things: a - Is it a service animal? and b - What tasks has it been trained to perform? -- Check with the laws and management before trying this, of course.

Thing is, she was full of it. Barring some truly extraordinary issues which likely would have made the pup unsuitable for use AS a service dog, no properly-trained service animal, unless it was either physically or mentally ill, would have the lack of discipline to act aggressive that way.

[siskaren]

Thing is, she was full of it. Barring some truly extraordinary issues which likely would have made the pup unsuitable for us AS a service dog, no properly-trained service animal, unless it was either physically or mentally ill, would have the lack of discipline to act aggressive that way.

I'd say the fact that the dog was on a leash and not a harness was proof that she was full of it, unless guide dogs for the blind don't use harnesses anymore.

[Peppergirl]

The state I now live in apparently allows places to require proof if a dog misbehaving.

Note: the above is from a friend of mine who manages a restaurant. I don't have any verification of this, other than his word.

I think it's a good rule, actually.

[eltf177]

The state I now live in apparently allows places to require proof if a dog misbehaving.

Note: the above is from a friend of mine who manages a restaurant. I don't have any verification of this, other than his word.

I think it's a good rule, actually.

I agree, but you know it's going to get challenged a lot...

[Peppergirl]

Oh yeah, he's already told me some j tweeting stories. Lol

[mathnerd]

Businesses *are* allowed to eject a misbehaving animal, even if it's a service dog. As somebody said above, many aren't willing to do so for fear of bad publicity, lawsuits, etc, but I think in this age of video surveillance everywhere, management needs to start growing a spine and do something about the abuse of service animal laws. People who abuse those laws are just as bad as people who lie about allergies. They make it more difficult for the people who actually need those accommodations to receive them because people don't believe them anymore.

That said, I saw the funniest guide dog a few weeks ago. He and his human sat next to me at a fast food Chinese place. He was so cute and well behaved, but you could just see in his eyes and the tiny little flick of his tail that he *really* wanted what his human was eating. It was crowded, so when his human had to get up or sit back down, he kept bumping into me, and the woman he was with kept apologizing. I told her no worries. That particular place is really bad, and I was only there because I didn't have my youngest kid with me, as we can't easily maneuver his chair in there.

[Seshat]

As I've mentioned before, we intend for our next animal to be a service dog. Which means we're going to have to be very, very careful with the temperament of the animal we get, and with his or her training.

Our current dog is not suitable as a service dog because she's too exciteable. That said, she's definitely providing us with multiple services that support our existence and quality of life. She KNOWS when Bast or I need her support, and does her best to care for us.

Sadly, she's not managed to be trained to bring me things from the floor (one thing we want in a service dog), and she's too heavy to be a living 'heat pack'. And yeah, she's too ill-behaved to be either a service dog or a therapy dog. She does know all the training tricks for a therapy dog!


I guess the main thing I want to say is that no, that dog is not trained with the core behaviour rules of a service dog as Australian law defines it.