Saw a pet dog (non-service dog) in Magic Kingdom yesterday

[Magpie]

A hamster is not a service animal. The ADA recently defined a service animal as either a dog:

"Beginning on March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized as service animals under titles II and III of the ADA."

or a horse:

"In addition to the provisions about service dogs, the Department’s revised ADA regulations have a new, separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities."

The hamster is probably an Emotional Support Animal. They don't have the same legal protections as Service Animals, in part because they're used to assist with psychological disabilities. People who would be sympathetic if you needed a dog for seizures or because you're blind, will often react in disgust if you need an animal to cope with crippling anxiety or agoraphobia. The assumption with any psychological disability is that you're faking it, or exaggerating its effects, and you just want the animal around for selfish reasons, or to show off, or to "get away" with breaking the rules everyone else has to follow.

It's kind of sad...

 

[Evoga]

How do you know it was not a service dog. My aunt has a stress service dog that she takes with her everywhere and he is a small dog and she pushes him in a stroller like that as well. Not all service animals are the way you are thinking I even have a friend who has a hamster as a service animal.

Is this a joke post? Hamster as a service animal? Has the world gone crazy.

 

[lustergirl]

Anyone have a beer to go with the popcorn?

 

[Magpie]

Is this a joke post? Hamster as a service animal? Has the world gone crazy.

http://blog.ncpad.org/2010/12/13/6-of-the-most-unusual-service-animals/

From the link: Six of the Most Unusual Service Animals

Ferrets, boa constrictors, parrots, miniature horses, pigs, Capuchin monkeys.

The public long has become accustomed to guide dogs for those with visual impairments, first used in 1929. But when the use of dogs for other types of help — such as alerting people with hearing impairments to sounds, pulling wheelchairs and helping with mobility issues — became common after enactment of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, controversy over access came with it.
The controversy intensified as other species entered the service-animal ring, and as “emotional-support animals,” those designated to help someone suffering from some form of psychiatric disability, have become common. Courts and human-rights commissions from East Coast to West Coast have dealt with access complaints pertaining to a service iguana, ferrets, a duck, goats and miniature horses, to name a few. The Americans with Disabilities Act provides a guideline that leaves open a circus of interpretations. Here we highlight some of the most unusual types of service animals used to assist people with disabilities in a variety of ways.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Anyone have a beer to go with the popcorn?

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

That said, my mom's friend paid $50 online for a certificate to make her dog a service dog so she could take it places So I guess you never know....

I have an aunt who did something similar. She paid a sum of money so that her dogs could be "registered" as service dogs and sit with her on transatlantic flights. I think she also acquired a corresponding mail order certificate regarding her emotional needs.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

If a seizure dog is that far away from its owner, how does it sense an impending seizure?

How then sense is one of the great miracles. but they don't have to be physically touching you.

Now, sadly saying your dog is a 'service' dog will get any pet in. (The airline "sales magazine" even sells little vests that say "service dog") But I have decided that "karma" will get me if I assume someone's animal is "just a pet" and if they are lying then "Karma" will get them. Kind of like those folks who complain about getting a handicapped accessible room, my view is one day "karma" will bite them, they will need the room and it won't be there..... So I just live and let live to try to reduce my risk!

 

[lustergirl]

Thanks. All that popcorn made me thirsty

 

[livndisney]

Is this a joke post? Hamster as a service animal? Has the world gone crazy.

This is why the ADA revised the rules in 2011. As previously stated a hamster is NOT a service animal. The ADA has written guidelines as to what qualifies as a service animal. States are now passing laws making it a crime to claim an animal is a service animal when in fact it is not.

"Therapy" animals are not service animals. Emotional supports dogs are not service animals.

 

[livndisney]

Thanks. All that popcorn made me thirsty

Does this help? LOL

 

[livndisney]

Per the ADA-not a service animal:



and even though he makes me feel better still not a service animal

 

[BuzzBelleMom]

I know someone who got the online certificate so their Yorkie could be an anxiety therapy dog and be with this person on flights, but no where else. Yorkie goes into a big shoulder bag in restaurants.

And thanks to all of that, now my kids want a Yorkie, because it is so cute and portable.

