Service Dogs

[Isher]

Or, you know, just sweating and/or walking in their own pee. Sheesh, everybody is going right for the weirdest and worst case scenarios.

This isn’t a weird or worst case scenario. This is completely normal. Yeast and other microorganisms live on dogs paws and they’re responsible for the popcorn/frito smell. Sweat and urine don’t give off that smell. It is normal for a dogs’ paws to have a faint smell, but it’s a cause for concern when it becomes an odor, especially accompanied by licking, biting and itching.

Now I have no idea what smell you’re referring to in your earlier post because you never described it so this may not pertain to you at all.

I don’t have anything else to add.

Sorry, I didn’t intend to hijack the thread.

 

[larryz]

This isn’t a weird or worst case scenario. This is completely normal. Yeast and other microorganisms live on dogs paws and they’re responsible for the popcorn/frito smell.

So, I wonder what would happen if I took a bucket of popcorn back to a vendor saying, "hey, this popcorn smells like dog's feet!"

 

[joejccva71]

Bottom line is service dogs are one thing. They're incredibly trained. Regular dogs should not be at Disney World at all. Leave your dogs at home, with a friend/family member or at a dog hotel. I refuse to pay a ton of money for my DW vacation to have to listen to your dog bark, have it poop on the boardwalk, or have it sit on furniture in the lobby of a resort.

Don't like it? Don't care. Leave your dogs at home.

 

[Isher]

So, I wonder what would happen if I took a bucket of popcorn back to a vendor saying, "hey, this popcorn smells like dog's feet!"

It was funnier the first time.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Just to clarify, our dog has never worn shoes . Her feet are fine as she has regular check ups, I'm not complaining anyway as popcorn isn't a bad smell really either

Is it buttered popcorn or just plain? But, just to clarify that is what made my comment tongue in check.

 

[mlee10]

Just got a news alert on my phone that a passenger on a Southwest flight was bitten by a dog. Didn't even bother to open the article to read it....unless someone was threatening the handler of the "service animal" I can't imagine a properly trained and needed service dog biting anyone. Now I know that animals can be unpredictable (as can humans) but I just don't see it happening.

We all went out to dinner last night for my upcoming birthday and due to signs and symptoms my daughter has been having and the behavior that Nala has been exhibiting around her, we felt we needed to take her with us. Needless to say, we got so many nasty looks....it's super frustrating! Once we are seated you would never even know she was there. Thank GOD all of the servers at the restaurant know us pretty well because they love herand it's one of the reasons we go to the same place on a regular basis, they make us and Nala feel welcome!

 

[Goofyernmost]

Just got a news alert on my phone that a passenger on a Southwest flight was bitten by a dog. Didn't even bother to open the article to read it....unless someone was threatening the handler of the "service animal" I can't imagine a properly trained and needed service dog biting anyone. Now I know that animals can be unpredictable (as can humans) but I just don't see it happening.

The last report I heard about that was that the little girl moved quickly and brushed against the teeth of the dog. She was not bitten and the wound was very minor. No attack, no biting just an accident. But, what good is news if it's not sensationalized. Where is Walter Cronkite when you need him. That was the last word I heard about it, time will tell if that remains the same or not.

 

[mergatroid]

Is it buttered popcorn or just plain? But, just to clarify that is what made my comment tongue in check.

I realised that my friend, I can take a joke from anyone (even those I've disagreed with on different subjects). We're all good

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Does WDW even have any kind of policy for or enforcement of Service Dogs?

*Begin Rant*

So we were down in Epcot yesterday for V-Day and were having a smoke break by Norway. There were a bunch of people doing the same, so we sat on the bricks by the bushes.

The was a pretty black lab with a service dog vest wandering around completely unsupervised dragging it's leash going up to everyone to be petted and begging for food. It obviously was a fake service dog.

It wandered it's way behind the bushes where we were sitting. Luckily - and I say luckily for WDW - I was looking at him (I was going to scratch his head if he had come a couple inches closer) when I saw his leg going up.

I pysically shoved my wife off the little wall just in time for the stream of **** to flow right where she had been half a second earlier...

She screamed... I yelled What The Fu....

Did the owner (yeah they were right there smoking) even say or do anything? Nope. No grabbing their dog, no apology, nothing. They just continue to let their dog wander around aimlessly.

We got out of there otherwise it would have gotten ugly.

Had that dog actually ****ed on my wife? They would have heard the commotion all the way in the Magic Kingdom...

If Disney wants to let fake service dogs in their parks then that is fine, but they need to be prepared for some problems if they don't do something...

*end rant*

Anybody else experience problems with them?

Last year I called a lady out on it going into Disneyland. She had some little dog and I mentioned how it was convenient she could just bring him in. She was appalled and said, I got him certified, I replied I could get my dog "certified" too in about 5 minutes on the internet. Later that day I saw a massive great sane on main street. These people don't even have to pay hotel dog fees, something thus woman was bragging to her husband and prompted my confrontation.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Read this but make sure ok with your blood pressure going up first...because blood will boil!
http://www.cracked.com/personal-exp...e-faking-disabilities-to-get-service-dog.html

 

[mlee10]

Read this but make sure ok with your blood pressure going up first...because blood will boil!
http://www.cracked.com/personal-exp...e-faking-disabilities-to-get-service-dog.html

That about covers how abused the issue is! And blood boiling indeed. However the article does make a good point regarding not being able to see some disabilities. Looking at my daughter you would never know that she has epilepsy or that she has a need for a service animal. This is just another reason that it is so frustrating that people abuse this. She does however wear medical alert bracelets so we are able to show that, I usually find myself giving way to much information so I can defend why we have a service dog, which really makes the blood boil!

