The Problem With Fake Service Dogs

[LisaCC]

To add to that I completely expect people to question me if I do end up with an assistance dog. I'm young and fit looking and you would never be able to tell from the outside I have epilepsy. I find most people automatically expect to see labs and goldies as the dog too, so if you have a different breed you might seem more "suspicious" too.

[Kirislin]

I have no knowledge in this area and thankfully have no need for a service dog, so how does one (in Australia) go about getting one? Can you get a dog that you already have certified or does the dog need to come from an approved association?

You can do both, but I think it depends on the condition.

I looked into a seizure response dog, and when I first looked into it you had to go through an organisation and it could take years to even start the process, now I believe that you can train an existing dog and get it certified.

If my seizures ever start becoming uncontrollable again I will be looking into training either my current dog if he's still young enough or a new dog.

This is interesting. I met a woman with a young dog of her own that she claimed was a service dog because it would tell her when she was about to have a seizure or when her blood sugar levels where out of whack. She already had the dog and said she got it qualified as a service dog. It was still quite young and I was skeptical it could do what she claimed. I beleive she has a web site and facebook page where people can donate money towards his upkeep.

[minimax]

It's more wide spread than you'd care to imagine , including people owners on DOL

really? How did you find out?

There was a thread a while ago with a lady that was doing it.

Things like "my real estate says I can't have my dog in my rental place, I'm going to start the process of training him to become a service dog so I'm allowed to keep him and have him anywhere I want" tend to give it away. Along with changing stories and telling different people different things and excessive dramatics etc

[minimax]

I have no knowledge in this area and thankfully have no need for a service dog, so how does one (in Australia) go about getting one? Can you get a dog that you already have certified or does the dog need to come from an approved association?

You can do both, but I think it depends on the condition.

I looked into a seizure response dog, and when I first looked into it you had to go through an organisation and it could take years to even start the process, now I believe that you can train an existing dog and get it certified.

If my seizures ever start becoming uncontrollable again I will be looking into training either my current dog if he's still young enough or a new dog.

This is interesting. I met a woman with a young dog of her own that she claimed was a service dog because it would tell her when she was about to have a seizure or when her blood sugar levels where out of whack. She already had the dog and said she got it qualified as a service dog. It was still quite young and I was skeptical it could do what she claimed. I beleive she has a web site and facebook page where people can donate money towards his upkeep.

That's the one people are talking about. She also says he's a mental health assistance dog, so you get a different story depending on the day of the week.

[LisaCC]

I have no knowledge in this area and thankfully have no need for a service dog, so how does one (in Australia) go about getting one? Can you get a dog that you already have certified or does the dog need to come from an approved association?

You can do both, but I think it depends on the condition.

I looked into a seizure response dog, and when I first looked into it you had to go through an organisation and it could take years to even start the process, now I believe that you can train an existing dog and get it certified.

If my seizures ever start becoming uncontrollable again I will be looking into training either my current dog if he's still young enough or a new dog.

This is interesting. I met a woman with a young dog of her own that she claimed was a service dog because it would tell her when she was about to have a seizure or when her blood sugar levels where out of whack. She already had the dog and said she got it qualified as a service dog. It was still quite young and I was skeptical it could do what she claimed. I beleive she has a web site and facebook page where people can donate money towards his upkeep.

Thats a seizure ALERT dog. Some dogs seem to have this ability to sense a seizure before the person even feels their "aura".

I would be interested to see her link. I did look into this as well and all the information I could find at the time -6 years ago, was that there was no place in Australia training Seizure Alert dogs.

Seizure RESPONSE dogs, respond to a seizure, they can be trained to stand guard over you, press emergency call buttons, drag you off the road etc if it's in a bad spot.

[iggy mum]

I have no knowledge in this area and thankfully have no need for a service dog, so how does one (in Australia) go about getting one? Can you get a dog that you already have certified or does the dog need to come from an approved association?

You can do both, but I think it depends on the condition.

I looked into a seizure response dog, and when I first looked into it you had to go through an organisation and it could take years to even start the process, now I believe that you can train an existing dog and get it certified.

