Therapy Dog Question......

[slo]

As some know.....I manage a small doctor's office.
We have a patient that brings in her therapy dog and says that it is a "trained therapy dog". Every time she comes in, the dog barks, growls at the doctor, and today got out of it's carrier and started nipping at both of his legs. So....my question to those that know more than me.....

Is this normal?
Do trained therapy dogs behave like this? I thought trained therapy dogs were calm and people barely know it's there.

Or....

Is this not normal?

Discuss

ETA - If anyone wants a visual, this is the type of dog she has

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

That is NOT a therapy dog and it's an insult to people who truly need properly trained assistance dogs that she pulls this crap.

 

[soccerdad72]

I'm no expert (I'm sure a few will chime in), but I'm pretty confident that the dog in question was not a trained therapy dog.

 

[TippyThomas]

Sounds like a not well trained "emotional support animal".

 

[china mom]

Service animals are different from therapy dogs which are different from emotional support dogs. The latter two require no training and have no protections. They should be asked to leave (even if well behaved)

Even if a dog is a true service animal and is assisting a person with a disability, a business has a right to have the animal removed for improper behavior. I think growling, barking, nipping, and any other disruptive behavior would qualify and the owner should be made to remove the dog.

Emotional support animals are nor specific to the pet, rather it is the person who is "certified" as needing the animal. If I have/need an emotional support animal, I would have a letter from a mental health professional that allows me to have the animal in non pet friendly housing. If my ESA cat or dog and it dies, I can go to the pound and pick up any random animal to replace it.

I am not as versed in therapy animals but they are not specific to a particular person. They are animals who are trained to be taken to hospitals, disasters, senior centers etc to provide comfort. I do not believe that they have any legal protection to be in a specific place.

 

[BrianL]

There is no true standard for training a "therapy dog" which I take to mean the same as "emotional support animal." The ADA does not consider them service animals and an establishment is not required to permit them under ADA (assuming this incident happened in the US). Even if it is a service animal as defined by the ADA, if the animal is not under control of the owner and is misbehaving or being disruptive, then the animal and owner can be asked to leave. That's why true service animals are so well trained and acclimated to various environments. Many emotional support animals might also be trained as such, however it is clear that this one is not.

 

[gottalovepluto]

The doctor needs to look into state and local laws regarding this asap. Since the dog has now nipped at him he is potentially knowingly exposing his employee, you, to danger by allowing that dog in his office. He needs to look to cover his legal behind because if you get bit he could be seriously screwed depending on your state laws regarding "therapy dogs" and laws protecting employees.

 

[Kitty 34]

As some know.....I manage a small doctor's office.
We have a patient that brings in her therapy dog and says that it is a "trained therapy dog". Every time she comes in, the dog barks, growls at the doctor, and today got out of it's carrier and started nipping at both of his legs. So....my question to those that know more than me.....

Is this normal?
Do trained therapy dogs behave like this? I thought trained therapy dogs were calm and people barely know it's there.

Or....

Is this not normal?

Discuss

I question the nipping of the legs being part of a dog's therapy training??? Like, for what reason??

 

[LoveDaisy]

That is not normal I trained a failed therapy dog. My last dog I tried to train to be a therapy dog. I am a librarian and wanted her to do the read to dog programs. It was two years of extensive and intensive training. She had to pass multiple tests and the first was basic obedience. In the end she was afraid of wheel chairs and we could not pass the final test.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It sounds like the client finds the dog supportive to them and as such wants to take them where ever they please.

People often conflate what a therapy dog is and what an emotional support dog so it's not surprising the owner is claiming therapy. By your description only it sounds more like this is an emotional support dog to the owner rather than a therapy dog.

Legally emotional support animals do not have any protections with the exception of HUD which is for housing.

To protect yourself from potential blowbacks you should review the ADA website and have everywhere in the office read them. That is so you can inform the client, should they maintain this is a therapy dog, they need to not bring the dog in. Service animals you are limited in the questions you can ask, but I pointed out the ADA website to get ahead of the situation in case the client backpedals and tries to claim it is a service animal. As another poster mentioned even if a dog is a service animal an establishment can remove them if they cause a disturbance.

In terms of training people can train their own service animas even. The owner may be saying their therapy (most likely emotional support) dog is trained but it may be trained to what the owner is using it for, it does not make them a dog who is behaved around others.

