A friend of mine that has trained service pigs told me that what takes two months to teach to a dog, a pig will learn in two weeks. After training pigs (narcotics if I remember right) he doesn´t eat red meat anymore.

Service animals are a terrific way of assisting people with disabilities and it is unfortunate that in Estonia they don´t train other than seeing eye dogs (and when Teus Tisjling was coming from Sweden to Estonia for seminars, on the ship they actually demanded the use of muzzle on Falco who had never worn one, because they didn´t get the fact that there are actually other kinds of service dogs other than for the blind. Fortunately Falco didn´t object to the muzzle). But this tendency to make all dogs service dogs just to go to movies with them is ridiculous. I have always thought there are some kind of serious training and tests done... What whould happen if a "service dog" attacks a real service dog that has had 3 years of proffessional training, in the restaurant and kills or seriously injures him? The scammer might eventually (after the slow wheels of justice have turned up a verdict) be sentenced to cover the cost of the seriously expensive dog but who is responsible for helping the really disabled until the criminal has payed the money and before getting a new dog? If the scammers dog has done something like this, will it still be a service dog and allowed access to public places? What if it attacks a child? And if something like this happens or there is a possibility it can happen, isn´t it enevetable that people become terrified of service dogs, start acting odd and perhaps even hateful torwards the well trained and behaved assistance dogs as well? And if a person that has a dog to live as normally as possible has to take this kind of treatment from the public, then who are these rules made for anyway? It sounds like my pet is a whole lot better trained and social than some service dogs and this is just plain ridiculous...

 Quote: Jaana Aadamsoo

(and when Teus Tisjling was coming from Sweden to Estonia for seminars, on the ship they actually demanded the use of muzzle on Falco who had never worn one,

Hi Jaana,

I had the pleasure of running Falco through an obstacle course in Savannah, Georgia a few years ago. He is an exemplary animal and as laid back as any dog I've ever seen. Falco is protection trained and very serious. He is was trained through the Signallhund program in Teus's country. He was trained to assist a deaf person in general day to day life, as well as personal protection. For those that don't know, Teus Tisjjling is deaf himself.

Had this scammer's dog attacked a legitimate service dog the scammer would lose a civil case. The problem is...these type of people have nothing so the monetary judgement awarded the victim would go unpaid. Sometimes, even if you win..you still lose.

Howard

I probably can´t say "outrageous" and "ridiculous" enough here... For whos good and protection are these rules made for? Is it really too much to ask for a service animal to get some kind of testing? We have BH- simple obedience and simple social part in the city. Whould that be too difficult for any type of service animal? Isn´t there anywhere to turn to point out these gaps in the system with at least the hope they might be overlooked and something will be done?

Howard, I think it is great how you handled the situation. If this guy whould have gotten away with this too easily, it might have been something what I call a "click-moment" that will reinforce a person to do something again and again and again...

Howard, it seems aggressive dog laws trump service dog owner rights, or they should. But I guess common sense once again gets trumped by extremists? When they're able to tie the hands of law enforcement (as in an attempt to demand that you arrest the theater manager), we're in a sorry and downward spiraling situation.

The scenario you described has me completely baffled. It seems the theater manager had the same right to ask you to arrest the guy with the aggressive dog, but was intimidated by the disability laws the guy was spewing out. A business has rights too. People in the theater have rights too. One person's rights and freedoms should never trump another person's rights and freedoms. It angers me that this doesn't seem to be the case.

The dog owner is not without liability. He was in violation of Florida state statute concerning aggressive dogs. Its a civil infraction which requires a fine first, then a court date if the same issue continues.

Believe me, I would have taken great pleasure in stroking him a ticket or two, but that is ACs job so we called them.

Howard

 Quote: sandy moore

The scenario you described has me completely baffled. It seems the theater manager had the same right to ask you to arrest the guy with the aggressive dog, but was intimidated by the disability laws the guy was spewing out. A business has rights too. People in the theater have rights too. One person's rights and freedoms should never trump another person's rights and freedoms. It angers me that this doesn't seem to be the case.

The ADA laws, as already mentioned before, are broad and vague and open to abuse, such as in this case.

Business owners are often deliberately targeted by con artists looking for a payday, and very few businesses have the means or the stomach to duke it out in court. And yes, they are intimidated. Please note, I am NOT talking about genuine accidents or incidents of discrimination. I'm talking about people who make a living working the system for financial gain. Despicable people, IOW, who make it more difficult for all those people who really DO have a legitimate grievance.

It's been a real problem in my area. A person will visit several establishments...have several "accidents"...and then sue. With the notable exception of Clint Eastwood, most business owners here pay out.

