To container or not to container; that is the question.

I do understand your concern about your pet, but to do this is a DISSERVICE to those who have a real need for a service animal. Please don't do this.

wolterman, i love havasu. just curious what is bringing you here? my mom lives there and although it gets hot in the summer, there is just so much more to do there.

rosesisland, where in arkansas. i lived in heber springs for a year. very pretty part of the country, but never have i been so hot in the summer, not even in arizona

I do understand your concern about your pet, but to do this is a DISSERVICE to those who have a real need for a service animal. Please don't do this.

How so? How would this impact "those who have a real need" more than any "normal" person?

Because it calls into question the necessity for anyone using these services. When I see a "healthy" person use a handicapped spot, I become cynical about the program. I don't know if that person has heart disease, or whatever that can't be seen. In the same way, when a person gets an animal classified as "service" when that is not the case, it calls into question all other such designated animals.

And besides which, it's morally and ethically wrong.

I just read your post as well that you can't take your dog. We registered our dog as a service dog she is a lab mix and she sat right under our feet just google services animals and how to register them we had no problems at all!!!

Don't you have to have a disability to register a dog as a service dog?

What is a service animal?

A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.

Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. "Seeing eye dogs" are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include:

_ Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds.

_ Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.

_ Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance.

A service animal is not a pet.

Source(s):

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/qasrvc.htm

http://www.dogplay.com/Activities/Therap…

wolterman, i love havasu. just curious what is bringing you here? my mom lives there and although it gets hot in the summer, there is just so much more to do there.

rosesisland, where in arkansas. i lived in heber springs for a year. very pretty part of the country, but never have i been so hot in the summer, not even in arizona

We moved here for work my husbands family has been building pools here for 4 and a half years

Yes my father in law has heart condition.

Speedy, We live in Magnolia, in south Arkansas, not nearly as beautiful as the area you are familiar with. We are 17 miles from Louisiana.

wolterman, my husband is a pool tech with his brother's pool business Northshore, Mass area. He goes up there during the summer months and works, but, possibly will be looking for pool work during the winter months. Do you guys have anything available? There just are not any jobs here in south Arkansas. He doesn't have to work during the winter months, but, just thought I could make a contact for him. LOL Can you tell I would like to get him out of the house during those winter months? LOL Just a thought.

And what service does the dog provide? Your post suggested you registered the dog as a service dog in order to by-pass the usual rules for animals traveling. And it certainly sounded as if you were suggesting that to others. If that is not the case, you should clarify.

Just my 2 cents. Service animals can also be used to calm a person with anxiety problems.

The airlines charge About $150.00 to put a pet carrier under the seat in front of you and then call it your carry on that was supposed to be FREE! If they don't want people circumventing the rules then please by all means, make them reasonable!

I also think it's wrong to ask Wolterman what service his animal provides. Some disabilities are embarassing to the people that have them and it's nobody's business but theirs.

Everyone knows that pet people have a very strong attachment to their animals and really do need to find a way to bring them with. If the airlines weren't charging more for the pet (roundtrip) than the people nobody would be interested in cheating. Also, for some dogs the size of an average service dog, booking a flight can be next to impossible unless they are service animals OR you are a millionaire.

I suppose that every animal kept in someone's home could be classified as a service animal and does offer emotional benefits. Personally I don't care who registers their animal as "service", it's no skin off my nose and certainly isn't taking my seat on the plane. If that's the way you have to go then go for it!

J

If the airlines weren't charging more for the pet (roundtrip) than the people nobody would be interested in cheating. Personally I don't care who registers their animal as "service", it's no skin off my nose and certainly isn't taking my seat on the plane. If that's the way you have to go then go for it!

An interesting take on the situation and certainly an admirable sense of ethical behavior.

And what service does the dog provide? Your post suggested you registered the dog as a service dog in order to by-pass the usual rules for animals traveling. And it certainly sounded as if you were suggesting that to others. If that is not the case, you should clarify.

By-passing the "rules" or avoiding the "fees"? I'm a big fan of bargin hunting. Are folks who fly on bonus miles also "by-passing the rules"? How 'bout flolks who pre-board with infants "by-[assing" the rules?

Since airlines make the rules and charge the fees, aren't they the deciding authority on who/what qualifies as a service aminal?

The airlines have all sort of bogus abitraty rules and ridiculous fees. Good for anyone who can beat them at thier own game. Have you attempted to book a reward ticket lately?

BTW---Usain Bolt....I think I'm love!!!

http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/node/509

Service Dog Certification -- Spotting Fake Certification/Registration/ID

Certification does not mean an individual dog is a service dog. Neither does registration or an official looking ID. There are several businesses selling fake certification, registration and IDs over the internet. All a person need do to get these products is pay a fee. Their dog is never tested and their disability is never verified. All the product really means is that the person was willing to pay money to get it.

Unfortunately there are unscrupulous people who buy gear over the Internet to try to pass their pets off as service animals. Sadly, this is also true with certification. Anyone can forge their own certification or purchase fake certification over the Internet for their pets. Many states have begun taking steps to prosecute those who falsely claim their pets as service animals with stiff fines and jail time.

