Dogs for emotional distress? Do you consider them a valid service animal?

If providing a service to that owner is to help their emotion distress, then I see that as a valid reason BUT I do think people could easily take advantage of this for their own selfish needs and this might be abused in such a no dog building.

 

Gauche? Okay. You got some French? We are all animals, cynthetic. I have a bogus theory that if you have a little french you're mostly french. My Black Labrador could easily be cleaner than either of us. I was just told I can't play here anymore by blah blah.this. Look up gauche & tell me you don't qualify. ring has raised some excellent points. I've been licked by her Prince.
--- merged: Aug 16, 2011 at 10:22 PM ---
I love ring's Prince.

 

My dogs support me. I have this elderly (18) naked gentleman companion who stands about a foot tall at the shoulder, and when I fall he offers me ALL that he is to help me up, I put my hand on his shoulder, and take a very little help. Whilst he is helping me, the gals stand back to back on the path, presumably watching out for anyone coming. I know if I take a fall or get in trouble - they will deal with it. My quality of life is much better because of my canine friends - worry is lessened, the what ifs that sometimes would otherwise stop me dont trouble me because I have this rather loving gang - vet calls them Motley Crew.
The mastiff dumpd here is going to classes so he can learn the same things - how to help me up, how to pick up my stick. I just wish my old chap would make fifty -
If I wanted to go for a meal, there is a nice pub down the road, and you can sit with the dog in the garden or the bar area - I wouldnt take a service dog in their restaurant as there wouldnt be space for a dog to turn. There is another, The George at Finchdean - they have baskets of dog biscuits on the bar for the dogs who have dragged their owners in.
With the school holidays and all bringing them more to our attention - what I cant stand is screaming uncontrolled children racing around when I am shopping in a store - I am easy to be knocked over, and I use a stick so its a bit obvious. As a dog owner, I could understand if they were left in the carpark in a nice warm car, these little children causing havoc. You understand its not that I hate them, but that they cause me a certain amount of fear and trepidation - funny how if a dog does that it gets murdered under law.
Best get off and make the tea. They like it in bed and in china. They deserve it, I am not their first human, any of them, all abused and or neglected, all abandoned. Shallow people to toss away such treasures.

 

A friend of mine has a son with epilepsy, and was considering getting a dog for him. He's just a normal kid, and unless you saw him have a seizure, you wouldn't know he has epilepsy. I've read that dogs can't really be trained to be "seizure alert" animals, but they CAN be trained to respond to seizure victims.

Okay, Cinn, what was the point? ah, yes. If my friend and her son DID get a seizure response dog, it might not be obvious that the dog is, indeed, a service dog. I mean, it'd probably have that nifty vest or something, but unless you asked them, it wouldn't be immediately evident that a service dog was needed.

Also, service dogs, whether for physical or emotional needs, are very highly trained, and not likely to do anything like slobber in your dinner or pee on your shoes. I used to have regular customers at the OG who trained service dogs, and every dog they brought in was exceptionally well-behaved-- to the point that unless you saw them come in, or were looking directly under their table, you wouldn't even know a dog was there.

I suppose one could still make an argument for restaurants, but for grocery stores? I'm not really seeing that... anything that isn't sealed (fresh meat and produce, for example) would be washed before you eat it...so what's the problem there?

 

I am unaware of the precise definition for a service animal, but when imagining one, the first thought is a dog guiding a blind individual. Claiming that one's pet relieves emotional distress and should therefore qualify seems to be a clear attempt at taking advantage of ambiguity and hoping management will scratch their heads, shrug their shoulders, and grudgingly allow the exception. I am certainly not belittling psychological problems, but I believe the building's management and owner should retain the right to deny any creature, pet or service animal, from the premises. Personally, I find dogs to frequently be annoying and distracting, and I would patronize an establishment less often, if at all, should I find Sparky scuttling underfoot. As far as cleanliness, unless the dog is leaping onto tables, releasing bodily fluids, or pillaging the kitchen, I don't care.

 

I think it would depend what actions the service dog actually performs for the "emotionally distressed" person. If it's just the fact that the animal exists, could a different type of animal be used?

 

If its like someone having panic attacks, I would assume a dogs herding nature would be encouraged, to get their charge to a place and position of safety, and the reassurance.
Chap came back from the Gulf war in a wheelchair and in pieces. The day he made any attempt to come out of his shell was the day he met his service dog and it sniffed his hand and said hello. He was suicidal and non communicative before the dog. Not only did the dog support him in his physical needs, but it also took on a human with emotional needs, and encouraged him to come back to this world, to enjoy his family - who he said himself he had been perfectly horrid to. He will always be in his wheelchair, but now he has independence and purpose. He will try harder because of the dog. That one dog saved a man, and a marriage, and a family. To all of them, he is priceless.
Some days, gallant old Innes the guide dog wanders past with his equaly elderly owner. One would be lost without the other. If death is kind, they will pass in their sleep together. I doubt his owner would be allowed another as she is very old, and Innes has worked past retirement age.

