Register your "service" animal and take a plane ride!

[Voyager]

@Corry_El

Again general dogs in restaurants are a health code violation. There are several questions layered on one another here. There’s ‘real’ service dogs, defining ‘real’, people lying about it, establishments not enforcing rules they should enforce (or arguing they can’t because of ‘lawsuits’), then separately from that jumble of questions there’s just plain ‘dog friendly’ policies at a lot more places where it’s not a health code violation. People bring dogs, the establishment welcomes it, some other people have a problem with it.

The first complex of questions is more complicated and case by case. However, your logic isn’t very convincing to me about my statement, even with the injection of personal authority (I guess it’s supposed to be) about guide dog training. Kids don’t IMO learn to behave by being allowed to misbehave first, or at least that’s only some particular theory of child raising, which is a whole other huge topic. My observation is simply that a) IME kids behave much worse than dogs on average in enclosed public places, not even remotely close b) it’s an opinion/convention that people have a special obligation to put up with the bad behavior of other people’s kids more than any other annoyance, an opinion not as widely shared nowadays seems to me.

Room for lots of YMMV here. Like I said where I live dogs (small kids too though) are legion. People bring them everywhere. Very seldom do they misbehave (dogs that is). I’m thinking people whose sense is different either live in a different kind of place or are haters and focusing on a few incidents. People where I live with unruly dogs don’t bring them inside much. Our dog for example is extremely terrific overall, other dogs might equal but few surpass her sweet and polite disposition toward humans. But she hates other dogs, is big and mean looking, and will bark at and try to get at them in close quarters (her beautiful deep voice is almost never heard otherwise). That would be disruptive, so we don’t bring her places where she might encounter other dogs. Seems most people act similarly with dogs, kids not so much.

You raise kids by setting expectations and acting when they are not met, not by waiting until they misbehave. Even the best of kids can get cranky, and you owe it to others in the restaurant to take her out when that happens.
I suspect the dogs you see are well behaved by being the ones their owners think are well enough behaved to go to restaurants. I personally have no problems with them, but I used to be allergic to dog dander and it could be a problem. I’m definitely okay with dogs on patios or other outside seating.
The school across the street from me has a field which is used by dogs in the evenings, and I’ve been going there with dogs for over 20 years. Most are very nice but there are a few who have caused problems and some more who are not in control of their owners. (As in listening, not being on leash.) If it becomes standard to take dogs into restaurants, your average quality of dogs going will go down.
Service dogs are trained specifically to be in public with their partner. The first thing you teach the dog is to go on command, so that you can get the dog to relieve before entering a place where it won’t be convenient to do so. The dogs are trained to not be distracted by other dogs. The dogs are trained to not be distracted by food. They are tested on all these things. And they only let dogs who are very good at them breed.
By the way, in Germany dogs are so accepted on buses that there is a special dog fare for them. They all seemed well behaved. But then they are German dogs.

[Gatopescado]

I took Trixie into Kroger’s once, and if questioned, was prepared to explain how I was *her *support animal.

Nobody cared.

[mhendo]

@Joey_P

But note that the next line states that you don’t have to provide any documentation for the animal, prove that it can do what you say or tell them why you need it. All you have to do is say “yes” to those two questions.

The second question is not a “yes” or “no” question, so you can’t simply say “yes” to it.

It’s a question that requires you to explain what tasks the dog is actually trained to perform.

I do think, though, that it’s far too easy to get around. I think that proper service animals should require some sort of placard or certificate, similar to the ones required for disabled drivers.

[amarinth]

@adaher

6. With the exception of planes and trains, no one is bringing their animal with them just for the fun of it. If you’re dragging your dog to Wal-mart, you probably need the dog with you.

Or it’s just convenient.

I have a little dog who likes walks and I live in a walkable neighborhood. There are a number of stores in my neighborhood that allow dogs (some of them even keep dog biscuits for dogs) and so when I have errands to run that include those stores, I’ll combine her walk with my errands. Most of the people I see with animals in stores seem to be in a similar position. They have to walk to the store, they have to walk the dog, two birds, one stone.

(f.t.r., she doesn’t go into stores that only allow service animals. She’s many things (most specifically - good and cute and best), but definitely not a service dog.)

[DooWahDiddy]

Not sure if it includes ESA/service dogs, but United just banned a whole slew of breeds from flying, effective June 18. It will be interesting to see if other airlines follow suit…

[Joey_P]

@mhendo

The second question is not a “yes” or “no” question, so you can’t simply say “yes” to it.

Well,you got me there, I guess you win.