Fake certification is for sale over the Internet. You can check whether a certificate is from a legitimate service dog program or a scam business selling fake certification by doing a Google search on the name of the certifying agency. If it's a scam, it will be apparent from a quick review of their website because they will sell their certification to anyone for a fee without ever actually training or evaluating the dog themselves. These organizations prey on the disabled, selling them something they don't need for $40-$250 that they could produce at a copy center for under $5 (if they did need it, which they don't). They are a haven for pet owners wanting an easy way get a pet into motels, on planes, or to take Fifi shopping on a lark. These businesses do a great disservice to real service dog teams by bluffing business owners into accepting ill-behaved pets as trained service animals and by taking money out of the pockets of the disabled themselves. These fakers in turn diminish the reputation of real teams by behaving inappropriately.
Real service animals don't need certification. A business may verify an animal is a service animal by asking whether it is required because of the person's disability and what the dog is trained to do to mitigate that disability. They may ask this regardless of whether a dog is "certified," and an owner who refuses to answer can be barred from the facility.

Remember: certification doesn't make a dog a real service dog any more than a fake ID makes a minor over 21. What makes a dog a real service dog is being trained to perform tasks that mitigate his disabled handler's disability.

Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual's disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The crime deterrent effects of an animal's presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition. (Cornell University Law School-Legal Information Institute)

I also think it's wrong to ask Wolterman what service his animal provides. Some disabilities are embarassing to the people that have them and it's nobody's business but theirs.!

Why wrong? Based on the wording of his post, I would have been much more surprised if nobody had questioned him. I don't think anyone is interested in all the specifics of whatever disability is involved, but interested in whether in fact any disability is involved period. If he chooses not to respond other than, "my father in law has heart condition" then I think most would assume that this registering of the dog as a "service animal" was done only to circumnavigate both Federal law and airline policy. This may be perfectly fine with you but not with everybody.

Isn't this the airline's problem? The airlines decide what to charge for what seat, size of carry on, how much to charge for checked bags, how much to overbook, who to bump, what flights to cancel. Does it matter what the person sitting next you paid for thier dog?

The Federal Law mandates that the disabled Person will not be charged for a seat on a plane, taxi, train etc. the laws are available for you to view at anytime. These are civil rights afforded by the United States Gov. It's sad that laws have to be enacted so disabled people living in our society can live with a certain amount of independence with the assistance of a partner service animal. I guess some people just don't get it!

ADA Service Animals
http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

Emotional support animals

http://www.bazelon.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=mHq8GV0FI4c%3D&tabid=2

and

24 CFR Part 5
Pet Ownership for the Elderly and
Persons With Disabilities; Final Rule

http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/FINALRULE/Pet_Ownership_Final_Rule.pdf

The Federal Law mandates that the disabled Person will not be charged for a seat on a plane, taxi, train etc. the laws are available for you to view at anytime. These are civil rights afforded by the United States Gov. It's sad that laws have to be enacted so disabled people living in our society can live with a certain amount of independence with the assistance of a partner service animal. I guess some people just don't get it!

Really? Disabled people fly for free? Fabulous! How did I not know this? Free airline tickets and Medical Marajuana, whooo whoooo. I should stop exercising and eating light.

MY bad the disabled person will not be charged extra for his service partner to accompany him/her on their trip.

The Federal Law mandates that the disabled Person will not be charged for a seat on a plane, taxi, train etc. the laws are available for you to view at anytime. These are civil rights afforded by the United States Gov. It's sad that laws have to be enacted so disabled people living in our society can live with a certain amount of independence with the assistance of a partner service animal. I guess some people just don't get it!

Really? Disabled people fly for free? Fabulous! How did I not know this? Free airline tickets and Medical Marajuana, whooo whoooo. I should stop exercising and eating light.[/quote

Or you can thank your lucky stars that you aren't disabled.

 

I just read your post as well that you can't take your dog. We registered our dog as a service dog she is a lab mix and she sat right under our feet just google services animals and how to register them we had no problems at all!!!

It does look like that, Wolterman4, did use one of those unscrupulous online businesses to get a fake service certification. From what it sounds like the labmix was not trained as a service dog for a disabled person. It is a family pet and used it to get around to pay for the dog to be shipped here.
(td)

And I'd bet that you'ld park in a handicap parking space if there was one. Right on

The Federal Law mandates that the disabled Person will not be charged for a seat on a plane, taxi, train etc. the laws are available for you to view at anytime. These are civil rights afforded by the United States Gov. It's sad that laws have to be enacted so disabled people living in our society can live with a certain amount of independence with the assistance of a partner service animal. I guess some people just don't get it!

Really? Disabled people fly for free? Fabulous! How did I not know this? Free airline tickets and Medical Marajuana, whooo whoooo. I should stop exercising and eating light.

Is this nessisary?

And I'd bet that you'ld park in a handicap parking space if there was one. Right on

Not I, at all. I know too many disabled people who DO have a true disability whether is outright seen or not.