It needs to be said. Don’t think for a minute we don’t notice because we do, we just keep it to ourselves. But that needs to stop now. The knowing glances we exchange with each other when you enter, the eye rolling we do behind your back, and the subtle head shaking we do as we pass by you. It all needs to be out in the open. Someone should grow up and say it out loud. So here it is.
We are not fooled by your fake service dog bullshit.
Now before all you animal lovers get your granny panties in a wad, let me make something perfectly clear to you. NO ONE IS AGAINST SERVICE DOGS. People understand that not everyone who uses one is blind or deaf and that some people have disabilities that you cannot see, like PTSD, diabetes, epilepsy, etc. So how can we tell your little fur ball is a fake? Especially after you went to the trouble of ordering the patch and vest and whatever else off the Internet? Because well-trained dogs behave in a certain way and real service dogs are as well trained as they come. Here is a quote from an article published several years ago in a Florida newspaper-
“The best way to tell if a service dog is legitimate is to observe its behavior, authorities say. Service dogs won’t appear restless or jump or bark. They will obey the disabled owner’s commands, perform tasks and lie down passively where instructed.”
You can see that there are particular things that service dogs do, and as importantly things they do not do, that set them apart from your little two-pound teacup poodle Fifi. They don’t jump up on the seats in a restaurant, or beg at the table while you eat. They most definitely do not drag their butts across the carpet (yes I saw it and I will NEVER eat there again). They don’t growl at small children or bark at people. They don’t wander to the ends of their leashes to check on what the people at the next table are eating.
When your “service dog” has wound it’s leash around the table legs, chairs and you until it is some sort of advanced Boy Scout knot, we can tell that he’s not there to assist you with anything other than perhaps creating a tripping hazard for unsuspecting diners.
As for all of you out there who like to claim the dogs are your “therapy” dogs and are for emotional support, companionship and whatever garbage you can come up with? While it may be true that you are self absorbed enough to think this matters, this doesn’t actually qualify Mr. Piddles as a service dog according to the law.
What is even worse is the total disrespect this shows to people who rely on service dogs to get through each day. Their dogs take years to train, cost thousands of dollars and they can wait for excessively long periods of time to get one. You, on the other hand, are the equivalent of the lazy asshole that parks in the handicapped spot for your own convenience. People who require service dogs should be allowed to bring them anywhere they need to, without question. The problem is that you and Nippers are creating an atmosphere where every person with a dog is questioned. Because you lie. You should be ashamed.
If your little fur baby Snuggles is so fragile that she can’t be left home alone while you go out to lunch, might I suggest that you just stay home with her? That way we all can enjoy ourselves.