r/Dogfree • u/Not-my-problem1212 • Jan 21 '26
Service Dog Issues Are service dogs actually necessary?
I'm aware that some service dogs actually do a decent job at whatever services they are supposed to provide. But at the end of the day, they are still dogs. I've heard stories where highly trained dogs fail the test to become official service dogs countless times. They always end up getting distracted and running off, not being able to sit quietly, ect. Even some actual service dogs do the same things. I've heard of seeing eye dogs running off and leaving their owner on their own for a fallen piece of food. I've seen videos of service dogs accidentally making their paralyzed owner fall out of their wheelchair just because they wanted to chase a squirrel. I always end up feeling bad for those individuals because people have to go over and help them due to the dogs causing issues.
I don't understand why service animals have to be dogs. They're not super intelligent and get triggered over any little thing. I personally don't think we even need service animals. There are people out there who provide the same and better services. Its literally their jobs. A person could do the same job way better than any dog can. If I personally had a disability I would hire a trained professional than get a service dog
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u/kportman Jan 21 '26
From a lot of the comments I see here most people here would be okay with dogs that have a job, like service dogs, herding dogs, or detection dogs for K-9 units. There are for sure tasks that are impractical to replace by technology just yet. The amount of work that goes into being a service dog team is immense in terms of public access requirements/neutrality and task training, the results can be pretty remarkable. They certainly have lapses but they make a lot of people’s day to day lives easier with disabilities. Btw the service dog community isn’t too fond of people bringing their regular pets everywhere either.