Planning a Service Dog's First Visit, a novel

[AGirlAndHerDog]

Having passed his PAT and CGC requirements, we're down to fine-tuning the service baby's training. In January, we're planning a week getaway and we're taking a couple of days to test his limits in December beforehand. As we all know, there's nothing quite like Disney and I've read everything I possibly can to figure out what we're going to need to do.

However, I'd really love to hear from people who have been recently with service dogs; especially younger ones. This big guy is going to be just at 2 when we go and has been actively serving regularly since Sept 2020. He's a good kid. He knows his stuff. But I fully expect to run into some interesting triggers and surprises. We'll be using DAS as I have multiple medical issues that are greatly helped by DAS (I've used it in the past and know my way around it).

 

[Randy Miller]

Has he been trained by you, or did he come to you as a trained service dog?

 

[Evita_W]

First off welcome, second it may help us to know where you are from as there are no requirements for service animals in the U.S. other than to be trained to perform tasks related to a disability which you have and shows proper behavior, of course dogs will still be dogs at times, but the question is if the behavior is quickly corrected or not. But if we know where you are from, it will help some to explain differences in how service animals are handled in the U.S. versus other countries, as it is different here.

Another interesting point is businesses do not have to allow service animals that are still considered to be in training; however, Disney generally will allow them.

One thing to watch for, especially at Hollywood Studios is squirrels. We were there with our friend and her service dog. We were sitting on a bench and her service dog was under the bench and a squirrel literally ran right in front of his nose. A cast member saw it and commented that the squirrel was clearly and deliberately taunting her service dog. And it really was indeed doing so, probably going "I know you can't do anything about it." He did react slightly, but was corrected and it was also understandable as to why.

One other thing to be conscious of are loud noises. On another trip, the same friend and here service dog were coming out of the bathroom in England at EPCOT and Illuminations started right as they were in the hallway in front of the restroom, which echoed extremely loudly. One of his jobs is keeping her safe from dangers, so he ran her away from the noise as fast as possible. So, something to be aware of and it could have looked like he was misbehaving when it was more he heard danger and was doing his job and nothing was going to deter him until he felt she was safe.

As for how things work, any rides where a service animal cannot safely ride will have a crate available.

Also, remember that if there is an escalator or moving walkway, it should be bypassed or stopped as the pads of the dogs feet can get caught and injured severely.

Depending on time of year, you may wish to invest in socks to prevent feet from burning and a cooling vest and add a service dog patch to it, as it can get extremely hot in Florida.

It should also be noted that last I have heard, Disney, along with most theme parks is now strictly limiting to on service dog per person with disability due to some.people having brought what could only be described as packs of service animals in the past and causing a lot of problems. And I believe they are limiting to one service dog per room as well, but I am not as sure about that one.

Disney security has also been known lately to invite those with service dogs that are misbehaving to leave the premises if the misbehavior isn't being corrected or has caused injury to another person. This is a point that has been cracked down on lately from what I understand.

 

[Randy Miller]

A

First off welcome, second it may help us to know where you are from as there are no requirements for service animals in the U.S. other than to be trained to perform tasks related to a disability which you have and shows proper behavior, of course dogs will still be dogs at times, but the question is if the behavior is quickly corrected or not. But if we know where you are from, it will help some to explain differences in how service animals are handled in the U.S. versus other countries, as it is different here.

Another interesting point is businesses do not have to allow service animals that are still considered to be in training; however, Disney generally will allow them.

One thing to watch for, especially at Hollywood Studios is squirrels. We were there with our friend and her service dog. We were sitting on a bench and her service dog was under the bench and a squirrel literally ran right in front of his nose. A cast member saw it and commented that the squirrel was clearly and deliberately taunting her service dog. And it really was indeed doing so, probably going "I know you can't do anything about it." He did react slightly, but was corrected and it was also understandable as to why.

One other thing to be conscious of are loud noises. On another trip, the same friend and here service dog were coming out of the bathroom in England at EPCOT and Illuminations started right as they were in the hallway in front of the restroom, which echoed extremely loudly. One of his jobs is keeping her safe from dangers, so he ran her away from the noise as fast as possible. So, something to be aware of and it could have looked like he was misbehaving when it was more he heard danger and was doing his job and nothing was going to deter him until he felt she was safe.

As for how things work, any rides where a service animal cannot safely ride will have a crate available.

Also, remember that if there is an escalator or moving walkway, it should be bypassed or stopped as the pads of the dogs feet can get caught and injured severely.

