At Least It's Not Just Me? in Service Dog

There was a video today in the local service dog meetup group. It was about a dog that was super aggressive and hostile at the mall. Not only was the dog hostile, but so was the handler, insisting that the person with her service dog move because he wanted to use the particular register she happened to be standing near, and he couldn’t go by because her dog was in the way, making it clearly her fault somehow, at least in his eyes.

Wouldn’t you know it? It turned out to be the little dog that was dragging his handler a few months back, the one who was becoming unhinged over Nika. I was not amused then and I’m not now. This is becoming a serious problem. He swears this dog is a service dog in training, but there’s no way an aggressive dog should in any way be a service dog, especially when he has such a hard time controlling it. He’s in a wheelchair, so that’s a consideration, but if the dog gets loose and attacks another dog, what could he do?

Then the stories come out. This dog has caused so many problems in the past and he’s a well known source of aggravation for service dog handlers everywhere. This guy seems to think he’s entitled because he knows the security guards. He apparently lives in the apartments attached to the mall, and while they have a dog park area on top of the mall for residents, I guess, he insists on taking his dog in the mall, and the security guards love that pup. Of course, they don’t see the way the dog comes unhinged when other dogs are around.

Also, apparently this guy lets his dog off-leash in the mall. For starters, I’ve heard constantly that the dog must be under good control of then handler at all times. This also means that service dogs should not be off leash unless they have impeccable recall and if their task physically requires them to be off leash. In this case the dog can’t prove any reliable tasks, but also, the dog isn’t safe to be off leash in the first place, not if there’s any chance other dogs will be around!

This makes me incredibly nervous. Nika has been attacked more than once by dogs that are off leash. It’s been hard work getting her over her nerves at other dogs, and while she’s getting much more calm and confident, she’s definitely not spot-on right now. We’re working on it. However, if this dog were to come running at her, that could set us back so much! I can’t afford to have her set back like that! I’m still paying for her and I can’t afford to retire her and replace her with another dog even if I wanted to (and some days I really want to…)

This! This is all of why I’m so adamant about being public and outspoken about service dogs and issues faced by service dogs, because service dogs aren’t cheap. They typically cost between $10-20k (USD) if you get them fully trained, and if you train them yourself or work with a trainer you’re taking even more of a gamble. The dog could wash out, and you may not know they need to be washed until you’ve spent a good chunk of change in their training. However, all it takes is one serious attack for that dog to be ruined for a service career. It can take years and patience to rehabilitate them, depending on the situation, and if you’re not able to do the training yourself, it’s not going to be cheap. We’re not just talking an inconvenience.

Situations like this are why it’s so important that all public spaces aren’t pet-friendly, or if they are there needs to be specific, clear restrictions on what kinds of animals are allowed. If an animal is being destructive, it’s gone. If it’s disruptive in the space, it’s gone. If it acts aggressive in any way, it’s gone. And, yes, dogs, like people, can have bad days. I don’t think it necessarily needs to be that a dog gets one shot and once it’s been asked to leave, it’s banned. However, that shouldn’t be out of the question for a dog that’s repeatedly shown bad behavior, especially if the owner/handler seems ill prepared to handle the situation in a safe and productive way.

And you know what? This isn’t a popular opinion, I know, but this is why I think there needs to be a registration and certification process for service dogs. Every other medical treatment has to be tested and proven to be both safe and effective, so why not service dogs? And, sure, maybe asking for proof of disability is a big much, but that doesn’t mean they can’t test the dog for public access and safety. I mean, without knowing what my disability is, a proper service dog should be able to follow certain requirements, proper heel, basic obedience, maintain focus while working, excellent recall, and, of course, be housebroken. That would give your dog the public access certification. From there, in order to register your dog you need your documentation in order, and for that matter, they could just turn it into a form your care provider fills out, checking boxes and filling in the appropriate details. Turn in your documentation proving need and public access certification and your registration gets sent back in the mail. Want to fly travel without added inconvenience? Check a box for service animal and enter your dog’s registration number and no additional info is needed. Why? They run it against the database and they now know not only that your dog is certified, but also details like breed and approximate size so they can accommodate, if necessary. Run into a public access problem? They can just run your registration number and verify that your dog is legit. Hey! Then maybe less teams will be turned away! Everyone wins…

But on a serious level, something must be done. Fake service dogs are a problem that’s not going away, and these dogs do occasionally threaten right of access to people with legitimate needs. This doesn’t make the accommodation any more accepted, and I’ve met more than a few people who eye roll when they see me with my dog because I don’t look disabled, so I must be one of those fakers. I’ve been kicked out of so many places. I’ve been harassed. And while Nika is no longer as flawless as she was, she’s better behaved than most pets out there that people bring with them everywhere.

As a service dog handler, this is important to me. The problem is getting out of control. I get so frustrated when hearing these stories over and over, and it’s to the point where I’m honestly worried going out with my dog because I don’t think she’ll recover if she gets attacked again. She’s too expensive of a dog to just wash out, and I can’t afford to start fresh with a new dog, not at this point, not when I’m still paying her off.

But this problem? America, I know you like to bring your dogs and you feel guilty leaving them at home, but please, there are people who need these dogs. For their sake, leave your dog at home.