# Service Dog? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 12, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398 "2014-08-12T20:38:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/1 "2014-08-12T20:38:18Z")
Dog has no collar,no badge,no rabies tag and the guy is dragging him on the CARTS bus BTW,the dog is reportedly a wolf hybred:eek: ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/2 "2014-08-12T20:46:56Z")
What are you taking about? ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/3 "2014-08-12T20:51:52Z")
Shopping CARTS? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/4 "2014-08-12T20:56:28Z")
Wait, they have buses for _shopping carts_ where you live? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/5 "2014-08-12T21:43:45Z")
If you have concerns about an alleged service animal, report it to the authority running the CARTS buses. It’s their problem, not yours. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/6 "2014-08-12T21:50:28Z")
Where I work, we were told that, if a customer claims that their animal is a service animal, the ADA requires us to take their word for it. If the animal makes a mess, or overtly threatens someone, we can ask them to leave, but otherwise, they have the run of the place. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/7 "2014-08-12T21:55:57Z")
As I understand it service animals aren’t required to wear any identifying clothing, they do not require any type of certification or licensing, they don’t have to be any particular breed or even species, and a person who utilizes a service animal is under no obligation to justify their need for the animal or dignify any challenges to the legitimacy of said animal with any sort of response. If a business owner or a government employee discriminates against anyone who has a service animal they could very well get successfully sued for doing so. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/8 "2014-08-12T22:43:19Z")
[Service animal regs](http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm). Revised March 15, 2011 > [@](#): > > ``` > Beginning on March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized as service animals under titles II and III of the ADA. > A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. > Generally, title II and title III entities must permit service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas where members of the public are allowed to go. > > ``` > [@](#): > > Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls. > [@](#): > > When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task. States or local jurisdiction are allowed to have a broader definition of what constitutes a service animal. There’s a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/9 "2014-08-12T22:44:57Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > Shopping CARTS? Name of the bus line:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/10 "2014-08-12T22:47:38Z")
I knew that! ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/11 "2014-08-12T22:51:08Z")
A service animal can be any species… I could take my cat with me and claim she was a service animal… I won’t,because she’d never let me hear the end of it! I’m actually worried about the way the animal is treated… No water,dragged over the hot sidewalks… Plus both of them stink. Sweet dog/wolf whatever… Can’t say the same for the human. Loud,obnoxious,abrasive… ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/12 "2014-08-12T22:56:16Z")
About a year ago we began ‘raising’ service dogs on a volunteer basis. The laws are intended to keep legitimate users from being harrassed, but there is obvious potential for abuse. Actually, there is certainly already abuse and there is huge potential for this to grow. Anyone can buy a service jacket for their dog on-line and claim it is a service dog. This will probably come back to bite those who need their service animals for less obvoius disabilities, when public distrust and backlash occurs. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/13 "2014-08-12T23:06:22Z")
I was a social worker who worked with people with disabilities for a long time, and fraudulent service animals is a real problem. People want to take their pets everywhere, so they just lie, because they know that HIPPA prevents people from making specific inquiries about anyone’s particular disability. People with untrained, unaltered animals, that snap at people, try to eat other patrons’ food in restaurants, and pee in the middle of Walmart create a general public hostility toward service animals, and make things hard for people who genuinely need them, who frankly, already have enough to deal with, if they require service animals. Also, there’s a need to limit service animals to those that are absolutely necessary, because some people have allergies. If a service animal in a public building is a rare thing, most people with allergies don’t have any problems, but if every third person suddenly has a “social/emotional” animal people with allergies aren’t going to be able to go anywhere. It’s also not entirely true that a service animal can go absolutely any place. Dogs guiding blind people have the absolute right to go any place the blind person can legally be (other than private residences-- you can deny one entrance to your home), including the state of Hawaii, but they can’t go in by boat, they have to fly in through a specific airport, and the dog must be microchipped, and the owner must be prepared to prevent proof of rabies vaccination. Other types of service animals can be denied access to certain places, like burn units, or other special units in hospitals, and a few other places. Social/emotional animals can be even further restricted, especially if they are reptiles, since reptiles can carry salmonella. Business owners who have had a problem, or a complaint about an animal should probably call local authorities or a lawyer before confronting the person, though, unless the situation is a true emergency. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/14 "2014-08-12T23:09:34Z")
Yes,thank you. That was what I was tryng to say… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/15 "2014-08-13T00:44:08Z")
> [@Lorene89095](#): > > A service animal can be any species… I could take my cat with me and claim she was a service animal… No, that’s not true. Only dogs and miniature horses have protection as service animals under the ADA act - and their accommodations are slightly different. [From the previously linked information sheet.](http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm) > [@](#): > > Beginning on March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized as service animals under titles II and III of the ADA > \ > In addition to the provisions about service dogs, the Department’s revised ADA regulations have a new, separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Other animals may indeed work as service animals (monkeys, in particular are popular with people with quadraplegia), but they have no protection under the ADA and may be legally excluded from public places. Cats are exceedingly unlikely to be legal service animals, even in we remove the species limitation, as a service animal must be, “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities,” and, “The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.” Good luck training a cat to open doors or signal you when the crosswalk is green. A cat is far more likely to be an Emotional Support Animal, and they don’t have to allow them on buses or in restaurants. (Although they do allow them on planes - the Air Carrier Access Act is more generous than the ADA.) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/16 "2014-08-13T00:53:39Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Where I work, we were told that, if a customer claims that their animal is a service animal, the ADA requires us to take their word for it. If the animal makes a mess, or overtly threatens someone, we can ask them to leave, but otherwise, they have the run of the place. This is the same thing that we are told at our workplace. In general, we don’t even bother people with dogs unless they’re not on a leash or are barking at people or making a mess, because the people who insist on bringing their dogs everywhere they go are smart enough to know they just have to claim it’s a service animal and we’ll leave them alone. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/17 "2014-08-13T02:11:15Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > and the owner must be prepared to prevent proof of rabies vaccination. Presumably that should say “present” proof. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/18 "2014-08-13T03:08:31Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > Presumably that should say “present” proof. Yeah. My son was sitting on my lap when I typed that. If there’s only one typo, that’s pretty good. Hawaii has no rabies, and takes care not to bring it in, so any animal that comes in has to be quarantined. The protocol for bringing in service dogs was arrived at only after a looooong series of discussions with the National Federation of the Blind after the passage of the ADA. If you go to either the NFB’s website, or Seeing Eye’s, you can find the whole protocol. I think you have to bring contact info for the vet who vaccinated the dog as well. They really check the vaccination papers, and check the microchip, to make sure the papers are for the dog presented. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/19 "2014-08-13T04:03:40Z")
**running coach’s** excellent rendition of the revised ADA requirements has a convenient loophole that almost no one catches the first time around. The law restricting the two questions that may be asked of a person with a disability with a service animal does not apply to other customers in the establishment. As a customer it’s so much easier to root out the fake service animals because I am not restricted in my questions. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398/20 "2014-08-13T04:11:02Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > **running coach’s** excellent rendition of the revised ADA requirements has a convenient loophole that almost no one catches the first time around. The law restricting the two questions that may be asked of a person with a disability with a service animal does not apply to other customers in the establishment. As a customer it’s so much easier to root out the fake service animals because I am not restricted in my questions. Sure, if satisfying your curiosity is your goal, that works. But then what? “Waiter, this guy’s dog is a pet!” “Sir?” “Naw, he’s my service dog.” So…then what? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/service-dog/695398.md?page=2)