In the course of my job every single day I encounter at least one maybe up to five dogs whose handlers identify as service dogs. Most of these dogs are more than likely fraudulent - fewer yet are well trained and most of their owners are not well enough versed in service dog laws to know what their dog must do to be considered a service dog. No I cannot tell just by looking - many disabilities are hidden and this is where the difficulties lie and the little white lies begin.
A person does not have to be diagnosed as disabled to claim to be disabled enough to need a service dog. This means that someone can suddenly come down with an arbitrary case of the disableds any time they feel like it to claim this "benefit" so long as they have their scripted cues in line.
Which are:
Knowing to identify their dog as a service dog and not a pet when asked. A service animal is not a pet.
Knowing that if asked they should be able to name the "tasks" their dog performs for them. The dog does not have to demonstrate these tasks for any idiot asking. Most places of business will not ask this - because their employees cannot judge if a task is real or bogus.
That said a service animal can only be a dog or a miniature horse. All other animals DO NOT qualify for special access no matter how much their owner insists on it.
Businesses are in the business of selling stuff to anyone who offers more money than they take away from their business. This is true of any rational businessman. Please remember this as you read along.
This is where things become a gnashing of teeth as service dog advocates like to bitch and moan about the fake service dog problem ruining it for the rest of "them" and businesses who just want to sell stuff and not have to deal with the bullshit that comes with service dogs real, fake, and the guy on the end of it's leash disrupting and harming their business.
This is the unpopular part where I tell you that some of the loudest service dog advocates for the most part of full of shit who want the attention of the drama of victim-hood, fake service dogs, and want to draw attention of their club/cause-whatever. Very little of it is advocating for real people who truly need help with access - if it was you would see a great amount more of help being offered for the things that truly limit access and more community outreach rather than focus on the dog, the businesses, and fraud. Instead you see howls of bad service dog behavior with accompanying cel phone video, pissing and moaning about the responsibility of businesses to enforce a perceived code of ethics, and what people perceive to be fake service dogs. Again, no one can just look at any handler dog combo and know they are fakes - being disabled doesn't give anyone disabled radar just as needing a service dog doesn't mean you are a better than average dog trainer or owner.
For businesses this service dog business is a real pain in the ass because you just can't win. Most of them probably wouldn't give a crap about a dog being in their store as long as the dog was well behaved, non threatening, and not damaging merchandise. The problem is when you mix food into your store you have these government types that will tell you that suddenly no animals allowed for health reasons despite their food being very well packaged to prevent contamination. So you tell your customers no pets in the store. Which means your customer suddenly has an incentive to claim Farkle the dog is a service dog so he doesn't have to linger in the car. Which means the store can continue to not care about these special "service animals" being in the store because the government is satisfied because they can't ask for proof anymore than the store can.
Which leads service dog advocates to get pissy about:
Dogs being in carts
Dogs sitting on chairs
Dogs eating something
Dogs being poorly controlled on/off lead.
Dogs approaching other people (specifically them)
Fake service dogs
Just because the store doesn't HAVE to let you have your dog in a cart or on a chair and your dog should be able to navigate the floor in a reasonable manner it doesn't mean they are prohibited from doing so because most stores espouse good customer service above all else which means you bend yourself into a knot to supply comfort, information, and direction to customers. This means that if the store does not mind that service dogs can indeed be accommodated most of the time. Brace yourselves accordingly - they accommodate most meth addicts and dirty children too which are far more dangerous to public health than the average halfway groomed dog. So again, while it's bad manners- it is also not illegal and I would caution anyone taking a cel phone video for youtube it is also exceptionally rude to do that. Especially when there is no real harm happening directly to you.
So lets deal with the harm issue which is mostly characterized by people or other dogs screwing with your dog. Yep, this can be a real problem.Worse yet is when they have a strange dog who just wants to be "friends." My advise is to treat this like someone walking up and personally groping you. Dirty looks and scorn along with a What is Wrong with YOU! can tend to get people moving. Telling someone to get their dog under control is another way to let it be known that they are invading your bubble. Be your own ass kicker because the guy you scorn today will think twice tomorrow and a better world it will be. In the horrid event your dog is actually attacked by another person's dog. Step 2 after getting your dog and yourself to a safe spot is to call the police and ask them to treat this as a personal attack on you and if the law in your state allows insist that the person is cited for an attack on a service dog Step 3 is the sue the shit out of them for the damage and needed retraining of your service dog.
Finally the perceived harm of someone ruining this access for you. No, it doesn't except in the mind and there is no legal protection for being uncomfortable - unless it is to the point of disability. You are protected by law (period, no buts) therefore as long as you assert your right to access to public areas, reasonable access should be available on a case by case basis which means one guys assholery doesn't reflect on you nor can a store owner bring that restriction upon you based on what the last guy did. I realize that this is not a one size fits all solution as there are truly souls in this world who cannot advocate for themselves easily but again if a solution or mitigation is sought one will be found that can work for most people.
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