Pit Bulls as Service Dogs

[Andara Bledin]

Largely due to the logistics of what is more effective. Teaching a quarter of a billion people of whom many will never see an Amish person or a service animal outside of Hollywood...or putting obvious markings on a significantly smaller number of animals be they Amish buggy-pulling horses or service animals.

Again the same applies to the owners and managers of businesses. It is their responsibility to make sure that people with service animals can do business there. If they do not then they find themselves in an actionable position much like the driver that hit the Amish buggy. Granted it is more Civil than Criminal, but there is the parallel.

Hence why I posted it.

Ok, you start off by saying, "Oh, hey, the lower total number should bear the brunt," and then you go off and say, "Oh, hey, even though there are way more shop owners than people with service animals, the shop owners should totally be the ones to be educated."

Make up your mind. Which one are you arguing for?

^-.-^

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Ok, you start off by saying, "Oh, hey, the lower total number should bear the brunt,"

Please do not go putting words in my mouth or intent where none is implied. I never meant that the smaller number SHOULD have to bear the brunt. Honestly they really should not have to. But things being what they are and society being what it is, sadly the smaller number may end up having to do it. Unfair as that may be, such is often the case in our world.

and then you go off and say, "Oh, hey, even though there are way more shop owners than people with service animals, the shop owners should totally be the ones to be educated."

Make up your mind. Which one are you arguing for?

^-.-^

The two are not mutually exclusive. It is simply looking at two answers to a problem. One is the morally correct and morally right solution, the other is the one that is more realistically achievable given the circumstances. I can be for one because I believe in it, but also be for the one that I feel has a better chance of succeeding given what society has become.

From a moral standpoint and if this were the Utopian society that we would all wish for, it would be the responsibility of everyone to understand all of the laws and not to need constant reminders such as registration tags on Service Animals. This is the solution that I believe should be the answer.

Now given what we have all observed the current state of society has become (and it has or we would not be having a website called Fratching and it would not have a section called "Social Woes" in which to have this current discussion), we know that far too many people can't be arsed to consider the rules governing access to the disabled. That they will think "My store, My rules and fuck anyone else who thinks otherwise". So we sadly have to consider a solution that is a visual reminder to shop owners (that can't be arsed to remember such things) that a service animal is not a pet and is what enables a disabled person to be able to spend money at their establishment. This is the solution that I feel has a better chance of working.

I am for one and would love to see it, but have the realistic expectation that the other will work better.

Think of it this way. We can try and tell a quarter of a billion people about [issue] and hope in spite of all the evidence to the contrary that people will pay attention to it (and 30 minutes on Customer Suck will prove how quickly people will ignore the societal niceties when their own self interest is involved) and then wonder why nothing has changed...

...or we can try something that has a better chance of working (as unfair as it may be) and hopefully make it so the minor inconvenience is outweighed by the benefits.

[ShinyObject]

I did a quick Google search for service dog id and found this site: http://www.certifyyourservicedog.com/ for $70 they will send you all kind of proof that your mutt is a service dog -- no proof of training required. Nice. So even if you have ID it might mean nothing. If the dog in question is being unruley or aggressive I would hope that the establishment could ask that it be removed.

I know of a Seeing Eye Dog who was actually dangerous in social situations as he was too protective of his person and the management didn't dare ask that she take him out. I contacted Seeing Eye about him but was told to mind my own business and I'm a Blind Rehabilitation Specialist and was working with the woman and the dog, a big German shepherd. If the training agency won't take responsiblity for the dogs they send out the owner of the business has to take steps to keep customers and employees safe.

Pit bulls can make fine service dogs. They are human friendly, many are not energetic at all, they are intelligent and loyal. My pittie never met anyone she didn't love. Wal-Mart found out the hard way they couldn't discriminate against pit bulls when they threw Chloe out and she fought back. http://www.freewebs.com/chloethepitb...rimination.htm

A responsible guardian of a service dog will have identification, usually on the dog and always on their person. It's the person's responsiblity to educate the public, something service dog agencies teach when they are training them to use the dog. There is always a jerk in the pack though just to gum up the works. Hopefully their own dog will bite them some day.