4 ms·

I don't think the problem is with service animal laws, which I think are genuinely well-intentioned, but with the type of people who would consider owning a pot

I don't think the problem is with service animal laws, which I think are genuinely well-intentioned, but with the type of people who would consider owning a potentially dangerous dog in the first place. Some animals really aren't suitable as pets for the vast majority of owners - which might be a more fruitful discussion than objecting to service animals too quickly.

lotsofpulp 5y ago
I did not write that I object to service animals. There is clearly no enforcement of service animal laws, which are lacking, and no recourse for anyone harmed by them, which is what I was trying to point out. There are already laws that ban dogs from restaurants and grocery stores. But there is a higher law that says if you say the words service dog, then no one can say anything to you and you do not have to prove anything, rendering the laws banning dogs from restaurants and grocery stores useless.
- zebraflask 5y ago
  It might be a conversation for another time, but dog bite cases are a staple of basic tort claims. Plenty of recourse - an owner is responsible for any reasonably foreseeable harm caused by their animal. Doesn't stop certain obnoxious owners from taking their animals where they really ought not, etc.
  - ip26 5y ago
    There may be recourse, but It would be greatly preferable to avoid the dog bite in the first place. They can leave life-long injury.
stjohnswarts 5y ago
Any dog of substantial size can be “a dangerous dog”. I have owned two American Bulldogs and 1 “pit bull” and they were all well-trained and probably overly friendly. My cat has done more damage to me and to the dogs. The only dog that isn't potentially "potentially dangerous" are probably ones like the small breeds like chihuahuas and Pekingese. It really is 90% training/how-they're-raised and 10% genetics. Don't get a dog unless you can make him/her a part of your pack/family. Cats are much better if you just want a pet to chill with.
seanmcdirmid 5y ago
> Some animals really aren't suitable as pets for the vast majority of owners - which might be a more fruitful discussion than objecting to service animals too quickly. The problem isn't service dogs, but fraudulent service dogs claims. And often health departments hold business owners liable for these fake claims (fine the owners because they should have known that the pit bull wasn't a service dog because they lacked a harness), which is doubly ridiculous if you aren't allowed to challenge someone's service dog claim (which actually isn't true, I think, there isn't a law on the book that businesses cannot verify service dogs, its just culture that pushes them to trust).
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html > Q7. What questions can a covered entity's employees ask to determine if a dog is a service animal? >A. In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability. > Q8. Do service animals have to wear a vest or patch or special harness identifying them as service animals? >A. No. The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.

lotsofpulp 5y ago

I did not write that I object to service animals. There is clearly no enforcement of service animal laws, which are lacking, and no recourse for anyone harmed by them, which is what I was trying to point out. There are already laws that ban dogs from restaurants and grocery stores. But there is a higher law that says if you say the words service dog, then no one can say anything to you and you do not have to prove anything, rendering the laws banning dogs from restaurants and grocery stores useless.

zebraflask 5y ago
It might be a conversation for another time, but dog bite cases are a staple of basic tort claims. Plenty of recourse - an owner is responsible for any reasonably foreseeable harm caused by their animal. Doesn't stop certain obnoxious owners from taking their animals where they really ought not, etc.
- ip26 5y ago
  There may be recourse, but It would be greatly preferable to avoid the dog bite in the first place. They can leave life-long injury.

stjohnswarts 5y ago

Any dog of substantial size can be “a dangerous dog”. I have owned two American Bulldogs and 1 “pit bull” and they were all well-trained and probably overly friendly. My cat has done more damage to me and to the dogs. The only dog that isn't potentially "potentially dangerous" are probably ones like the small breeds like chihuahuas and Pekingese. It really is 90% training/how-they're-raised and 10% genetics. Don't get a dog unless you can make him/her a part of your pack/family. Cats are much better if you just want a pet to chill with.

seanmcdirmid 5y ago

> Some animals really aren't suitable as pets for the vast majority of owners - which might be a more fruitful discussion than objecting to service animals too quickly. The problem isn't service dogs, but fraudulent service dogs claims. And often health departments hold business owners liable for these fake claims (fine the owners because they should have known that the pit bull wasn't a service dog because they lacked a harness), which is doubly ridiculous if you aren't allowed to challenge someone's service dog claim (which actually isn't true, I think, there isn't a law on the book that businesses cannot verify service dogs, its just culture that pushes them to trust).

lotsofpulp 5y ago
https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html > Q7. What questions can a covered entity's employees ask to determine if a dog is a service animal? >A. In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability. > Q8. Do service animals have to wear a vest or patch or special harness identifying them as service animals? >A. No. The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.