Dogsey

These FAKE dogs are all over the place here. Places enable it by not requiring licenses etc. I was standing outside Wal-Mart with Nigredo waiting for my mother on a warm day. We had to make a stop and I wasn't leaving him in the hot car.

He had his big heavy duty harness and was being a good, quiet boy, as usual, and an employee came out and actually told me "You know, service dogs are allowed in the store". They see a Labrador or Golden Retriever type dog that looks like a service dog and assumes they are automatically one.

I quickly told her that he wasn't a service dog, and she kinda just pushed it aside and went back into the store. I could certainly pose Nigredo as a service dog and MANY places wouldn't even question it, but they should. They often don't require proof, but take the dog's outfit and temperament as evidence.

Frankly, that is often good enough anyway without the technicalities, but it's not lawful or proper. That is saying that most of these poser dogs are perfectly good and harmless dogs.

However, these dogs don't have service training, and though they won't cause a lick of trouble in most cases (my Nigredo would always behave beautifully in a store, and always does), the training is the proof that the dog isn't dangerous or ill tempered.

It needs to be checked and proof needs to be provided by the handler that the dog is indeed a service dog. Any excuses like "I forgot" and the dog needs to be booted from the store immediately.