TA shower, dogs allowed???

Why would you classify a dog as a service dog because of breed? That makes no sense. First off you mentioned a poodle, poodles are known for being the most intelligent of the canine species. And actually labs would probably be one you would think of as a service animal but they are one of the less intelligent of the species. You see different breeds now because trainers and researchers realized there was no real difference in the training of different breeds but some people bonded better and far easier with certain breeds so it became a whatever works best for the patient science. Also a person doesn't have to have an outward disability to have a service dog. Diabetics are an example. You can't tell that person is diabetic usually just to look at them, but that dog can have saved their lives just as often as any service dog for the blind has saved their companion. There are breeds that are generally ill suited for service dogs or for certain jobs because of size or because of temperament such as a jack Russell's being high strung, but generally speaking most any breed can be a service dog with the right training, trainer and companion match. As for the shower. I personally don't think the dogs should be bathed there either, but just to clear this up, dogs carry far less bacteria than humans and very very few canine infections or bacteria are a threat to humans. My objection is soley based on people with canine allergies not needing the problems. I have no objections to any service dog.

 

I think you are confusing service animal with therapy animal. A service animal, by definition is an animal that performs a function that the human is physically unable to do. The most common is seeing eye dogs. A therapy animal provides therapies to the human, such as a dog for PTSD.

The first category is covered by the ADA, the second is not.

 

No, my wife is type 1 juvenile diabetic, which means she has been a type 1 diabetic since she was 12 years old. You are right about therapy dogs but a service dog for diabetics is trained to detect high or low blood sugar events before they happen and alert the companion and or others of the onset before it gets to a critical event status, they are a service dog and very expensive.

 

All that is well and good, not to mention accurate. But like anything else (think handicap parking placards), there are opportunistic individuals who are simply in it for the advantages such a designation would provide them. Sorry, but the dogs I referred to were in no way service animals. And the only way they may have qualified as "therapy" dogs is the the owner would be lonely without them. That old terrier I mentioned seemed to need more help than their human companion.

I'm an animal lover, by the way, and appreciate the benefits they provide us. We just had to put our oldest cat to sleep this past week, and it hurt. But I'd never mistake him for a therapy cat.

 

Please read post 4. This was back in the 80's.
Truck stop shower

 

These losers can't go anywhere without thier dogs. You see them in the restaurants and the stores. I saw one of these #######es tell his dog," you deserve to be here as much as anyone else" as he was taking his mutt into the movie room.

 

Hey ,you gotta have something to throw at hitchhikers !

 

Any and all Service Animals are allowed BY LAW to enter any public place like a truckstop, stores, etc. I have a service dog and he goes EVERYWHERE i go, including the shower room!?! Just because he is in the room DOES NOT mean i am bathing him in there!?! I am not and would not do that!

 

I have to ask, are you a trucker, and if so, what is your disability that you need a service dog for?