 

[bdcp]

It's only a matter of time til one of the fake untrained service dog bites someone and there's a lawsuit. A lot of these little dogs are high strung and it's bound to happen. That helps no one.

 

[jimmysmom74]

A true service dog can come in many shapes and sizes. An infant i cared for in the hospital, went home with a severe seizure disorder. The parents said the dog started barking at 3am and they went in to the baby's room and she looked fine. They watched for a minute or two and the seizure started. The heart monitor wasn't going off, only the dog. These dogs have a 24/7 job, and ppl who own them treat them like family. They save lives. So if their owners want to drive them in strollers and dress them like babies, to each their own. Judge less and be glad it's not your child, mom, or loved one who needs that dog.

I have no experience with the phony dogs, but I would have no way to tell if they weren't real, so i would never judge. IMHO

 

[lustergirl]

Does this help? LOL

Yummy!!!

 

[WDW1979]

...meh, I am unconvinced by those who claim what I saw was a service dog. I saw what I saw.

 

[hakepb]

As long as anyone wih a barking "service animal" is immediately rushed to he hospital for a full battery of tests...because real service animals know a problem will happen before a human realizes it.

 

[Freezing Cold B]

...meh, I am unconvinced by those who claim what I saw was a service dog. I saw what I saw.

It probably wasn't. But, it probably was claimed to be.

As someone who suffers from a plethora of health problems that I've seen people have "service/therapy" animals for it makes me want to scream. I have come to the realization everyone feels they are special and deserve special treatment.

That is not to say that there are not people who genuinely do need animals for help. And, I'm not saying that all of the animals come in the same package. It's just becoming ridiculous.

Also, as someone who has spent her entire 27 years of life around Miniature Horses, they shouldn't be used as service animals. They are prey animals, and the situations people put themselves in with them can be stressful for the horse and even dangerous. That makes me want to scream too. Especially, because the ones you see used for that are dwarfs and have health problems.

 

[Magpie]

It probably wasn't. But, it probably was claimed to be.

As someone who suffers from a plethora of health problems that I've seen people have "service/therapy" animals for it makes me want to scream. I have come to the realization everyone feels they are special and deserve special treatment.

That is not to say that there are not people who genuinely do need animals for help. And, I'm not saying that all of the animals come in the same package. It's just becoming ridiculous.

Also, as someone who has spent her entire 27 years of life around Miniature Horses, they shouldn't be used as service animals. They are prey animals, and the situations people put themselves in with them can be stressful for the horse and even dangerous. That makes me want to scream too. Especially, because the ones you see used for that are dwarfs and have health problems.

Oddly enough, since you have experience with horses, you'd be a perfect candidate for a guide horse if you were blind.

http://www.guidehorse.org/ says:

Who is the Ideal Guide Horse Owner?

The Guide Horse Foundation has had exceptional interest from the following types of people:

*Horse lovers - Blind people who have grown up with horses and understand equine behavior and care are ideal candidates.

*Allergenic people - Many people who are severely allergic to traditional guide animals and find horses a non-allergenic alternative for mobility.

*Mature Individuals - Many people report difficulty dealing with the grief of losing their animals, and horses tend to live far longer than traditional guides.

*Physically Disabled folks - Because of their docile nature, Guide Horses are easier to handle for individuals with physical disabilities. They are also strong enough to provide support, helping the handler to rise from their chair.

*Dog Phobia - Individuals who fear dogs are often comfortable working with a tiny horse.

*Outdoor Animal - Many individuals prefer a guide animal that does not have to live in the house when off duty.

As for being unable to manage stressful situations - I'm wondering how do the working horses I see in my city every day manage? They're carrying cops, putting on shows, pulling carriages, occasionally even helping break up riots/protests... They seem to cope happily enough. Are miniature horses more temperamental and high-strung than the full-sized variety?

 

[WantToGoNow]

I would imagine it was a service dog. Our mini Daschund is not licensed as a service animal but can tell when my dd29 is going to pass out and he follows her everywhere and climbs right up on her chest. He is a very loveable dog and wants to be close to her anyway but it is a noticeable difference when he's alerting her that something is wrong - and he's always right.