# Dear Weirdo: please curb your so-called "service dog" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 27, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903 "2017-02-27T00:51:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/81 "2017-02-28T19:11:02Z")
Meh… Son, if you can’t see that “fuck off” is a variant of “fuck you” who am I to try and fix stupid. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/82 "2017-02-28T20:09:11Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Meh… Son, if you can’t see that “fuck off” is a variant of “fuck you” who am I to try and fix stupid. > > Carry on. Fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/83 "2017-02-28T20:12:24Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Why is the OP assuming it was the dog that shit on the carpet? I have enough eyewitness testimony to know exactly whose dog it was. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/84 "2017-02-28T20:17:52Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Fuck off. ^ This. Oh so much. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/85 "2017-02-28T20:18:06Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Meh… Son, if you can’t see that “fuck off” is a variant of “fuck you” who am I to try and fix stupid. > > Carry on. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Fuck off. Seconded. Fuck off, [del] **Dr Deth** [/del], er **Sparky**. If **Miller** says he won’t mod it, then it’s permissible. Quit being a fucking junior mod. ETA: Ninja’d. So I guess it’s thirded. Fuck off, fuck off, and fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/86 "2017-02-28T20:21:19Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Did you read the OP? I’ll answer that. “No” Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/87 "2017-03-03T23:48:52Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > ^ Yeah. > > You’d be surprised how often the changing/fitting rooms where I work are used as a toilet > > (When discovered, the room is cleaned and sanitized) :eek: :mad: :eek: :mad: :smack: I worked at Target for 4 years and NEVER heard of anyone doing that. I have, however, heard about it from people on other boards. Vomit I can understand, because that can hit a person really fast. But urinating or defecating? EWWWWWW. Even changing diapers is understandable, but dispose of it in the trash can. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/88 "2017-03-04T05:29:29Z")
Wife would like a visit from The Little Girls. They aren’t remotely house broken, but they would solve any vermin probs after visiting. They dismiss Idiot Boy because he’s a useless idiot, but his papers are current. And he’s housebroken. He can visit. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/89 "2017-03-04T22:16:55Z")
If i made you walk around with me all day, and didn’t let you head off to the bathroom, eventually you are going to shit, and it’s going to happen where ever i happen to have you at. Don’t be mad at the animals, be mad at the stupid owners. And for the record, if you need a therapy animal, which is a VERY VALID thing! I don’t think the Casino etc environment is the fucking therapy you are needing. Poor vet suffering from PTSD is simply trying to make it through going to walmart at 2am when there should not be many people in it, so he can get a few food items and get out, but no we got fucking assholes faking that as a reason to stuff fluffy in their purse and take to the night club the casino the restaurant the what ever, then everyone thinks the poor vet is as full of shit as Maude and Fluffy A lot of people are bullshitting their way in the door of places stating their what ever is their therapy animal when they have no such issues what so ever and they are lying selfish pieces of shit and making a complete wreck of things for the people suffering from issues that do need a therapy animal that now can not go into the store because 500 fucking morons thought it would be a good claim to tote their 9 year old poodle anyplace they go and let it do what ever. Er did i go off topic? sorry ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/90 "2017-03-04T22:41:01Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > My Service Dog is very helpful to me in the Vegas casinos, at the slot machines and the blackjack tables, for you see, I have no arms or legs. I used to bring my dog to the poker table with me until I realized that he wagged his tail like mad whenever I had a good hand. mmm ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/91 "2017-03-06T08:27:44Z")
I have a friend who was rejected for disability a few years ago, reapplied and was rejected again even after an appeal. She then decided to “adopt” an “emotional support” dog. Mind you, the dog was a purebred and she wanted to get into the show ring circuit. Her apartment building rejected dogs over a certain weight, but because she declared the dog as “emotional support”, she had to petition to keep the dog as well as her apartment. She somehow won that. I won’t deny that animals can’t be emotionally supportive – I’ve seen it myself with my own dogs. However, I tend to cast a wary eye toward others doing the same just on the basis of what I just described. Our hands are tied, for instance, if she came into my workplace with her dog. That pisses off some of my coworkers like you wouldn’t believe. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/92 "2017-03-06T15:08:55Z")
Competing disabilities: what if a business had an employee who was deathly afraid of dogs? To the point of having panic attacks if they had a dog near them. Does the customers ‘right’ to have an emotional support dog trump the employees right not to be triggered into a panic attack? What if it was a physical problem in the employee? Say, an intense allergy to the point that they need to do an intensive clean up to remove any dander left by the dog before the employee could safely resume work? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/93 "2017-03-06T15:14:54Z")