Depending on time of year, you may wish to invest in socks to prevent feet from burning and a cooling vest and add a service dog patch to it, as it can get extremely hot in Florida.

It should also be noted that last I have heard, Disney, along with most theme parks is now strictly limiting to on service dog per person with disability due to some.people having brought what could only be described as packs of service animals in the past and causing a lot of problems. And I believe they are limiting to one service dog per room as well, but I am not as sure about that one.

Disney security has also been known lately to invite those with service dogs that are misbehaving to leave the premises if the misbehavior isn't being corrected or has caused injury to another person. This is a point that has been cracked down on lately from what I understand.

actually, a certified and trained service dog should NEVER get distracted from its job. Ever. That is one of the indicators as to the “validity” of a dogs true training and purpose. While the trained service dog is “working” ( defined as on alert to do a specific task for a person with a disability) they will not be distracted by anything and will never bark unless that is the dogs way of alerting.
However, a lot of people try to pass emotional support animals and therapy dogs as service dogs. The true indicator, as mentioned in the above post, is that a service dog is trained to do a “job” for an individual person. They will never seek attention, appear nervous, pull on a leash, ride in a stroller or cart, bark, whine or beg.
a service dog will always remain on a leash while working but if smaller might be carried. A smaller service dogs specific job ( all service dogs must have a specific job they do for their Person) might be a “hearing” dog ( such as a papillon) to help alert an individual of certain sounds they might encounter.
A true service dog will never be distracted or “be a dog” while working

 

[Evita_W]

A

actually, a certified and trained service dog should NEVER get distracted from its job. Ever. That is one of the indicators as to the “validity” of a dogs true training and purpose. While the trained service dog is “working” ( defined as on alert to do a specific task for a person with a disability) they will not be distracted by anything and will never bark unless that is the dogs way of alerting.
However, a lot of people try to pass emotional support animals and therapy dogs as service dogs. The true indicator, as mentioned in the above post, is that a service dog is trained to do a “job” for an individual person. They will never seek attention, appear nervous, pull on a leash, ride in a stroller or cart, bark, whine or beg.
a service dog will always remain on a leash while working but if smaller might be carried. A smaller service dogs specific job ( all service dogs must have a specific job they do for their Person) might be a “hearing” dog ( such as a papillon) to help alert an individual of certain sounds they might encounter.
A true service dog will never be distracted or “be a dog” while working

They should never get distracted, that is true; however, they are still animals and none of them are perfect all the time, no one, human or animal is and people forget that sometimes and when misbehavior does happen (which happens with even the best service animals, especially when on duty for 12+ hours a day at a theme park) it needs to be corrected quickly. You will never find a service animal that doesn't occasionally misbehave or make a mistake and it.doesnt matter who trained them, it will happen. Why? Because they are still dogs (or miniature horses, although I have never seen one in the parks). Can you honestly say your behavior is perfect.at your job 100% of the time? Especially if you work 12 hour days for say 10 days in a row?

As for pulling on a leash, for example, sometimes that is indeed the behavior that they are trained to do to alert the person of an issue. For example, I know of someone who is highly allergic to cigarette smoke and the dog was trained to smell it before they could and direct them elsewhere, which would look to a bystander as pulling on a leash.

Another is a diabetic alert dog that make be barking to alert the person of an issue.

Or another is to distract a person from a situation that is about to trigger a panic attack (and yes this is now officially considered a service animal and not an emotional support animal, although the argument could be made that they are both at the same time)

But there is no such thing as a certified service dog in the U.S. and anyone who claims there is ends up causing a lot of problems for those with legitimate service animals. And thank goodness we don't have certifications, as likely they would end up barring owner training and making service animals cost prohibitive for most of those that truly need them. Add in the fact that honestly, the ones that usually do the best are the owner trained ones. I have seen so many so called professionally trained service animals doing things that have been downright aggressive towards other service dogs, to the point of lunging at them when they are laying on the ground, doing nothing that you wouldn't believe it.

So, don't try to say "certified" service animals, they don't exist. There are certified therapy animals and emotional support animals, but they are not service animals. So if someone says they have certifications for a service animal in the U.S., they are either lying or were deceived by fraud.

