Dogs in non pet friendly store?

[rennigade]

That's why I'm confused as to why a place of business wouldn't want some form of proof that someone needs a service animal. Especially in a place where sanitary conditions must be maintained like a restaurant or grocery store.

Blame your government for that. Its a federal law that states establishments cannot ask for proof. Im sure a lot of establishments do want proof...doesnt mean they are allowed to ask for it. Its pretty cut and dry, no?

I guess they could refuse service if they didnt think the dog was an actual service dog. Im pretty sure something like that happened within the last month. I think businesses can refuse to serve anyone they want, minus maybe an ER.

[LuckyRobin]

When I had a handicapped parking permit for a couple of years because of my knee I had to carry a card in my wallet that proved the placard belonged to me and I was legitimately using it. The ADA doesn't get snippy about that. I don't see a difference between carrying that card for parking and carrying a card that says you have a licensed service dog. How does the first one not violate your medical privacy, but the other one does? That makes no sense. It is already clear by the vest on the dog or by the placard that a handicap should exist. It doesn't have to say what the handicap is, just that it exists. It's a silly law. Having a law that required a card would be good, to help cut down on fraudulent use.

[disneysteve]

When I had a handicapped parking permit for a couple of years because of my knee I had to carry a card in my wallet that proved the placard belonged to me and I was legitimately using it. The ADA doesn't get snippy about that. I don't see a difference between carrying that card for parking and carrying a card that says you have a licensed service dog. How does the first one not violate your medical privacy, but the other one does? That makes no sense. It is already clear by the vest on the dog or by the placard that a handicap should exist. It doesn't have to say what the handicap is, just that it exists. It's a silly law. Having a law that required a card would be good, to help cut down on fraudulent use.

The difference is that handicapped parking placards are issued by a government agency - the DMV. There is no agency that oversees service animals. I'd love to see the government establish formal oversight of that area. It would eliminate a lot of the problems.

[LuckyRobin]

Ah. Well, it should be regulated then. It wouldn't be that hard. Service dogs have to be trained and then trained again with their new owner. It could be issued when the person graduated the class and took possession of the animal.

[neatdesign]

I can't stand those people who bring their pipsqueak dogs everywhere in their purses or doggie strollers. First, it's pretentious with a capital P. Second, it's stupid. Not only is it unhygienic and disrespectful to others (who may be allergic or afraid of dogs) to bring your dog into non-dog-friendly shops, but it also puts the dogs in danger.

What if they manage to break free? Where there's a will, there's a way. They could be injured, run out of the store and into the street, eat something off the floor that's harmful to them (like grapes or cleaning fluid), etc.

What about a small child who sees the dog, rushes over to pet it and gets bitten? Who's at fault? The dog's owner? The child's parent? The store management?

Technically any of these things could happen at any establishment, even at dog-friendly stores like PetSmart. But at least in those places there's an expectation that dogs will be present and thus extra caution is generally taken. But a supermarket? Give me a break.

[rutgers07]

Nope. You'd be violating federal privacy laws.

Where I work we have to follow the same guidelines. As long as someone utters the words "my dog is a service dog," we aren't allowed to ask for any sort of verification let alone why they need a service dog.

We once had a patient that brought his "service mouse" in with him into the ER. He had to choose either his mouse or the ER and he chose his mouse.

[JoeP]

Nope. You'd be violating federal privacy laws.

Then maybe the pressure could be put on the dog, meaning it would have to have some sort of state-issued tag like a rabies or registration tag that indicates it is a service dog.

BTW, I see people bring their dogs to sports games at the schools, where there is clear signage prohibiting them. One memorable time in particular, a very feisty shmashed-face dog (forgot the breed) was yipping nonstop and pulling real hard in one direction, and all the owner did for the hour was to keep yanking the collar as if that was effective discipline.

We keep our dogs at home and are even reluctant to bring them if our friends explicitly invite them.

[rutgers07]

Then maybe the pressure could be put on the dog, meaning it would have to have some sort of state-issued tag like a rabies or registration tag that indicates it is a service dog.

BTW, I see people bring their dogs to sports games at the schools, where there is clear signage prohibiting them. One memorable time in particular, a very feisty shmashed-face dog (forgot the breed) was yipping nonstop and pulling real hard in one direction, and all the owner did for the hour was to keep yanking the collar as if that was effective discipline.

We keep our dogs at home and are even reluctant to bring them if our friends explicitly invite them.

Joe, my understanding is the reason they don't is to protect people's privacy. Rabies tags let us know the dog is safe but doesn't tell us anything about the owner. Putting a service dog tag informs the public that the person that has one has some sort of medical/mental health ailment.

[annibe11e]

It seems like the best bet is to let the establishment's management know that you are not comfortable with the situation. They may think no one cares because no one is speaking up.

I live above an independent coffee shop and there are more and more people who bring dogs that are letting them off the leash outside or just letting the dog run around with the leash dragging. I'm not terribly comfortable around strange dogs and I am not happy to find one running loose when I come out of my apartment. There is one man who would bring his dog in and he said it was a service dog, but there was no obvious service it was providing him. Of course, there was nothing the owner could do.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Maybe I don't get out enough, but I don't see this happening. It would be a problem to people like my spouse who is very allergic to dogs.

[~bs]

I hate this. For some reason, businesses are becoming more and more open to pets in places they don't belong - stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. It is a terrible habit. We've been woken up in hotels by a barking dog. We've been eating and had a dog sitting at the next table. I'm sorry. I realize people love their pets and treat them like family members but there are places that are and are not appropriate to have them.

Exactly. Even worse are the people claiming their dogs are "service dogs" and outfit them with a vest, even though it's pretty obvious that they aren't really service dogs. The stores will not challenge these people because if they call out the wrong person, they open themself to a lawsuit.