Some sects of the Muslim religion believe dogs are unclean and should be avoided. How would one of them react to a dog in public? Can I bring one into a Muslim owned store? What if I have a service pig? Can I bring it into a Jewish owned store? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/94 "2017-03-06T16:32:24Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Shouldn’t your name be Bob? Only in the hotel pool. In a pile of leaves, he’d be Russel. I’ve been encountering more and more of these dogs lately (my job deals w/ people claiming disability.) One guy had a fucking pig the other day! A portion of the animals appear to have had some training. But precious few of them (IME) have been prescribed by any medical personnel. Yeah, I’d feel better if I could bring my pup along with me everywhere I go. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/95 "2017-03-06T16:50:42Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > What if I have a service pig? Can I bring it into a Jewish owned store? As long as you’re not actually eating the pig in the store, AFAICT there’s nothing in Jewish law against it. (As our own **cmkeller** [pointed out](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9553127&postcount=2) almost exactly nine years ago today. 🆒 ) Mind you, many storekeepers of whatever religious persuasion would object to the presence of a service pig, but such objections have nothing to do with Jewish law. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/96 "2017-03-06T17:10:30Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > NOT seeing eye dogs. > > Im talking about these old people or emotional weirdos that have conned establishments to let them bring their pets inside because they are “service animals”. > > Now, im not sure exactly what “service” a fluffy white poodle provides while sitting in a basket next to a bluehair playing a slot machine, but OK you win. Somehow you and various quacks in the mental health community have declared certain people cant live without being with their mutts 24/7 and to deny them entry because they want to bring their pet inside is denial of service because of a medical condition and no one wants to get sued. > > What a casino should NOT have to do is clean up the dog shit your Fido left right on the carpeted hallway by the elevator. Im not sure what skills a “service animal” possesses if it isn’t even housebroken but is it too much to ask you at least clean up its mess? Or alert hotel staff of the accident? > > I don’t care what so-called condition you have, Ma’am but just walking away after your dog shit all over the casino is gross and disgusting and inconsiderate of others. Fuck you fuck your dog and I hope you lose every dime you own on the slots you bitch. > > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Stepped in it, did we? ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/97 "2017-03-06T17:24:44Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Some sects of the Muslim religion believe dogs are unclean and should be avoided. How would one of them react to a dog in public? Can I bring one into a Muslim owned store? > > What if I have a service pig? Can I bring it into a Jewish owned store? Of course you should be able to, religion should never be used to allow discrimination. There’s more pressing problems with religion than that at the moment, but the principle should be followed. I doubt it ever will, especially in America, as half the country wants special treatment for themselves because they’re christian, and the other half sees any attempt to prevent muslims getting special treatment as bigotry and fascism. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/98 "2017-03-06T18:05:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > You are correct but incomplete: > Quote: > The Justice Department permits two questions to be asked of a person that arrives at your place of business with a service animal: > > Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? > What task has the dog been trained to perform? > > That is it! No other questions are permitted. Questions like “do you have a disability?” or “do you have proof that your dog is a service animal?” are both inconsiderate and illegal. Yeah but in practice ‘is the dog [_you_ are bringing in here] required because of “a” disability’ and ‘do you have a disability’ are pretty close to the same question. It’s typical IMO of the lawyerization of society. In the ‘ideal’ world where each member of society was or was accompanied by a lawyer continuously, a bright line has been drawn. To business owners in practice it’s pretty much ‘you better not complain about suspect service animals unless/until the animal causes a real problem, then still be careful if you want to avoid paying legal fees at least’. Anyway as another response pointed out, there’s some trade off between promoting the interests of disabled people and abuse of the accommodation you provide. It’s not ‘ableism’ just to point that out. I like dogs, I don’t go to casino’s, but IME dogs people bring to places they didn’t used to be allowed to (whether officially under the flag of ‘service animal’ or not) are not usually a problem. I notice that people more often now bring little dogs to places they don’t really belong, and as owner of a pretty big (and fierce looking, though very pleasant and excellently behaved) dog it’s a little unfair. I’d more likely be challenged. But I’m not seriously upset about it. I haven’t seen a dog crap or bite somebody etc in such a situation. I’m sure it happens, but maybe rarely. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/99 "2017-03-06T18:16:57Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > I want something cool, like a service grizzly bear. Some states service animal laws go way beyond the federal statutes to include pretty much everything. You just know some jackass somewhere is going to have a service bear, walrus, or scorpion. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903/100 "2017-03-06T18:18:12Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Which is why a lot of folks (myself included) would prefer people not bring them to places unnecessarily. > > Seeing eye dogs are the exception here, of course. Service dogs also assist the deaf, wounded vets, and those with PTSD. Several organizations train these animals – it’s not just a bullshit online diagnosis that “I need Foofy with me because I’m stressed”. I’m fine with all of those. I draw the line at random pets. I’m pretty sure that the pit bull with the barefoot hippie chick in the produce section of the supermarket was not an actual service dog. The dog didn’t even walk to heel or sit on command. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-weirdo-please-curb-your-so-called-service-dog/780903.md?page=6)