Fake service dogs

I've wondered this as well.

In most developing countries, stray dogs are everywhere and unavoidable. They'd walk right up to us in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. There were at least 10+ "resident" strays on the main beach strip in San Juan Del Sur, and most of them weren't shy.

Even in my visits to places like Ireland and Scotland, owners would walk their dogs off leash. In fact, I saw more well-behaved off leash dogs than leashed ones. Dogs off leash in public parks were VERY common. Their owners would be playing ball or frisbee with them, and they were ignored/left alone by other park-goers.

I'm wondering how many people who are on the side of "i'll take my dog where ever I d*mn well please" are willing to ignore "Employees Only" signs and just waltz right into any old section of a business, because hey, it's not hurting anyone, right? Surely those signs only apply to the unemployeed and homeless, because technically if you have a job, you're an employee, right? Same with "No Trespassing" signs. Ignore those "because you can" and see what happens. Take an 8 year old into a R-rated movie and then b*tch up a storm because you can't take your "well-behaved" child any place you feel like.

SD handlers have had to, and still have to, fight an uphill battle for access and frankly I'm appalled at some of the opinions in this thread disregarding those who ACTUALLY have a horse in this race.

Sure, I'd love to be able to take Sawyer with me everywhere and he's proven that he is so well-behaved in public that most people don't even know he's there. I took him into the tasting room of a local brewery (dogs are allowed, BTW) and even though it was elbow-to-elbow, very few people even realized he was there unless they happened to look down as we squeezed through. However, I don't have a documented disability and whatever impairments I might deal with aren't to the point that I require a service dog. Do I feel calmer, less stressed out and less likely to want to murder people if I have him with me? Sure. But that still doesn't classify him as a service dog and I would be a right b*tch to try and claim otherwise and force my way into inappropriate access.

I'm wondering how many people who are on the side of "i'll take my dog where ever I d*mn well please" are willing to ignore "Employees Only" signs and just waltz right into any old section of a business, because hey, it's not hurting anyone, right? Surely those signs only apply to the unemployeed and homeless, because technically if you have a job, you're an employee, right? Same with "No Trespassing" signs. Ignore those "because you can" and see what happens. Take an 8 year old into a R-rated movie and then b*tch up a storm because you can't take your "well-behaved" child any place you feel like.

SD handlers have had to, and still have to, fight an uphill battle for access and frankly I'm appalled at some of the opinions in this thread disregarding those who ACTUALLY have a horse in this race.

Sure, I'd love to be able to take Sawyer with me everywhere and he's proven that he is so well-behaved in public that most people don't even know he's there. I took him into the tasting room of a local brewery (dogs are allowed, BTW) and even though it was elbow-to-elbow, very few people even realized he was there unless they happened to look down as we squeezed through. However, I don't have a documented disability and whatever impairments I might deal with aren't to the point that I require a service dog. Do I feel calmer, less stressed out and less likely to want to murder people if I have him with me? Sure. But that still doesn't classify him as a service dog and I would be a right b*tch to try and claim otherwise and force my way into inappropriate access.

They are not mutually exclusive. A poorly trained service dog does not belong in public. A well trained pet does not belong in public. BOTH are illegal.

i ddidnt even attempt to fake my dogs being service dogs

Taking a dog to a place dogs aren't allowed IS faking your dog being a service dog. Service dogs are not required to have a cape, vest, harness, or anything identifying them as such. By being in a place they're not allowed to be, your goal is to make other people think they belong there, and thus faking them being a service dog.

I don't need to wonder, people follow laws they want to, and break ones they don't. I haven't met a person alive that is above this.

Exactly, if anyone here is without sin (as in, having NEVER broken a rule, policy or law EVER) then please, go right on ahead & cast the first stone.

though I did tear a stupid lady a new one when she rounded the corner at PetsMart (back when I was younger & a WHOLE LOT less patient) & actually tried to order me & my dog to move so she could get by with her appearently dog phobic kid, my response was: "**** you, lady, this is Pet'sMart, not Toy's R Us" LOL.

my response was: "**** you, lady, this is Pet'sMart, not Toy's R Us" LOL.

Way back in one of my posts, I mentioned the Latino families I sometimes see in the grocery store with a couple kids and a little fluffy dog in their shopping cart. Are they deliberately faking a service dog? I highly doubt it.

no the goal is to take the dog somewhere, not to slight service dogs. If I saw a dog on a leash walking with someone at a market I would NOT think "oh a service dog" and I doubt many people would.

I think it's a little excessive to assume that every time someone takes a dog somewhere it isn't allowed that the goal of the person is to fake their dog being a service dog. Way back in one of my posts, I mentioned the Latino families I sometimes see in the grocery store with a couple kids and a little fluffy dog in their shopping cart. Are they deliberately faking a service dog? I highly doubt it.

In Florida, back in December, I walked with Tess into a cafe. I'm pretty sure that in Florida, as here, it would be illegal for my dog to be in the cafe as she is not a service dog. However, it was allowed for my dog to be on the patio, which is where I was going, I walked in to place my order rather than wait on the patio because it was way hotter in Orlando than we were acclimated for, my dog was panting heavily, and I wanted to get some water for her ASAP. I didn't figure she'd be mistaken for a SD; she wasn't wearing any kind of SD gear, I don't look disabled. I figured I'd be taken for someone who was either vague on the law, or just kind of rude; either of which was okay for me, as my priority was my dog's safety. And I don't think she was mistaken for a SD, the person I placed my order with shepherded us back to the patio pretty efficiently after I'd done so.

I deliberately broke that rule, not with the intention of faking anything, but with the intention of breaking a rule, that I figured I could get away with long enough to meet my goal of protecting the health of my pet.

How about another scenario? On another occasion with Tess, I was trying to pick up my vehicle from the tire place, it wasn't ready when it was supposed to be, so I was sitting in there, leafing through a magazine, with Tess lying at my feet. (on a down stay. They have popcorn there for people waiting for their vehicles, so I wanted to keep her away from it, and not have her notice it and start mooching.) As far as I know, there is no rule stating she can't be in there. I didn't see any such sign. However, I also didn't look super hard for such a sign. It's possible that there was a "no dogs" sign posted in a poorly chosen spot. So if there was actually a rule against it, my well-behaved dog could somehow have been mistaken for a SD, I suppose. (or even if I'm correct that it was not against the rules, the fact that she was behaving so well could have fooled someone into thinking that.)

Again, not an attempt to pass my dog off as a SD. If I think my dog is allowed where I am, even if she is mistaken for a SD, it's still not fakery. There was no such intention.

Unless someone tells you they are deliberately faking, or unless you are a mind reader, attributing motives is simply guess work.

I don't need to wonder, people follow laws they want to, and break ones they don't. I haven't met a person alive that is above this.

Totally nO horse in this Race for me but this stuck out...

You said you wouldn't think "oh dog in a place whete dogs aren't allowed would not equal service dog". Really? So you would see dog in dog forbidden place and think awww someone brought their pet? Or would you think that dog had a reason for being there or just not think anything of it because most places whrete you see dogs where dogs are not allowed would have a reason to be there other than PET.

You may not conciously think it but I would bet anything that somewhere you figure the dogs is there for a reason

That gives the establishment the option of refusing (which they don't have when someone just walks in with an unmarked dog) and then they're aware it's not a SD. I think it's just overall polite.

One lady at an antique store was like "YES! I'd rather have a hundred dogs in here than most people's children." :rofl1: