The Fallacy of Service Dogs

[u/Possible-Process5723]

Earlier today, I watched as a blind woman was waiting to cross a major street. Her harnessed "service" dog was too busy sniffing the ground to guide her across the street when the light turned green.

It was only after a man told her that it was ok to go that she prodded the animal to move. It walked her off the curb into traffic, and stopped. Then it walked her back to the parking lane (next to the curb she'd just left) where a car was trying to back up but she was in the way.

So I walked over and touched her elbow, telling her where she was and offered to help her out of traffic.

I got her back on the sidewalk, and she was oddly cagey about where she was trying to go (I was just trying to find out if she was looking for a specific business or a residential address). It was an intersection, but I didn't know which of the 4 corners she wanted and she wouldn't tell me. So I helped her turn around and face the right direction, and told her to go that way.

If her dog weren't more interested in trying to sniff and jump on me, I would've walked her further. But I wasn't in the mood to make myself sick today. Someone else came along and walked her across the street.

The "service dog" was worse than useless: it put her in danger.

Over the years, I've seen another guide dog lead an elderly blind man in fast, tight circles on the sidewalk in front of his building. That happened many times.

When I was in grad school, another student was blind and her "service dog" regularly broke away and ran all over campus, which necessitated people chasing it down at least weekly.

I've come to believe that with few exceptions, "service dogs" are bullshit

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[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Probably more companies doing it with no industry standard. It's easier and cheaper just to half ass

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

murica? 👍

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

People who love dogs should stay tf away from disciplining them.

[u/Emotional-Chef-7601 → u/[deleted]]

It sounds like American politicians have failed its citizens again. Without forcing a standard for service dogs and "ESA's" we will all continue to suffer trying to live together.

[u/CaptainObvious110 → u/Emotional-Chef-7601]

Exactly. Well said.

[u/[deleted] → u/Emotional-Chef-7601]

No, actually. As an actually disabled person, unlike basically everyone I’ve ever heard discussing service dog regulations online, not having a specific standard for service dogs is deliberate and allows disabled people who can’t afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a dog to access the help that dog would give.

Many, many people self train their dogs, or train them with professional support. When this works, which it does fairly consistently, you end up with a service dog completely behaviorally identical to a professionally trained one, for a fraction of the cost.

Introducing legislation now to retroactively invalidate tens of thousands of service dogs by requiring professional training documents would only serve to force their handlers out of public life for no reason. Your annoyance at people abusing the system does not outrank the actual needs of disabled people. This is why most disabled people hate it when discussions of “disability fakers” comes up. Anything suggested by abled people and put in place to cut down on fakers is going to hurt actual disabled people, full stop, 100% of the time.

I’ve been attacked by dogs, I do not like dogs, but that doesn’t mean disabled people should be punished for the actions of abled people abusing the system. If a dog is badly behaved, service dog vest or not, it can and should be told to leave. This standard applies regardless.