To take the lunacy one step further, I seem to recall a person, an alcoholic, tried to sue a restaurant for discrimination, because they served alcohol to the other diners but, due to their disability, he/she was not able to drink it. That one WAS thrown out.

As I mentioned to Howard, there is a judge in S. Cal who finally had the cajones to stand up to this. He called the gentleman in question, a person who had filed lawsuit after lawsuit up and down the state, something like a "gross abuser" of the judical system and pretty much forbade him from suing anyone else. It was great!

I'm getting a little far afield of service dogs but it all kind of falls under the same heading. Back on topic...

I forgot to add this little gem, it's an example of when the "Political Correctness" crap runs amok.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/10/27/when.pigs.fly.ap/index.html

Read it and weep.

 Quote: will rambeau

I forgot to add this little gem, it's an example of when the "Political Correctness" crap runs amok.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/10/27/when.pigs.fly.ap/index.html

Read it and weep.

 Quote:

The animal became unruly as the plane taxied toward the Seattle terminal, the report said, running through the jet, squealing and trying to get into the cockpit.

BWAHAHAH!! Maybe it was a Al Queda Sleeper Terrorist Pig.

 Quote:

"Many people on board the aircraft were quite upset that there was a large uncontrollable pig on board, especially those in the first-class cabin," the incident report stated.

That sounds like a description of me if I had a bit to much to drink! LOL!

 Quote: lindsay janes

It upsets me a lot when people abuse the right that we (disability people) have fought for so long to get ADA passed. I assumed that they all started working on ADA in the 1970s until it finally passed in 1990 while George Bush was the president.

It is frustrated that we get to experience with discrimination everyday with service dogs and other issues like jobs, etc. A few months ago, I posted a thread about a young boy who was denied to bring his service dog to his school because they didn't think he needs one.

It makes me so angry when a person brought his fake service dog to the movie theater and allowed his dog act like that, it amazed me how much little they have a respect for other people who worked so darn hard to get a law passed. It is easier to remove a law than to pass one. If this scam artists kept messing around with their fake service dogs, who knows the law will change and say that we ( the people with disability) can't bring them anywhere?

I can't agree with you more. I have dyslexia (alas not a disability that requires a service dog unless I can teach Molly how to read and write :grin. My parents fought for a law like the ADA when I was in elementary school. I continued it when I applied for college. When I moved to central Indiana one college refused me admittance saying, "We are not a remedial education facility" even though I was an honor roll student at PUNC in Valparaiso. The only accommodations I asked for was to let someone put a piece of carbon paper under their notes in class and extra time or a typewriter for essay tests.

When people have fought so long and hard to get something like the ADA passed it is sickening to see people use that hard work as a scam for monetary gain.

 Quote: lindsay janes

I'm curious how does leerburg screen out for service and police dogs vests? I'm sure that Ed and Cindy don't want to sell a service vest to anyone who is lying about having a fake service dog.

No screening for service dog vests but here is the policy for police K9 patches.

 Quote:

Upon check out if you are getting the POLICE or SHERIFF patch you must state your police officer badge number and department phone number in the "comments" area of the shopping cart. We will not sell this K-9 vest with police patches to non-government persons. Police K9 Vest

Well, it happened again! A different guy brought his assistance dog into a busy doctors' office. The guy was so disrespectful that he allowed the dog to occupy the chair next to him...close to other patients.

Once again, the regular citizenry were unfamiliar with the law and the police were called. Don't know why this guy would need his dog at a doctor's office unless the dog is going to drive for him in case he falls asleep at the wheel enroute to his doctor.

Again, no identification on the dog. At least he had it on a choker. This sour puss and the other guy must be friends because they both have the same attitude.

I informed the original responding officers of the law while in the presence of this guy. The whole time he's nodding his head in an "I told you so" manner. When I lambasted him for the disrespectful way he allowed the dog on the furniture to be occupied by sick persons, his only response was "She wanted to be close to me". Seeing as the dog was on the floor by his feet I asked him how close does she need to be? Maybe you should put her in your lap. He didn't like that one.

Once he went through his tirade about his rights, I informed him of the business' rights while in the company of the nurses and patients...after all, I'm there to educate the citizenry right? Serve and protect and all that stuff...

Instead of being asked to leave as per ADA guidelines, wherein if the dog is detrimental to another person's health, the staff allowed him to stay and we went back in service. Before we left the parking lot, his covert friend tried to pump us for information but we saw it coming so we just walked away from him. I'm sure he thought "Rude cops! Don't they know they have to answer my questions?" NOT!

Can't believe this is twice in a little over a month.

Howard