If my seizures ever start becoming uncontrollable again I will be looking into training either my current dog if he's still young enough or a new dog.

This is interesting. I met a woman with a young dog of her own that she claimed was a service dog because it would tell her when she was about to have a seizure or when her blood sugar levels where out of whack. She already had the dog and said she got it qualified as a service dog. It was still quite young and I was skeptical it could do what she claimed. I beleive she has a web site and facebook page where people can donate money towards his upkeep.

Thats a seizure ALERT dog. Some dogs seem to have this ability to sense a seizure before the person even feels their "aura".

I would be interested to see her link. I did look into this as well and all the information I could find at the time -6 years ago, was that there was no place in Australia training Seizure Alert dogs.

Seizure RESPONSE dogs, respond to a seizure, they can be trained to stand guard over you, press emergency call buttons, drag you off the road etc if it's in a bad spot.

Can you imagine that happening with the person Kirislin mentioned. A physical impossibility! :laugh:

[Lhok]

It's more wide spread than you'd care to imagine , including people owners on DOL

really? How did you find out?

There was a thread a while ago with a lady that was doing it.

If people are talking about my thread about getting an assistance dog, they would be way off the mark as I actually do need one.

--Lhok

[sandgrubber]

Doesn't help that you can easily buy Service Dog ID stuff. Try looking on Amazon under Service Dog ID.

Methinks they should require proof that you have a genuine service dog to get the stuff.

eg,

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=service%20dog%20id

[Kirislin]

It's more wide spread than you'd care to imagine , including people owners on DOL

really? How did you find out?

There was a thread a while ago with a lady that was doing it.

If people are talking about my thread about getting an assistance dog, they would be way off the mark as I actually do need one.

--Lhok

I wasn't referring to you Lhok, I dont know the thread that was mentioned either. I'm sorry you need an assistance dog, and I would imagine there could be alot of mistrust directed towards those in genuine need. I've had a disabling back injury since I was quite young, and the number of times I've had people look at me as if "oh yeah, sure you have" is quite depressing.

[WreckitWhippet]

The one with the Italian Greyhound is a fraud, nothing more and people should seriously think twice before handing over any money.

[iggy mum]

The one with the Italian Greyhound is a fraud, nothing more and people should seriously think twice before handing over any money.

Agreed!

ETA: She's just been donated $405 in the last 19 days! Absolute rip-off. We all have to pay for our own dogs teeth to be cleaned, why can't she!!!!

Edited December 23, 2013 by iggy mum

[minimax]

The one with the Italian Greyhound is a fraud, nothing more and people should seriously think twice before handing over any money.

Agreed!

ETA: She's just been donated $405 in the last 19 days! Absolute rip-off. We all have to pay for our own dogs teeth to be cleaned, why can't she!!!!

She was inter-state a while ago staying with a friend of mine (we used to be IRL friends, until I realised she was a psychopath) so she had money for travel.

Priorities I guess.

Anyway. I see this thread being deleted soon, as it usually does when it heads in this direction :laugh:

[mixeduppup]

It's more wide spread than you'd care to imagine , including people owners on DOL

really? How did you find out?

There was a thread a while ago with a lady that was doing it.

If people are talking about my thread about getting an assistance dog, they would be way off the mark as I actually do need one.

--Lhok

I have no idea which thread it was, hence the reason I didn't link and I hardly know you on this forum so unlikely it was you.

[WreckitWhippet]

The one with the Italian Greyhound is a fraud, nothing more and people should seriously think twice before handing over any money.

Agreed!

ETA: She's just been donated $405 in the last 19 days! Absolute rip-off. We all have to pay for our own dogs teeth to be cleaned, why can't she!!!!

She was inter-state a while ago staying with a friend of mine (we used to be IRL friends, until I realised she was a psychopath) so she had money for travel.

Priorities I guess.

Anyway. I see this thread being deleted soon, as it usually does when it heads in this direction :laugh:

That's usually how it ends up.

