service dogs are doing a job and usually people want to pet them but then theyll interrupt the job the service dog is trained to do. so the rule of thumb is dont interact with a service dog unless the owner says you can
YEET idc I’m petting the dog anyways
Okay, well.
You shouldn’t pet strangers’ dogs without asking either.
In Boston while waiting for the T, there was a woman with her service dog in full gear also waiting. Two young women went right up to the dog and the moment one of the women reached out to pet the dog, the older woman slapped her hand away and said “My dog is working, do NOT pet.” And I smiled because those young women were in the wrong.
If you came up to my dogs and didn’t ask to pet them, I would slap your hand away, and they’re not even service dogs.
If you pet my service dog without permission, you are stopping him from doing his job.
One of my dog’s jobs is detecting seizures. He gives me a few minutes warning. If he can’t warn me because he’s distracted, I could fall and hit my head.
I could die of a head injury because I wouldn’t have time to find a place to sit and sit down.
But, hey, a stranger gets to pet my dog.
I guess that’s worth it. /sarcasm
Would you go up to a disabled person and interfere with their wheelchair? Would you nudge a blind person’s cane? Interfering with a service dog is no different. You’re putting a person at risk. Service dogs are not pets. Leave them alone.
Carrie Fisher and Gary – Star Wars: The Force Awakens Premiere at Leicester Square on December 16, 2015 in London.
So, this is important. Carrie Fisher has an invisible illness and disability – severe mental illness – and she’s been really open about it. Open to the point where she has her service animal Gary out on the press tours.
Yeah, a service animal. Not a guide dog, a therapy dog. Fisher has almost died because of her illness – and the reason she could DO Star Wars is because she has accommodations that work for her.
Everyone is talking about how Gary has stolen the show – but he is *important*. He is working. He is what she needs to go out and do this shit.
Next time someone with a disability asks for you to do something simple to accommodate them I want you to think of this. This is Princess Leia and this is her accommodation for her illness.
I have ordered wallet size cards that summarize ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) laws that apply to service animals. There are 50 in a pack, so if anyone wants some, let me know and I will send you a few! I plan to keep one or two with me when out and about so I have the resources to give anyone who is discriminating against service animals.
“The only two permissible questions are whether the animal is required
because of a disability and what work or task the animal has been
trained to perform. Further, under these same regulations, those
inquiries cannot be made if it is readily apparent that an animal is
trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability
(for example, it is usually pretty obvious when an individual is using a
seeing-eye dog).” [Source: summary of ADA laws on service dogs from the American Bar Association]
You can’t ask to see paperwork or if the animal is registered as a service animal. There is no government-sanctioned registry of service animals, so a registered service animal is not really something that legally exists. Service animals are not required to be trained by a professional organization, they simply must be trained to perform tasks for their handler (who must have a disability).
Service animals are allowed in any public, governmental, or non-profit space provided they do not pose a threat to health and safety. For example:
Service animals are allowed in restaurants, but they may be excluded from restaurant kitchens if the public is also not allowed in the kitchen. Members of the public generally aren’t allowed in commercial kitchens because it poses a food safety risk, likewise service animals are not.
Service animals are allowed in the general areas of hospitals, including visiting patients on most wards. They are not allowed in sterile environments, such as operating rooms or burn units–the general public is also not allowed in these spaces.
A service animal that is not in the control of its handler (being aggressive to others, pooping indoors, etc) can legally be asked to be removed from the premises, but its handler must be allowed to stay without the animal and given the same service anyone else would have. The only species of animals that are covered as service animals under the ADA are dogs (any breed) and miniature horses up to 34″ tall and 100 lbs. Emotional support animals (ESAs) have some legal protections, but their right to access public spaces is not as broad as service animals. So you are legally permitted to prevent someone from bringing their emotional support bunny (or, even, dog, if it is an ESA and not a service dog trained to perform at least one task to help its handler with a disability) into your restaurant. ESAs are exempt from no-pet policies in housing and may not be charged pet fees while flying. Proving your animal is an ESA actually requires more paperwork than a service animal (you need a letter from a medical professional stating your need of the animal).
tl;dr: I will send you ADA service animal law cards if you want them. And don’t fucking pet a working service animal. Don’t even talk to it. It is working and you are being annoying (and possibly endangering its handler.)
Ask their owners to leave without checking to see if the dog is a service animal
Roll your eyes when the dog is a service animal
Ask whether the dog is a service animal when they are clearly wearing a service coat
stop????????????? questioning my wife’s fucking service dog
It doesn’t matter if “other people have tried to bring pets inside,” that doesn’t give you the right to ask illegal questions??
That’s like saying, “Someone hit me with a stick once, so no one can use a walking cane in my establishment because they might hit me with it.”
if you see a dog wearing all of these:
ASSUME SHE IS A SERVICE DOG
Helpful Facts About Service Dogs
They can be any breed.
They may even be other species, such as miniature horses.
They are allowed anywhere the human public is allowed, such as restaurants, stores, markets, hotels, bathrooms, etc.
You do not need to ask if a dog is a service dog, as long as the dog is wearing a clearly-visible jacket.
As an owner/employee of an establishment that someone brings a dog to, you are only entitled to ask two questions. You don’t NEED to ask any. You are allowed to ask two.
The first question: “Is the animal required because of a disability?” NOTE: If it is obvious what the dog does and why it is required, you ARE NOT allowed to ask this question (for example, if the handler is in a wheelchair or also using a red-tipped white cane).
The second question: “What task does this animal perform?” ALSO not required if it’s obvious.
That’s it.
Any more and you are violating the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), opening yourself and your business up for a hefty lawsuit.
There are two times you are allowed to ask a service animal to leave. You are NEVER allowed to ask the dog’s handler to leave, no matter what the animal is doing.
The first time you are allowed to ask the animal to step outside: if it is not housebroken, and poses a sanitary risk.
The second time you are allowed to ask the animal to step outside: if it is acting aggressive towards or endangering other patrons.
That’s it.
You are only allowed to charge a cleaning fee if you would normally charge a human for the same fee. In other words, if the dog leaves hair on the floor and you wouldn’t charge a human for shedding on the floor, you can’t charge. If it’s a hotel and you wouldn’t charge a human for peeing in the tub, you cannot legally charge the dog for the same.
You are never allowed to ask for documentation that an animal is a legitimate service animal. This is in part to protect many people who don’t have access to medically-provided dogs, who have trained their own service dogs (perfectly legal and fine), or who can’t carry papers around with them at all times.
You may not ask that the animal perform their task for you. What the fuck, don’t do this. Think of allergy alert dogs—are you really going to wave an allergen in front of someone that might have a deadly allergy just to prove that the dog is “real?” congratulations, your ass is sued.
If you want more helpful facts please hit me up, I’m just really sick and tired of going places with my wife and her service dog only to get the message loud and clear that everyone is nervous and we’re unwelcome, when her dog is the most polite, well-trained, well-MARKED animal you’ve ever seen.
A typical conversation entering 2/3 businesses we went into today:
Person: Ma’am, you can’t have a pet in here. You have to leave. Wife: She’s a service dog. She’s wearing her coat. Person: Oh, sorry. We have to ask. People bring their pets in here sometimes, and we have to ask them to leave, because they’re not allowed. Wife: She’s not a pet, she’s a service animal.
Please spread this. Some people just don’t know. Others think that if they can’t see a disability, it doesn’t exist or need treatment.
Holding the Bowl 