 

[Randy Miller]

They should never get distracted, that is true; however, they are still animals and none of them are perfect all the time, no one, human or animal is and people forget that sometimes and when misbehavior does happen (which happens with even the best service animals, especially when on duty for 12+ hours a day at a theme park) it needs to be corrected quickly. You will never find a service animal that doesn't occasionally misbehave or make a mistake and it.doesnt matter who trained them, it will happen. Why? Because they are still dogs (or miniature horses, although I have never seen one in the parks). Can you honestly say your behavior is perfect.at your job 100% of the time? Especially if you work 12 hour days for say 10 days in a row?

As for pulling on a leash, for example, sometimes that is indeed the behavior that they are trained to do to alert the person of an issue. For example, I know of someone who is highly allergic to cigarette smoke and the dog was trained to smell it before they could and direct them elsewhere, which would look to a bystander as pulling on a leash.

Another is a diabetic alert dog that make be barking to alert the person of an issue.

Or another is to distract a person from a situation that is about to trigger a panic attack (and yes this is now officially considered a service animal and not an emotional support animal, although the argument could be made that they are both at the same time)

But there is no such thing as a certified service dog in the U.S. and anyone who claims there is ends up causing a lot of problems for those with legitimate service animals. And thank goodness we don't have certifications, as likely they would end up barring owner training and making service animals cost prohibitive for most of those that truly need them. Add in the fact that honestly, the ones that usually do the best are the owner trained ones. I have seen so many so called professionally trained service animals doing things that have been downright aggressive towards other service dogs, to the point of lunging at them when they are laying on the ground, doing nothing that you wouldn't believe it.

So, don't try to say "certified" service animals, they don't exist. There are certified therapy animals and emotional support animals, but they are not service animals. So if someone says they have certifications for a service animal in the U.S., they are either lying or were deceived by fraud.

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this as I don’t wa t to do this all day. There are trained service animals that do have authentication/accreditation/certifications. They are certified and they are the only ones recognized by the ADA.
A device animal is an animal that is trained to do a specific job for its individual.
Under ADA you may ask 2 questions:
1. I’d your dog a service dog?
2. What job is your dog trained to do?
You can have documentation (“certification”) of your service animal being “trained” professionally and appropriately. Under the ADA rules, a business may not ask for that proof nor do you have to provide it. Many individuals that do have trained service dogs carry the “proof” with them in case they are questioned and would like to show the “proof”
A trained service dog is NOT a “dog” they are a piece of medical equipment. Period. They will never ever be distracted and you are correct in stating that they will only pull, bark or nudge to “alert”. If they need to be on the job for 24 hours they will, without any deviation from their job. They will never “act like a regular dog” unless released by their individual to do so. That is what makes a “certified” service dog a service dog. It is not a pet, not a companion, not a best friend. It is trained to be a piece of medical equipment. An emotional support dog is not a service dog. A psychiatric service dog is a service dog. A Therapy dog is not a service dog. It is a therapy dog This is all listed as nauseum under the ADA.
And, yes, i know this because we have 2 complex medical needs/severe special needs boys that will benefit from a trained/certified mobility service dog

 

[Evita_W]

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this as I don’t wa t to do this all day. There are trained service animals that do have authentication/accreditation/certifications. They are certified and they are the only ones recognized by the ADA.
A device animal is an animal that is trained to do a specific job for its individual.
Under ADA you may ask 2 questions:
1. I’d your dog a service dog?
2. What job is your dog trained to do?
You can have documentation (“certification”) of your service animal being “trained” professionally and appropriately. Under the ADA rules, a business may not ask for that proof nor do you have to provide it. Many individuals that do have trained service dogs carry the “proof” with them in case they are questioned and would like to show the “proof”
A trained service dog is NOT a “dog” they are a piece of medical equipment. Period. They will never ever be distracted and you are correct in stating that they will only pull, bark or nudge to “alert”. If they need to be on the job for 24 hours they will, without any deviation from their job. They will never “act like a regular dog” unless released by their individual to do so. That is what makes a “certified” service dog a service dog. It is not a pet, not a companion, not a best friend. It is trained to be a piece of medical equipment. An emotional support dog is not a service dog. A psychiatric service dog is a service dog. A Therapy dog is not a service dog. It is a therapy dog This is all listed as nauseum under the ADA.
And, yes, i know this because we have 2 complex medical needs/severe special needs boys that will benefit from a trained/certified mobility service dog

Again, there is no such thing as legally recognized certification in the U.S. if someone has convinced you otherwise, in sorry you got scammed. Yes, you can have certification that they went through training, just as any dog can go through different training and get a certificate, but it is not legally recognized in the U.S. for service animals.

Legally yes, they are medical equipment, but they are indeed still dogs that need shots, food, etc., it is their nature and you cannot eliminate that completely, no matter how well trained they are.

Just as you can't change the fact that you are human being, you can't change the fact that deep down they are a dog, which is why I brought up the point for the OP that misbehavior should be quickly corrected. But as you say, we can agree to disagree on that point.

Now there are also people with "service animals" that show bad behavior, for example if you do have a legitimate service animal, please do not out them in danger. I have seen people holding their "service dog" over animal enclosures at the zoo. They were promptly banned when an employee saw them doing it.

Speaking of zoos, which includes animal kingdom, if your service animal is causing stress to an animal or the animal is causing stress to your service animal, please move along. Curiosity is one thing, stress and you can tell is another.

 

[SueM in MN]

This page from the Disney World website will be helpful to you for planning.
WDW Service Animal Information

It lists attractions that Service Animals are not allowed on; those will have a crate available, although there may be a wait if someone else is already using the crate. Some close by attractions may also share crates.
You can do Rider Swap which allows one member of your group to stay with the dog while others are riding. After the first group gets off, the ‘waiter‘ can ride with one or 2 who ride for a second time.
The attractions that don’t allow Service Animals are usually roller coaster/thrill type rides that would be too rough (Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, etc), don’t have room for a dog or have things that might distress a dog (smoke smell of Spaceship Earth, sounds/etc on A Bug’s Life).
Service Dogs are well trained, but even the best trained dog can be stressed by things that are so out of the ordinary that they never encountered before.

 

[AGirlAndHerDog]

Thank you, Sue and Evita! We are indeed in the US. I'm choosing not to get into his background or his training because that's a very private thing and Randy seems to be feeling combative. Though I am certainly sorry that you find yourself in the same boat as me with regards to needing service dogs in the family. It makes planning all that much more interesting.

Part of his work is indeed diabetic alert, but we've worked from loud barks to soft whimpers and whines and poking all over with his nose as an alert, instead. We're big movie goers and I don't want to interrupt the people around us.

It'll just be him and me but he's a good lad in a crate (we've practiced randomly crating him around the mall and leaving him, etc for exposure to things like we expect to see at the park. never an issue, obviously).

Regarding his focus: never an issue. He looks at other stuff, but he's a dog. They do that. If a service dog stares directly forward at all times and is nothing but a rock, I'd argue it's too focused and will probably be more likely to have a bad reaction to a kid trying to slam a stroller into them (or whatever) versus one who occasionally looks around and may see it coming.

He's had kids yank on his tail, dealt with black friday flawlessly last year, movies, restaurants, outdoor festivals; no issues at all. We're going to go see fireworks with his headphones on and see what he thinks about those, too, within the next couple of weeks. And, again, he's passed his PAT and CGC. This is not a beginner or one in training.

Its just Disney is a whole other situation and something we haven't yet done. I am probably overthinking it

 

[SueM in MN]

The PAT test, mentioned by the OP is the PUBLIC ACCESS TEST, which shows a Service Dog and handler have the minimum skills and training to safely function out in public without a trainer. It’s not necessarily the end of training,
CGC stands for Canine Good Citizen. It is not specific to Service Dogs or Therapy Dogs; it’s just an American Kennel Club test of obedience and ability to be a ‘good citizen’ out in public.
NEITHER are required for a dog to be a Service Dog and there are NO certifications required for Service Dogs in the US, although many are.
The only requirements are:
- the person using the dog has a disability (as defined by the ADA)
- the dog has been individually trained to do some specific skills or tasks to mitigate the disability
- the dog must be obedient and behave in public (not doing things like barking, jumping, urinating, etc)
- Psychiatric Service Dogs have been trained to take some type of action when they notice stress in their ‘person’ or conditions that cause that person stress.

Emotional Support Dogs have NOT been trained and are not Service Dogs - the people with an Emotional Support Dog often say ‘he’s here for me to pet when I feel stress’. ‘Being petted’ is not a trained behavior - almost every dog likes being petted.
In my family’s experience, people with Emotional Support Dogs are the most likely to be talking about certification and wanting to show their papers.

My daughter had a Service Dog; we did research on bringing him, but never did because the things he did for her were not things she especially needed at WDW (picking things up for her, fetching things and getting DH or me).

Some of the things we considered:
- bringing a Service Dog is kind of like bringing a very well behaved child. The dog is trained to be invisible and to serve the person’s needs. It’s up to the handler to recognize if the dog is getting too tired, hot or in need of water or a break. Even the best trained Service Dog is probably going to have not been exposed to the intensity of what they will be exposed to at WDW. He/she may tire faster.