 

[Genie+]

“I’m sorry but it against the health codes” is what we said when I managed a restaurant. There were a couple regulars who had service animals (both were blind) and those 2 dogs would lay under the table at the owners feet, remaining very quiet and calm - always. Most people accepted our reasoning that it was a health code violation for a restaurant if the dog wasn’t an actual service animal. A few grumbles about suing. Those never went anywhere.

I’m wondering if a doctor’s office has health codes that animals might violate?

 

[tvguy]

Fortunately ADA allows aggressive service or therapy dogs to be banned.

 

[firefly_ris]

Therapy Dogs and ESAs (Emotional Support Animals) do not have public access rights in the way a Service Dog does. If the person is describing them as a "therapy dog" instead of a SD, that would raise my suspicions immediately. Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there who prefer to take their pet everywhere they go and claim "therapy dog" without having an understanding of the terminology.

Service dogs are task-trained. You are able to ask them what tasks the dog does to mitigate their disability (you cannot ask what their disability is), and in the case of a dog exhibiting those behaviors, you can ask them to vacate the premises regardless.

 

[mistysue]

No, it's not normal. I have known a number of therapy dogs, and known three who have been removed from service for that sort of behavior. (Our school district went through a company claiming to train therapy dogs, who clearly did not know what they were doing as at least 2 of them bit a child)

Therapy dogs have NO right to be anywhere a regular pet isn't allowed. So if you aren't allowing everyone to bring pets, they have no special rights and you are under no obligation to give them special rights. Service animals have rights because by law they are basically medical equipment. They are different from emotional support or therapy dogs.

 

[slo]

It sounds like the client finds the dog supportive to them and as such wants to take them where ever they please.

People often conflate what a therapy dog is and what an emotional support dog so it's not surprising the owner is claiming therapy. By your description only it sounds more like this is an emotional support dog to the owner rather than a therapy dog.

Legally emotional support animals do not have any protections with the exception of HUD which is for housing.

To protect yourself from potential blowbacks you should review the ADA website and have everywhere in the office read them. That is so you can inform the client, should they maintain this is a therapy dog, they need to not bring the dog in. Service animals you are limited in the questions you can ask, but I pointed out the ADA website to get ahead of the situation in case the client backpedals and tries to claim it is a service animal. As another poster mentioned even if a dog is a service animal an establishment can remove them if they cause a disturbance.

In terms of training people can train their own service animas even. The owner may be saying their therapy (most likely emotional support) dog is trained but it may be trained to what the owner is using it for, it does not make them a dog who is behaved around others.

100%
She calls the dog a "trained therapy dog" but from her explanation on why she requires it, it is very much for emotional support.

 

[Living42Day]

Oh goodness, don't get me started on faux service animals.

It's such a difficult line, many seem to know just enough of the law to try and get around rules that stores, property management, etc have in place against animals with the exclusion of service dogs.

One girl from college got a note from the doctor for her German Shepard to be able to have him as an "emotional support dog" when really it was because there was a breed restriction enforced by the property management and she wanted to get around it. She got him when he was a puppy and there was no formal training for him, but she could have bought a vest online if there was pushback. The whole thing can be such a scam, unfortunately.

 

[Buzz Rules]

100%
She calls the dog a "trained therapy dog" but from her explanation on why she requires it, it is very much for emotional support.

Does she have documentation about the dog? Do state laws require proof of training?

 

[Genie+]

Here’s what Co-op of American Physicians had to say:

Neither California nor federal law provides protections for emotional support animals or pets and do not require that they be allowed in your office; it is up to your discretion. We do not recommend that you allow pets in the office because it opens the door to a variety of risk and office management issues. Dec 14, 2018

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Therapy dogs have NO right to be anywhere a regular pet isn't allowed. So if you aren't allowing everyone to bring pets, they have no special rights and you are under no obligation to give them special rights.

I do think you're meaning legal rights but as you've written it I would clarify that it's not a pet/no pet situation.

Places like court houses, police departments, schools (like you mentioned), hospitals, etc can allow or employ (as some court houses do for example) therapy animals and at the same time not allow pets. In addition legally speaking there are states (not quite half) that have actual laws in place regarding specifically courthouse or facility support dogs so there would actually be legal grounds in those situations in those states.

But again I think you mean the owner of the dog in question in the place in question doesn't have legal protections.

 

[slo]

Does she have documentation about the dog? Do state laws require proof of training?

We haven’t asked her, but we should.