Essay on Legitimate Guide Dogs Versus Fake Guide Dogs

I wrote this essay for a non-fiction class in the spring of 2016. The Americans with Disabilities Act—or ADA—a service animal "is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability." Whether sight-impaired, diabetic or prone to seizures, a service animal performs a valuable task essential to their owner's daily living. Therefore, it is unfortunate that unscrupulous individuals are selling products that allow household pets to be passed off as certified work animals.. [Thesis] By participating in the doggy deception, pet owners don't realize the difficult situation they're creating for those who truly need the use of a service animal." [Thesis] Recently my doctor wrote me a note stating that my Chihuahua, Sadie, is my emotional support animal. To clarify, an ESA is not considered a service animal. Knowing little about the line between a comfort and service dog, I made inquiries and searched the web in order to avoid establishments where she wasn't allowed. In my research, I came across a couple of websites selling certificates and harnesses that would proclaim your support animal as a service animal. The discovery upset me. I'm acquainted with responsible guide dog owners who constantly struggle with negative attitudes. To learn that people are blatantly promoting the practice of selling service animal paraphenalia in order to abuse the law is sickening. In a New Yorker article entitled "Pets Allowed," Patricia Marx writes about people passing their pets off as service animals. Her statement about support animals being like a "blankie" is spot on. I require Sadie for emotional needs. However, if I needed to leave my dog at home, I can still go through the day normally. I would say majority of disabled individuals, if not all of them, need their service animal with them at all times. I have been fortunate the last half dozen years to attend the American Council of the Blind's national convention. My first trip was in 2010. While I've had close friends with guide dogs, the convention was a eye-opening experience. I'd never been in one place with so many people. Or so many guide dogs. The Downtown Phoenix Hotel had approximately 1,000 blind people in residence. I would guess that 40% of that number had dogs. Perhaps more. Being from Hawaii, it was almost overwhelming to be around so many blind people. While in Phoenix I met doctors, lawyers, teachers, athletes, techies and so on. I tended to gravitate to the people that had guide dogs since it was my goal in the next few years to apply for one. I knew there was so much to learn. It wasn't just about applying and receiving training with the dog. There would be the distasteful experiences with people that would be less-than-welcome of a big, sixty-plus pound dog in their place of business.. The unpleasant experiences were the issues I wanted to hear. I'm not a person that deals well with negative confrontation. I have a hard time letting go of stressful situations. This creates massive anxiety attacks that manifests itself into headaches or illness. Hence, the reason I sought to acquire an emotional support animal and not a guide dog. I realized I wanted a service animal for the wrong reasons. I'm very happy now with my Sadie. But despite not seeking a service animal, I keep myself informed of the happenings regarding dogs being passed off as service animals. Mainly because I feel the issue doesn't just affect the blind, but all disabled dog owners. My personal grievance with the people who perpetuate the doggy deception is the inability to understand and/or the unwillingness to admit what they're doing is causing harm. One day I was picked up by the city's paratransit service. I happened to be sharing the ride with an older man. He complimented me on Sadie and asked if she were my service animal. I explained she was not. I offhandedly mentioned I was still learning where I could and couldn't take her. The man said I should just go and get a harness and pass her off as a service animal. I was quick to tell him that I didn't like the idea. The man leaned towards me and with a smile in his voice said, "Who's going to know?" I said to him, "Because doing that will cause problems for those who have service animals." Bless my driver, she chose that moment to chime in and back up my decision. She confirmed that yes, it would cause problems, because legally she, the driver, is not allowed to ask for proof that the dog is a service animal. Without trying to badmouth my travelmate, it is attitudes such as his that keep the business of selling fake harnesses alive. The problem with his statement that "no one will know" is false. When a dog displays unruly behavior, defacates in a restaurant and/or bites a server, it becomes clear very fast that the animal is not a proper service animal. That is not to say that there