- Foot protection is a must. Some people have their dogs wear booties or shoes. Our dog never liked them - we used Mushers’ Wax on his paws. It is used by dog sledders to protect their dogs’ feet from cold. It also works as a thermal barrier against hot surface. Look for grass places the dog can walk periodically for a break.

- water is very important. Some people use a collapsible bowl - you can get water from restaurants or places with fountain drinks. Our dog liked chomping on ice, which is good for fluid plus cooling off. One useful thing our trainer taught him was to drink out of a water bottle. We kind of squirted the water into his mouth.

- your dog can’t be left alone in the room (at least last I checked). Disney does have a boarding or day kennel you and take him too. That’s a good break if he needs a day off or you have a day of thrill rides that he can’t go on planned.

- if you have new things (shoes, collapsible bowl, drinking out of water bottle) get him/her used to those things before going to WDW.

 

[AGirlAndHerDog]

Oh, absolutely the PAT and CGC aren't required. We just felt better having them.

Shoes is our special project for the summer this year. Thus far, Walmart is even cooler with shoes that go tappatappatappa, in his opinion. Tail up, wagging, thought it was super neat. Which is a relief, because it's so flipping hot here.

We already have water bottles and collapsible bowls. I have absolutely no intention of leaving him at any point other than crated as required for rides. If he gets tired, we'll go snooze at a show or take a nice, long break.

He is both a counterbalance and diabetic alert dog, so no ESD here.

Even the best trained Service Dog is probably going to have not been exposed to the intensity of what they will be exposed to at WDW.

Yeah, I think this is my most major concern. I expect to have to give him a primer here or there because of that intensity. I wish I could take him to say, Carolwinds or Six Flags, but the heat is already killing my joints.

 

[SueM in MN]

Oh, absolutely the PAT and CGC aren't required. We just felt better having them.

Shoes is our special project for the summer this year. Thus far, Walmart is even cooler with shoes that go tappatappatappa, in his opinion. Tail up, wagging, thought it was super neat. Which is a relief, because it's so flipping hot here.

We already have water bottles and collapsible bowls. I have absolutely no intention of leaving him at any point other than crated as required for rides. If he gets tired, we'll go snooze at a show or take a nice, long break.

He is both a counterbalance and diabetic alert dog, so no ESD here.





Yeah, I think this is my most major concern. I expect to have to give him a primer here or there because of that intensity. I wish I could take him to say, Carolwinds or Six Flags, but the heat is already killing my joints.

The comments about PAT, CGC and Emotional Support Dogs were more for other posters who might not have known what they were or thought they were required.

 

[Evita_W]

The comments about PAT, CGC and Emotional Support Dogs were more for other posters who might not have known what they were or thought they were required.

Thank you for that.

 

[AGirlAndHerDog]

The comments about PAT, CGC and Emotional Support Dogs were more for other posters who might not have known what they were or thought they were required.

An excellent mention, too. I didn't even think about it, sorry!

 

[SueM in MN]

An excellent mention, too. I didn't even think about it, sorry!

I don’t remember if this was on a training or our daughter’s dog‘s (Niles) final test, but I remember this really vividly.
We went to a Petco because they are very dog friendly, plus have a number of ‘temptations’. The trainer was behind Niles far enough that he couldn’t see her. One of my assignments was to stop, tell him to ‘Sit. Stay” and then walk out of his sight, stay away for a few minutes (I think 3-5), then come back and get him.
The trainer was watching from a place where she could observe him the whole time, but he couldn’t see her even if he got up and turned around. When I came back, I saw I had sat him next to a torn bag of dog food with food leaking out of the bag!
The trainer told me that he had stayed sitting the entire time, looking in the direction I went. He had even ignored another dog that sniffed him and the broken bag of food.

On one restaurant trip, he was settled under the table next to our daughter. When the waitress came over to check on us after serving us, she stepped on something under the table. She apologized and said the group before us included a toddler who must have dropped a piece of food. Looking under the table, she was surprised to see a dog there and realized she stepped on Niles paw. He never made a sound and didn’t make a move.

That‘s how obedient and in control a Service Dog needs to be.
Without his vest, when he wasn’t working, he was known to steal food off the counter (Labradors are very food driven), including eating half a container of brownies, which led to a vet trip, a stomach pumping and 2 days of really foul smelling low fat canned dog food topped with charcoal (foul smelling to us - Niles and our other dog came running when that can was opened).
But, once the vest was on, he was totally ‘on task’ and obedient.