 

[joejccva71]

Some methods to spot fakes: (i also have no problem walking up to an owner and questioning whether it's a true service dog or not)

1. Reach out your hand to see if the dog comes over. MOST service dogs will not as they're very well trained and will not leave their owners side.

2. Have some food / munchies in your hand and sit down somewhere, whistle for the dog to come over while you're eating. If it's a true service dog they will not move.

3. If you see any "service dog" hop up on furniture, they are a fake.

4. This one is tougher to spot but most service dogs will only go to the bathroom upon command. If you see one just randomly lifting it's leg to pee or whatever, then further investigating should take place.

 

[mergatroid]

Some methods to spot fakes: (i also have no problem walking up to an owner and questioning whether it's a true service dog or not)

1. Reach out your hand to see if the dog comes over. MOST service dogs will not as they're very well trained and will not leave their owners side.

2. Have some food / munchies in your hand and sit down somewhere, whistle for the dog to come over while you're eating. If it's a true service dog they will not move.

3. If you see any "service dog" hop up on furniture, they are a fake.

4. This one is tougher to spot but most service dogs will only go to the bathroom upon command. If you see one just randomly lifting it's leg to pee or whatever, then further investigating should take place.

Does this include animals that aren't there to 'guide' guests such as dogs that can sense epilepsy?

 

[joejccva71]

Does this include animals that aren't there to 'guide' guests such as dogs that can sense epilepsy?

Not entirely sure about that.

 

[mergatroid]

Not entirely sure about that.

Fair enough. I know 'guide dogs' (as we call them in England) are very well trained as a blind gentlemen I worked with had one and it was good as gold.

 

[mlee10]

Some methods to spot fakes: (i also have no problem walking up to an owner and questioning whether it's a true service dog or not)

1. Reach out your hand to see if the dog comes over. MOST service dogs will not as they're very well trained and will not leave their owners side.

2. Have some food / munchies in your hand and sit down somewhere, whistle for the dog to come over while you're eating. If it's a true service dog they will not move.

3. If you see any "service dog" hop up on furniture, they are a fake.

4. This one is tougher to spot but most service dogs will only go to the bathroom upon command. If you see one just randomly lifting it's leg to pee or whatever, then further investigating should take place.

1. I would say this is fairly accurate. Depending on the level of training and if the owner has continued proper training with the dog. For the most part unless we gave her the go ahead our Nala doesn't leave Layla.

2. True

3. Our service dog IS allowed on the furniture as that was the way we requested she be trained. However, for the most part she NEVER gets on the furniture unless our daughter is also on said furniture.

4. True (at least in our case)

 

[mlee10]

Please know that for the most part (there are bad service dog owners out there) if a service animal is the REAL DEAL, you shouldn't have to ask. They will be well behaved and you should hardly notice they are there. I know in our case it's kind of hard not to notice a 70lb German Shepard but she if very good at disappearing. I think @jloucks would agree that properly trained service dogs take their work very seriously.

 

[jloucks]

Please know that for the most part (there are bad service dog owners out there) if a service animal is the REAL DEAL, you shouldn't have to ask. They will be well behaved and you should hardly notice they are there. I know in our case it's kind of hard not to notice a 70lb German Shepard but she if very good at disappearing. I think @jloucks would agree that properly trained service dogs take their work very seriously.

Definitely. The way they are raised seems to an outsider as pretty harsh. No playing ball, very little non-kennel free time (or none, really). These dogs are trained to be work dogs. Tools for people. They take their jobs super seriously as that is how they were raised as pups.

Another fun fact folks might not know about real service dogs is that they are bred to be service dogs. Generation after generation after generation of dogs are intentionally propagated based on their personalities/behaviors. Only the cream of the crop are not sterilized and allowed to breed. In other words, you don't even see the best of the best. I have, they are amazing.

So, another indicator you have a real service dog is that they are sterilized to protect the Intellectual/genetic property (if that is the right tern here?) of the program. It is a super giant no-no to let you dog impregnate, or be impregnated, during training.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Some methods to spot fakes: (i also have no problem walking up to an owner and questioning whether it's a true service dog or not)

1. Reach out your hand to see if the dog comes over. MOST service dogs will not as they're very well trained and will not leave their owners side.

2. Have some food / munchies in your hand and sit down somewhere, whistle for the dog to come over while you're eating. If it's a true service dog they will not move.

3. If you see any "service dog" hop up on furniture, they are a fake.

4. This one is tougher to spot but most service dogs will only go to the bathroom upon command. If you see one just randomly lifting it's leg to pee or whatever, then further investigating should take place.

The main problem with that system, is that guide dogs are train professionally because a person with a vision problem cannot afford to have a dog that will yell out "Squirrel" and then run after it. However, there are many types of service animals and those are allowed to be trained by the person or persons using the animal for that service. No formal training, no rigid rules of behavior, etc. This is allowed by the law. So most of those "warning" signs really mean nothing.

 

[joejccva71]

The main problem with that system, is that guide dogs are train professionally because a person with a vision problem cannot afford to have a dog that will yell out "Squirrel" and then run after it. However, there are many types of service animals and those are allowed to be trained by the person or persons using the animal for that service. No formal training, no rigid rules of behavior, etc. This is allowed by the law. So most of those "warning" signs really mean nothing.

The issue is that people think that because they have depression, anxiety or loneliness that their dogs are "service dogs" or "working dogs" and that's not the case. Comfort dogs are not working dogs or service dogs. People that abuse this system should be put in jail honestly.

I can understand dogs that give warnings to someone having a seizure, but that really is the ONLY case. The rest of the cases are for service dogs that are professionally trained.