Posted on 01/29/2013 2:56:13 AM PST by expat1000
Please PING this over to the FRper who does the pings for the dog stories. Thanks! :)=^..^=
Okay... to each his own. I just wanted my husband and the epidural. Silly me...
Seriesly...I love my dogs but sure wouldn’t want an animal in the delivery room. People are weird.
There is a peculiar over-affection for animals and treating them like people. I think it comes from the lack of respect for human life and the multi-cultural everything-is-equal attitude. Saw a shared post from a dog trainer I know that said “like a baby, Chihuahua puppies have a soft spot on their head that closes as they age” accompanied by a soft-focus closeup aren’t-I-the-cutest-baby-dog photo. Just weird.
“The dingo ate my baby!”
(or maybe the dog just ate the afterbirth)
“... just weird”.
I agree. Don’t get me wrong.. love my doggies but sheesh. My younger SIL actually sent out birth announcements when she purchased two puppies. Yes, she did. She referred to them as “twins” and some of her weird friends actually purchased “baby gifts”.
The “therapy dog” scam is widely used by airline passengers to avoid paying charges to transport the animals. It’s easy to do - just Google up “service dog patches”. A $10 bill and you’re in business.
If you go that route, you’ll end up in jail for fraud.
-Real- therapy [technically, “support”] dogs need a doctor’s ‘prescription’ and have much more limited access than *service* dogs.
People who scam the legitmate system wreck it for those who actually need a support animal.
Therapy dogs are the certified dogs who go to nursing homes and the like.
Support dogs fill the gap left over by trained and licensed service dogs, such as seeing eye, deafness dogs, wheelchair/mobility assistance dogs, etc.
Good points all.
>> ... doctor’s ‘prescription’ ...
I think you underestimate the willingness of people to scam the system. I volunteer at the airport two days a month and see nearly every dog in there with a “service” or “therapy” patch. We’ve been cowed into silence by the 1990 ADA act that enabled the nazi-like handicapped lobby. A quick eBay or internet search will get you supporting materials that’ll scare the begeezus out of anyone:
http://www.petjoyonline.com/Service-Dog-Patches-IDs-Tags-s/270.htm
>> People who scam the legitmate system wreck it for those who actually need a support animal.
Yup
Indeed.
Linda-The-Dog is my best buddy, my home-security system, my constant companion, my comfort in my lonely widowhood, and my morning exercise pal, but I wouldn’t dream of scamming the system. It is not in my nature.
Also, if i am having a medical procedure, I would prefer her to be somewhere ELSE! She MIGHT think the doctor is HURTING me, and would NOT be amused. LOL!
If it was fun for her to do, what’s the harm? I can think of a lot worse things people do...gambling, drug addiction, abuse.
Jesus had animals around him when he was born...We are getting distanced from animals.
The relationship of love and kindness that animals bring is a positive for humans. It increases the respect for all living beings. I trust people who love animals much more than those who don’t.
“... what’s the harm..”
If you read my original point, I said to each his own. That being said... I still think it is wacky. There is love for family pets.. I love mine. However, they aren’t humans.
Odin is a legal support dog.
The doctor gave me permission for him when hubby was about to undergo triple bypass and we didn’t know what would happen.
He has the patches, a mobility harness and the whole deal *but* I’ve never taken him into any place that doesn’t allow dogs anyway.
So far, I haven’t had to.
For ‘normal places’, thankfully, I still have hubby.
In my case, he is a tool I have the luxury of using but have not had the necessity.
Just knowing that I can if I need to gives me a lot comfort and actually makes it less likely that I need to use him in that capacity.
I err *very* much on the side of caution.
I would never dream of abusing his status by dragging him every place I go because in my heart, I would know that he was there because I *wanted* but not *needed* him to be.
However, there are those poor souls with crippling anxiety and social phobias who simply can’t go out in the world without their support animals.
*They* are the people who are being harmed by those who just want to take Fifi on the airplane with them.
So far the ADA has been extremely benevolent to those who need support animals but like everything else the ‘takers’ do, it’s going to eventually cause problems for the truly needful.
Having said all that, *please* support this noble and worthy cause:
http://soldiersbestfriend.org/
Personal experience and a personal pet peeve.
“We are getting distanced from animals.”
Well....now there’s something nobody could ever accuse me of with a straight face.
;D
“Service” animal is totally different from “Support” animal.
The latter needs no accreditation and can be trained by the owner but also forfeits certain ‘rights to access’.
The former is formally trained, accredited and ‘licensed’, if you will.
I would be very suspicious of a “service” patch, myself.
Odin's say “Support” and that's all he is *legally*.
He still has many of the same ‘rights to access’ as a Service dog but not all the rights, nor should he.
“Therapy animal” -should- ONLY be applied to dogs who visit hospitals, etc and they have to be certified for that access by way of certain training classes and ‘titles’.
I'm sorry people are jerking you around.
[not all ‘handicapped’ people are “Nazi like”. I'm quite reasonable, in fact]
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