 

[AGirlAndHerDog]

I don’t remember if this was on a training or our daughter’s dog‘s (Niles) final test, but I remember this really vividly.
We went to a Petco because they are very dog friendly, plus have a number of ‘temptations’. The trainer was behind Niles far enough that he couldn’t see her. One of my assignments was to stop, tell him to ‘Sit. Stay” and then walk out of his sight, stay away for a few minutes (I think 3-5), then come back and get him.
The trainer was watching from a place where she could observe him the whole time, but he couldn’t see her even if he got up and turned around. When I came back, I saw I had sat him next to a torn bag of dog food with food leaking out of the bag!
The trainer told me that he had stayed sitting the entire time, looking in the direction I went. He had even ignored another dog that sniffed him and the broken bag of food.

On one restaurant trip, he was settled under the table next to our daughter. When the waitress came over to check on us after serving us, she stepped on something under the table. She apologized and said the group before us included a toddler who must have dropped a piece of food. Looking under the table, she was surprised to see a dog there and realized she stepped on Niles paw. He never made a sound and didn’t make a move.

That‘s how obedient and in control a Service Dog needs to be.
Without his vest, when he wasn’t working, he was known to steal food off the counter (Labradors are very food driven), including eating half a container of brownies, which led to a vet trip, a stomach pumping and 2 days of really foul smelling low fat canned dog food topped with charcoal (foul smelling to us - Niles and our other dog came running when that can was opened).
But, once the vest was on, he was totally ‘on task’ and obedient.

Yeah, we've had people run over his tail with carts and whatnot. A slight flinch, but it's just made him better about being aware of where his tail is.

Drop his leash, put him in a stay in the middle of a Petco, a Petsmart, a Walmart, a busy mall, the Aquarium near us- you name it, people can throw treats and call his name and he doesn't budge until he's given his release word. Which is on his tag, so if there's an emergency situation he can be released by a stranger and led out of, I don't know, a burning building or some such.

With restaurants we just slide him under and he usually goes to sleep because I'm sitting down and well, I'm eating. Blood glucose worries in check, you know? Even then, I usually feel a soft little nose boop my leg every 15 minutes to check on me. But he knows its okay to rest in rest-aurants.

It sounds like he's pretty comparable all the way around. You gotta love a lab because yeah, they will go through a wall to eat a whole stick of butter for no reason at all, but they are truly wonderful dogs.

 

[suemom2kay]

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this as I don’t wa t to do this all day. There are trained service animals that do have authentication/accreditation/certifications. They are certified and they are the only ones recognized by the ADA.
A device animal is an animal that is trained to do a specific job for its individual.
Under ADA you may ask 2 questions:
1. I’d your dog a service dog?
2. What job is your dog trained to do?
You can have documentation (“certification”) of your service animal being “trained” professionally and appropriately. Under the ADA rules, a business may not ask for that proof nor do you have to provide it. Many individuals that do have trained service dogs carry the “proof” with them in case they are questioned and would like to show the “proof”
A trained service dog is NOT a “dog” they are a piece of medical equipment. Period. They will never ever be distracted and you are correct in stating that they will only pull, bark or nudge to “alert”. If they need to be on the job for 24 hours they will, without any deviation from their job. They will never “act like a regular dog” unless released by their individual to do so. That is what makes a “certified” service dog a service dog. It is not a pet, not a companion, not a best friend. It is trained to be a piece of medical equipment. An emotional support dog is not a service dog. A psychiatric service dog is a service dog. A Therapy dog is not a service dog. It is a therapy dog This is all listed as nauseum under the ADA.
And, yes, i know this because we have 2 complex medical needs/severe special needs boys that will benefit from a trained/certified mobility service dog

My friend had a guide dog that had to go back for re-training because she let her get away with gutter surfing (NYC). She loves spoiling her dogs and had to regularly check herself. Service animals are still dogs and will make mistakes occasionally. And they’re success is definitely influenced by their handler. They’re not robots.

 

[RoseGold]

Disney is crowded, and kids are jerks. I saw a kid absolutely messing with a service dog, and the parents did nothing about it. Honestly, I would expect very bad, even dangerous, behavior from kids. And there are a lot of kids everywhere.

 

[SueM in MN]

I’m going to close this thread because it was started in June 2021 and the OP has not been active on DISBOARDS since then