isn't the occasional misbehaving guide dog. I have seen and heard of a few of those, but negative incidents aren't frequent. Another situation I encountered in which a blase attitude was taken to the fake service dog subject came when I followed a Facebook thread by a former secretary of the American Council of the Blind. Ms. Lieberg was reading a book by a well-known romance author when she encountered a scene in which the hero needed to take his dog on a plane. To do so, the hero lied and claimed his dog was a service dog. In the novel, when the hero was asked what service the dog performed, he joked that the dog "cut his meat." Ms. Lieberg took to social media to speak of her disappointment that an author she enjoyed reading with take such a lighthearted attitude. She further expressed her feelings in a letter, to which the author graciously replied. Unfortunately, Ms. Lieberg didn't get the response she was hoping. In her message, the author says, "...I'm skeptical about 'fraudulent' service dogs, because having a dog masquerade falsely as a service dog is a crime..." The rest of the author's response appears to accuse Ms. Lieberg of undervaluing service animals other than seeing eye dogs, plus her thoughts on service dogs itself. Being a third party to all of this, I can see both sides. However, my personal opinion is that the author's reply deviated from the topic at hand. Ms. Lieberg's point of contention was the fact that the novel's hero made light, even a joke, on passing his pet off as a service animal. It's true that we're only talking about a fictional novel, but I feel that more care should be taken with the subject. Of course, people like Ivana Trump taking her dog into a restaurant and having one of her entourage show a card saying the dog was allowed because it "was the law" aren't helping. It's true that spoiled celebreties might be the exception, but starlets hold a lot of public sway. If a person sees Ivana Trump doing it, it's a no-brainer that people will be doing the same thing in an attempt to copy her. Perhaps not for the same reasons, but the results are the same. Majority of the population aren't aware of the difficulties that guide dog owners contend with on a weekly, if not daily, basis. There are weekly Facebook posts and tweets where I read of an acquaintance being refused a cab ride or asked to leave a restaurant. I'm baffled that these things are happening. It's another reason why I'm upset that people can't understand the promotion of a fake guide dog is hurting the people it should be helping. The use of a dog as a service animal goes back decades. The Seeing Eye, the first United States guide dog school, opened its doors in 1929. Thus, after all this time it's unfortunate that legitimate service dog owners are still encountering ignorance and hardship. Laws to regulate support animals from genuine service animals may seem like a waste of time or not a big deal, but when you're the person that winds up in the situation, attitudes change quickly. Marion Gwizdala, the president of the National Association of Guide Dog Users, wrote on the topic of fake guide dogs. In his article, "Fake Service Dogs: Problem or Propaganda?" he says that people using fake guide dogs are "...feigning a disability in order to attempt to take advantage of the laws that permit disabled individuals to be accompanied by a service dog." The latter statement by Mr. Gwizdala hits the nail on the head. My grievance with the whole subject deals with the idiots who feel they're above the law and do what they want. It's no different then finding someone using a relative's blue handicap plaque to take advantage of disabled parking stalls. Overall, reading Mr. Gwizdala's article has made me rethink my attitude on the selling of service dog equipment. He and his wife buy additional gear from independent sellers because their products work better when going to the beach and having to deal with metal detectors. The point he makes is a dog's gear doesn't make "a dog a service dog." I concur. Thus, I will continue to support my fellow guide dog owners against service animal users and abusers. LOG OF COMPLETED ACTIVITIES Respond to each of the following with a Y (yes) or N (no). Y 1. For this paper, I completed all the required readings (and viewings if any) before the deadline. Y 2. For this paper, I participated in all the Laulima discussions before the deadline. Y 3. Following the guidelines, I submitted an RD before the deadline. Y 4. Using the guidelines, I evaluated three review drafts (RDs) before the deadline. Y 5. Following the guidelines above, I’m submitting my final draft (FD) on time. Y 6. I understand that an N response to one or more of the items in this log could affect my score for this paper. Furthermore, by failing to append this log to my FD, I understand that my FD is incomplete and may not be evaluated.