in my city any dog can become a service dog with just a doctors letter saying you need a service animal. the dog doesn't have to have any service dog training or any training at all its optional. that how my dog was licensed and because i don't look disabled or the dog doesn't have thing like a vest saying service animal just a tag saying" California assistant animal" people give me angry looks in the store thinking i am doing something wrong when i tell it is a service animal they don't believe me. im surprised most people think that all dogs should have extensive training to be service animals. do you think it is wrong that the city does this?
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Recommended Answer:I don't know why our county does it, either, but it is Federally Mandated that a service dog is trained to do tasks which mitigate the person's substantial limitations. Let's look at that wording.
Substantial Limitation means if you're using your dog for some psychiatric thing, and it's not debilitating (such as schizophrenia), then you are illegally misusing the dog and people like me who come along, tag or no tag, and who challenge you on it, will see you lose in court and fined and/or jailed.
It is unlawful, no matter what the county animal shelter gave you, no matter what the sherrif's office gave you, no matter what your county allowed...it is ILLEGAL to misuse your dog.
Your dog isn't trained to do tasks and that means it is sidestepping federal laws. Federal laws. Federal!
Federal outweighs ALL state and local agency laws.
Federal laws state that service animals may only be used for severe disabilities.
It further states that all service animals may only be used if they are trained to do tasks.
Those tasks must mitigate the person's uncurable, unchanging and lifelong disability.
I see more small dog users abusing this law than any other. Last night, in Wal Mart, I got my next case to deal with.
This lady comes in with her chihuahua cross in a stroller. She tells the lady at the counter it's a service animal. Who is serving who?!
Those dogs are not service animals, no matter what your county says and everytime someone misuses one, someone with a valid disability and a trained dog (he does over 55 commands to assist me) comes in behind those idiots and we have the hardest time because untrained dogs pee, they poop, they bite and do bad things in stores and those of us who come along behind them have to take the flack for those dogs.
It is a haineous misuse of the laws to allow tagging of dogs based on doctor's notes, when the people are not disabled enough to have one.
Disabled enough, according to the US Dept. Of Justice means severely disabled.
For instance, a person was found not to be disabled who had emphasema because as soon as she had oxygen, it brought her O2 levels up to normal values. She no longer could use her dog, based on that.
Another case at the USDOJ - The person claimed Bi-Polar disorder, and was found not severely disabled enough to have the dog (in fact, there are hundreds of cases just like this being seen), and another point in question...the person had a seizure disorder. The dog wasn't trained to do any tasks, and his seizures were weekly. Sorry. Not enough to have a dog according to the DOJ. They had to get rid of their dogs and some of them were fined major fines.
If I challenged someone who I saw with a service animal, who was telling people they use it for mental illness, I will usually win.
Good luck...you asked an honest question, wanting an honest answer and there is one.
Misusing a service dog, knowing what you know now, is illegal and it is wrong and it makes the lives of those who use them validly that much harder to follow in your footsteps.
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- If people only realized that just about any dog wold make a good service dog. If they have a loving nurturing environment most dogs do just that anyway whether their owners have disabilities or not. It's their nature to please their owners. I really don't see anybody better to teach your service dog what you need from him than you.
The centers that do undertake these training exercises are still important as they oversee the selection process ensuring the best traits required for specific needs and then train in those specifics in an attempt to have a number of service dogs available at any given time. But if you already have a dog or went out and got you own and trained it yourself - you should be not only handed your service dog license you should be congratulated.
- In order for a dog to be a service animal, it needs to have SOME kind of training to assist you... it could just be something as simple as the dog alerts you to health issues.. or if you suffer social anxieties, the dog may whine and act as if it needs to go out, so you have a reason to excuse yourself from a social situation.
What good does a letter from a Dr do if the dog is not trained to serve your need? It does not need extensive training from a trainer, there are people who do train their own dogs, but the dog should be trained to do something.
