Posted on 06/30/2015 9:23:58 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
People who try to sneak their pets into restaurants, airplanes and other public places by claiming they are specially trained service animals could face 60 days in jail under a Florida law taking effect on Wednesday.
Judges also under the law could make the pet owners spend a month working with organizations serving people with real disabilities.
"I love my cat," Florida state Representative Jimmy Smith, a Republican who sponsored the legislation, said on Tuesday. "But I'm not taking my cat everywhere I go."
Smith said some pet owners are abusing the Americans with Disabilities Act by putting a guide dog harness or insignia on their animals and taking them into places that normally bar animals.
Pet owners can easily obtain service animal vests and registration documents, even for untrained pets, by sending as little as $75 to otherwise legitimate training facilities.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Its a comfort animal.
This came up one day at the Pentagon a couple of years ago. They’ve always had a dozen-odd people there with eyesight problems and they had dogs with them. No one ever said much about that. But after 2010....folks started to notice dozens of people now with service pets for differing reasons. They tried to word-smith some regulation up on this and tried hard not to come down negative against people....but there was a fear of this getting way out of control...with hundreds of people intimidating management to allow their pets into the facility.
I was going to say that!!
Seems to me, if the animals can go in and there isn’t a ruckus, that the “animal bar” ought to go. If the animal doesn’t behave, THEN impose a substantial fine plus costs.
FWIW, I'd rather have a pot-bellied pig next to me on a plane than a Muslim male age 15-45.
yup- my sister in law had her dog tagged as a service animal for no other reason then to let the dog travel with her to vacation spots which don’t allow dogs...
But, but my 110 lb. Great Dane is a trained psychic protection and love providing animal. Horrors!! Does this mean I can’t take him on a crowded single class, a.k.a., sardine squashed, regional jet with me??
This is BS!
How am I supposed to get around with my service cobra now!?
A service dog maybe can count better?
There is a huge amount of abuse by lazy, entitled, non-disabled people of the disability laws like permitting these service animals and getting handicapped parking placards. SSI disability abuse is rampant too. Yet another way for the entitled to suck off the public teat and get special privileges that law abiding, productive citizens don’t get.
About time. People who can't bear to be separated from their pets should stay at home and not inflict themselves on the rest of us.
Palm Beach Gardens farmers' market has big signs posted "Service Animals Only" Yet on several occasions I've seen people with their four legged sh!t factories walking along as if that rule only applied to other people.
Laws laws and more laws. More draconianism. More ridiculous laws. Already the average American commits felonies unknowingly on a daily basis. We need more of this?
What, I can’t bring in my Siamese leader-cat?
CC
Mine too. She carries it (a Papillon) in a specially made carry bag. She's a lunatic.
A year or so ago I was in an In and Out in So Cal. A guy comes into the restaurant with his posse and a pit bull. I love dogs, but I am not so foolish as to trust somebody else’s dog - I have no idea how they were trained. And when their dog is one that was specifically trained to tear flesh and maim and kill....I am extra cautious.
I went to the manager of the store and complained. The manager agreed with me, but told me that he claimed it was a service dog, and they are not allowed to question if someone makes that claim.
Completely stupid.
Yes - we could allow access until they make a ruckus - but such a ruckus could to serious, and possibly permanent damage to innocent bystanders. Since there is no real reason to have the animal with them, it is not worth the risk.
I don’t know if laws pertaining to service animals vary from state to state or if Federal law overrides them, but my understanding is that you can’t ask someone for service animal documentation, you just have to assume that it is what the owner says it is.
Although I’m sure that simplifies things for those with legitimate need for their service friend, it certainly makes it easy for people that want to abuse the law to do so.
I don’t drag my dog around with me for his own safety. Other than that he’s my yard assistant. If I dig, he digs. If I cut brush he tries to pull sticks.
Ha! At least you know the pig's not a Muslim.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.