 

At this time of pre sleep, I don't feel up to forming an opinion, but I do have an observation. In the last few years, germ prevention has been popular like never before. Washing hands before and after meals and bodily functions has been a sine non in England ever since I can remember. Alcohol rubs in mini dispensers and wipes in foil containers are now everywhere. Also wide publicity about untouchable objects. Heck ... these days I go to the gents and open/close everything with my feet or elbows. ASDA [Walmart] shopping baskets get their handles wiped with alcohol rub due to insane density of fecal matter, apparently. This is the atmosphere which is the context for these discussions.

Actually ... chinese crested ... I'm making this observation, but you're, IMO, in the best place to assess it ... what do you reckon? Has this change in 'hygiene trend' strongly affected how people are 'positioning' dogs and making rules about them?

 

As you can se to the left, I am a DOG PERSON.
The European countries are much more dog friendly, and a well behaved dog is not a problem as far as I am concerned...
but, that said, I no longer have dinner at a friends home because they let the cat go on the table and counters...I can only think where those paws were before that...ugh...dogs stay on the floor.

 

Zen - ealf and safety has gone mad. Sussex Horse Rescue Trust not only got a polling card for the local ellections for a pig called Blossom, they also had a visit from the ealf and safety lot, and were advised to wash the dirty fence posts ON THE FARM!
The dangerous dogs act has filled many with terror - not just the dogs being euthanised and their owners. Dogs should be judged on deed not breed - sure Borla would agre with that one. Its terrible when we come across a dog scared child, just as it is with a human scared dog - and you know it has usualy been put there one way or another. I have friendlies, and we always offer to help a child build confidence by interacting with a safe dog - I like it when children have been taught to ask the owner first.
During my long night in casualty once, I noticed I was one of the few who used hand gel, all that coughing and whatever, best to try and keep yourself safe, but most didnt bother at all.
A local waiting complex for death banned PAT dogs (pets as therapy), because they might leave paw marks on the floor. Those dogs do a damn good job - place concerned is run by a charity, but they dont seem to be very charitable people.
Daka - that wouldnt be your dog on the sofa would it? Mine are sprawled out all over the bed sleeping.

 

Thank you chinese crested "Deed, not breed" is something my other dog-owning/loving friends emphasize, and it makes sense (I love dogs but don't have one). "Deed, not breed" is also, IMO, a crucial position to maintain, since, when generalized, it is a principle which supports defence against over-simplification when responding to purely human-to-human matters.


Regarding service animals for emotional issues:

In principle, I want to say 'yes'. The Blofeld cat-stroke has been demonstrated [references, please?] to lower blood pressure.

However, I'd be dang worried if that opened the door to granting legal status to Ookie-Pookums Co-Dependencies. I don't want Rowdy Jerkov to claim diminished responsibility for going postal because his Companion Velociraptor was not allowed in the shop. Nor do I want him have a case for suing the shop.

A direction I'd recommend is that is that criteria for awarding 'service animal' status should include specific behavioural signals from the owner which can be seen to be identified and responded to by the animal in ways which give identifiable and describable assistance.

 

I work with a kid that has a service dog specifically for his anxiety. Angus always wears his vest when he is working. But when he isn't, he's still a good dog. Very obedient. However, looking at this kiddo, yeah, he has some physical issues, but you'd never know that he can become paralyzed with fear and have violent tantrums when faced with medical procedures, hospitalizations, or changes in his schedule. The last hospitalization was the first in which Kiddo didn't have to be sedated or restrained... he's 11 and cognitively normal. But, it's also up to the family to be firm with the dog when he's not working. But what really, really pissed me off was when Dairy Queen refused to allow the family to enter or be served with both service dogs, which is illegal in the state of Florida. They were clearly identified by their vests and there was no signo outside posted that no service animals would be allowed in. The mother contacted corporate headquarters. But the crux of it is, this kid freaks the holy fuck out and the dog can get him to chill like only high doses of benzodiazapines can do.

 

Noodle, what a difference feeling safe can make. If he likes to read, there is a rather old book he might like - The Twilight Barking by Dodie Smith - its her own sequel to her book 101 dalmations. Its the sort of book that might well be shared with a dog at bedtime. I dont suppose you have a disability group nearby who are active (the silver army). Maybe the Dairy cream store would like a few peacefull demonstrators with working dogs to cheer the place up a bit. Bit of fun might be to book tables and then have a load of disabled people and working dogs come in for tea.
Although my dogs are support animals, they are not jacketed. Big boy is in training localy, and we hope for political reasons that we can get him accredited(jacketed) by a charity that lets disbled people take intensive training with their own dogs. Their spaces for the live in course is very busy with people a lot worse than me given we are at war. As far as Mastiff welfare are aware, and as far as the disabled dog training people are aware, Kingston would be the first Mastiff support dog. As such he would be a jacketed walking representative of his breed and a reminder of deed not breed. He woke me up with a gentle kiss just now as he wanted to go wee, and he wanted some company. As it was like 4 am I thought bugger it, and have taken a breakfast sleeping pill - after he had his wee.
Its not easy to get a jacketted dog, they are like canine professionals. A lot of time and money is put into its training. If a blind person does not treat their dog right, the harness gets removed so they can not use it. These dogs are companions, not slaves.
Zen, cats are a tad different in that they infect your brain with some bug that makes you like them - so Kitty Galore just had to wait longer to get revenge and take over the world.
Borla - service dog training? Not PAT dog training?

 

Is that your dog on the sofa in your avatar?