I'll get beheaded here too. If anyone can have a service dog the potential for abuse, just like handicapped parking spaces, is quite high.
I have a service dog from canine companions for independence. The dogs are significantly trained as well as the potential team member. You are right that some states do not require any recognition. In this litigious society something is bound to happen that will highlight this area. Recently in New York, a man with a service monkey who was not supposed to bring it out in public, had a huge publicity fiasco when his monkey bit a boy. From: "River Wolfe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "quad" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 10:00 AM Subject: [QUAD-L] dog training > I have a question for all of you who have service dogs. Recently I > encountered a person on another list (freecycle a place where you give > away and ask for unwanted items) who asked for a service dog vest, as > she was training her own dog for service. > > I ignorantly replied that there were special requirements for dog to > earn their vests and that she couldn't train her dog on her own, as she > would be liable for any damages incurred by the dog etc... > > Now I know differently and was throughly chewed out by her. So I'm > asking you all who may know much more about this than I do. How can > this be? It appears that from this website: > http://www.petsandpeople.org/resource.htm Than anyone who "trains" > their dog as a ehlper can buy a tag, vest or whatever and then go out > in public with that dog. I see that some states have certification > guidelines, which I think is a GOOD thing. > > Am I out of line to be concerned that dogs may not be "trained" well > and my misbehave in public and thus give "throughly trained" dogs a bad > name? Or am I over-reacting here? > > This particular person has PTSD and agoraphobia, I assume she is using > the dog to ease her inability to cope with public places etc... > > Thanks for the input. > > River > >