[Remarkabull]

There is a man up here who has an assistance dog. The man is deaf( he actually is) and the dog goes everywhere with him, wearing a bright orange harness saying 'hearing dog' on it. The dog is very old and overweight and it lags behind him as he wanders through our store but its harmless and well behaved so while I don't see how having the dog with him assists him it's not a big deal that it's there.

Edited December 23, 2013 by Remarkabull

[Bjelkier]

There is a man up here who has an assistance dog. The man is deaf( he actually is) and the dog goes everywhere with him, wearing a bright orange harness saying 'hearing dog' on it. The dog is very old and overweight and it lags behind him as he wanders through our store but its harmless and well behaved so while I don't see how having the dog with him assists him it's not a big deal that it's there.

I liked this post a lot more before you edited it

Edited December 23, 2013 by Bjelkier

[Remarkabull]

There is a man up here who has an assistance dog. The man is deaf( he actually is) and the dog goes everywhere with him, wearing a bright orange harness saying 'hearing dog' on it. The dog is very old and overweight and it lags behind him as he wanders through our store but its harmless and well behaved so while I don't see how having the dog with him assists him it's not a big deal that it's there.

I liked this post a lot more before you edited it

Lol, I saw it straight away. :)

[cavNrott]

My Cavalier is not a service dog but he certainly assists by alerting me. I'm becoming hard of hearing in my dotage. My Cavalier will come and get me wherever I am in the house or yard if I don't hear the phone ringing, ditto the door bell.

He will come to me and bark and run off, making sure I'm following him. If I don't follow he'll come back to me and bark again until I do follow. The minute I follow there is no more barking but he keeps looking back to make sure I'm there. He goes to the phone and stands there until I arrive, ditto when the door bell rings.

He also uses his skill to have me follow him when he sees fit to dob in in my other Cavalier if she's doing something he thinks is wrong.

I wouldn't put a fake service dog vest on him because I don't need to take him wherever I go and he hasn't been trained by a legit organisation. It's just something he picked up on his own. He would probably be quick to train as a legit service dog if I needed one.

[Guest hankodie]

My golden retriever puppy wears patches on his harness that say "IN TRAINING". I ordered these mainly because I had so many parents letting their little kids and toddlers come up to him and fling their arms around his neck/stick their hands in his face without asking first, he started getting quite excited when this happened and was developing a habit of jumping up.

The patches just deter people from approaching him without asking. I must admit because of this he gets mistaken for a guide/service dog A LOT but I always tell the truth when people ask and I've never tried to bring him into shops or any other places with me and I've never tried to pass him off as anything other than a pet. He also has a "Please do not pat" patch (which he never wears because I feel mean, he loves pats, he just has to learn that little kids and old ladies are not to be jumped up on )

I did see a woman the other day with an "emotional support" dog, I wonder what kind of assistance these dogs provide? Or is it more of a comfort thing? Not being sarcastic, I'm genuinely interested.

[Tapua]

I did see a woman the other day with an "emotional support" dog, I wonder what kind of assistance these dogs provide? Or is it more of a comfort thing? Not being sarcastic, I'm genuinely interested.

I breed Labs and have specifically targeted the service dog needs in my breeding programme. I supply primarily organisations which provide dogs for people with various disabilities, blind, epilepsy, diabetes, autism, learning problems etc. I personally consider all dogs provide 'emotional support'

This is a dog lovers website, seriously can any of us imagine our lives without a dog? Hopefully people mature their attachment to their dogs and progress from 'the dog is here to meet my needs first' to " I'm here to meet the dog's need - then I find my needs are met' But that takes time.

As a breeder and trainer I so know the need for mentally stable puppies so it can be moulded and trained into a successful service dog. Hence we have a very involved in puppy raising programme starting with ENS and sound desensitisation and enriched environment, I am very proud of our dogs. But I find that increasingly people in the general public are legitimately looking for a dog to fulfil an emotional need. Probably a reflection of our disconnected society. I see nothing wrong with it as long as they don't try and manipulate community opinion - there will always be people who will manipulate the rules sadly. I find it totally disgusting to solicit money for themselves using their dog as a ploy - that's pure fraud.

Edited December 23, 2013 by Tapua