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Service dogs and training

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FWIW - people don’t register that my dog’s jacket is a service dog jacket, despite the bright letters.

When someone wants to pat him? They don’t read the jacket! So I simply reach down and put my hand in front of his nose and say “Sorry, he’s working”.

People do that with him all the time because he’s tiny, cute, and shih-tzu’s aren’t common as service dogs! I find that putting my hand down, and just saying “Sorry, he’s working”, deals with the situation quite well. I could cover his lil jacket in patches and I don’t reckon anyone would notice them.

I have a friend who’s toy poodle is a service dog and she has a fluro yellow lead wrap that’s pretty hard to miss, and people still go in for the pat. Because the dog is cute, and people are like that. It is something you have to be prepared to manage with a service animal.

ETA: re crude messaging on dog vests
A service dog’s entitlement to accompany their owner in public places? Isn’t without limits. If the dog is creating problems for others? That’s enough for someone to ask you and your dog to leave.

If I walk into a store, or work, or college, wearing a shirt that says “Don’t you dare f*cking talk to me”? The owner of that property would be within their rights to ask me to leave.

If my dog is wearing something that says that? I don’t see why it would be any different.

Just something to consider when choosing tags to put on your dog’s jacket.
 
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In the US, someone cannot ask you to leave simply because the word "f*ck" is on a patch on their vest (or on your shirt). Per the ADA and all State laws they have to actually be misbehaving for a business to actually be able to legally kick you out. But that is different country to country so I would say it is super important to know your laws.

ETA: I would also add that the want of a "don't you f*cking dare touch" patch has zero to do with Chopper's behavior and everything to do with the public not being able to stop themselves no matter what, how, and how many times you ask them not to.

When a woman literally crawled to us when Chopper was tasking in the Walmart line, a woman reached into my car to try to pet him though I told her 10 times in many different ways not to, 2 men followed us in Walgreens (which I got video of), and a woman said "I know I am not supposed to talk to him but am anyway". And many other things.

So, when the public cannot seem to stop themselves and continue to persist no matter how many times you ask them not to, I start to I start to exercise my right to dress my dog how I please.
 
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Lots of places have (and enforce) dress codes. I absolutely wouldn’t expect an employer to tolerate a person (or their service animal) showing up for work emblazoned with crude messages.

Lots of small children approach my dog while he’s working. I (personally) wouldn’t want crude language on his jacket for that reason alone.

@lostforgottensoul - yours? Isn’t the only valid opinion on the matter.
 
In my state all businesses have the right to refuse service, for any reason, not otherwise protected by law. If they ask you to leave, and you don’t? They can simply call the police, and have you escorted off property... then file the restraining order with the courts so if they return the next time instead of being escorted off property by police, it’s arrested by police.

While, certainly, any individual has the right to press a discrimination suit, it doesn’t matter what protected group you belong under if that’s not the reason you were asked to leave.

Business owners aren’t required to list a reason someone is no longer allowed on their property, although to neatly sidestep any discrimination suits most will list one. Profanity? Absolutely will quash any discrimination suit in its tracks.
 
Lots of places have (and enforce) dress codes. I absolutely wouldn’t expect an employer to tolerate a person (or their service animal) showing up for work emblazoned with crude messages

I would not put that on him at work. Any other place does not have a dress code unless it is a place that requires formal dress like super expensive restraunts but any other place cannot tell you what you or your service dog can wear in the US. Many use swearing patches due to the utter disrespect from the public.

@lostforgottensoul - yours? Isn’t the only valid opinion on the matter.

I never said it was. I advised of a patch I wanted to get and why. You disagree with it but that doesn't make it wrong. I acknowledge your disagreement and agree that those patches are not appropate in all situations which is also why we have 3 vests and removeable patches (including that one). You dress your dog appropratw for the situation. If someone is upset about seeing "f*ck" on my dog's vest in Walmart then that's their issue. People here wear shirts with "f*ck" on it all the time here. Why is it suddenly different with a service dog? There are zero laws here about dressing your service dog. Many go to very extreme lengths. One removeable patch with the word "f*ck" on it is the least of them.

I will also say that I am pro dressing your dog professionally and have only recently come out of that box just a little due to my interactions with the public. I do not think one removeable patch with "f*ck" on if hurts anyone.
 
In my state all businesses have the right to refuse service, for any reason, not otherwise protected by law.

In the US, when State and federal law confict the one that gives the largest amount of rights to the disabled(least restrictive) is the one that applies. Here, that would be the federal ADA law.
 
So, if the manager approaches you and says, “Please leave, your dog’s jacket is offending customers and we don’t want profanity here with the number of children around...”,
you plan to argue:
“My dog is allowed to be profane and offensive because I have a disability”:confused:

Not a situation I’d want to put myself in!
 
Here, that would be the federal ADA law.
Nope.

The ADA doesn’t give people the right to be on private property. It gives them the right to bring their service animal WITH them onto private property. People still have to behave in ways that allow them to be admitted to begin with. Whether that’s wearing a jacket at a restaurant, or a shirt & shoes at a fast food place; the right to break the dress code -or other rules- of any establishment isn’t protected under federal law.

A service dog isn’t an all access pass. You still need membership at private clubs, & still have to behave in ways required by individuals and organizations, on their private property.

Even public property there can be an issue (schools, libraries, vulnerable population centers) with dress, language, behavior, etc. School zones in particular tend to have higher conduct standards.
 
The ADA requires access to places of “public accommodation” and doesn’t give someone the right to swear when people without disabilties would be asked to leave if they swore too.
In the US, when State and federal law confict the one that gives the largest amount of rights to the disabled....
This has nothing to do with state and federal law conflicting. And the one with the largest rights isn’t always how this is worked out.

If I walk into a grocery store with “F*ck” on my shirt, the grocery store is fully allowed to ask me to leave or turn the shirt inside out. Disabled or not. They would be fully within their rights to ask someone to turn a swearing service dog jacket over and if they refused, to ask someone to leave. Now, because a grocery store is a place of public accommodation, if that person was willing to turn it inside out, or return with a different jacket, they could not then prevent them from entering just because of having a service dog.

This all being said, we can all debate it here until the cows come home, but the best resource for info on this in the US: The ADA technical assistance center. Their whole purpose is to answer questions on the ADA. They would be the best source on this issue about words on a service dog jacket.

When it comes down to it, any service dog user can pick to express their boundaries with their dog how they choose. There are pros and cons of every approach. One should carefully weigh them and pick what is right for them.

The chances of people actually kicking someone out of a store because of f*ck on a service dog jacket? I don’t know... but people may not be super friendly or helpful either. Starting off an encounter with cursing is one hell of a way to create space. That may not always be the kind of space someone wants to have.
 
Emotional support animals?

The craze is OUT. OF. HAND.

The backlash has started.

Check out Delta Airlines new policy on service dogs and emotional support animals.

I have a pilot friend who says the ESA stuff really is getting crazy. Dogs who maul people, poop everywhere, etc. People who say they NEED an emotional support hedgehog, snake, PEACOCK!

I say all of this as a warning.....the crazy ESA people are going to make things worse for those with legitimate needs for support.

And yeah, 90% of those people with ESA’s on planes are lying. ESA’s have no fee. Pets do. Those ESA’s are pets with cheap owners.
 
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