Going to a Museum with My Service Dog

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Twilight princess

Without documentation or demonstration, that opens the door for anyone to claim their dog is a "service dog". Even though it ain't.

That's like saying, of course I am a rocket scientist. Because I don't have to demonstrate and I don't have documentation









Everyone is "ignorant"

Nobody knows everything



Some precious lil "people" act like they know a lot more than, they know


Some precious lil "people" are ignorant about the Leash Law

They don't know they are ignorant

They act like they have never done anything wrong before in their lives


Ozben felek b***h had the nerve to take Tarzan (Fido) to class

And I was screaming

"Are you ok ? He's friendly. He just wants to say hi"



She put it in her car

She acted like it was a personal favor to me


Wrong


She was ignorant of, or ignoring, the Leash Law

Comparing a fake service dog to a fake rocket scientist is not a rational comparison by any stretch of the imagination.

By the very definition of various disabilities that make a service dog necessary, a service dog owner will not always be in the right frame of mind to be able to remember documentation or to demonstrate tasks and to separate a service dog for such reasons would be obvious discrimination. I can think of numerous examples that would make this fairly obvious - those with severe social anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD (especially during flashbacks), or those with diabetes whose blood sugar dips too low.

You can dislike this all that you want to but that won’t change the law.

I’ve never seen a service dog off a leash in public.

No one knows everything but it’s frustrating when ignorance extends to the point of prejudice or discrimination.

Service dogs are extremely well-trained—and certainly wouldn’t be put into “service” without that rigorous training.

It’s much more than just “obedience school.”

Does she have a SD vest yet?

Isn't there some sort of small, official card/license type thing that you can put in a clear pocket on the back of the dog? "Hello, my name is Blank and I'm a Service Dog, here is my documentation".

She wears a service dog vest when we’re in public although it’s not required in my state.

There isn’t any official documentation. I keep a card from the ADA that covers service dog laws in my wallet.

You can purchase fake but official looking documentation, but then it’ll confuse business owners and they’ll expect something similar from the next service dog owner who enters the store. The program that I got my dog through would prefer that I educate the public instead.

That seems seriously flimsy. Store and Establishment owners are not "the public"; they are appearing in an official capacity, and so there really should be something official that you can present them with rather than a neat printout of the law text.

Technically, they are the public and have to abide by service dog laws. Most business owners are aware of the laws but some try to get away with not following them. In the eyes of the law, turning away a service dog would be the same as turning away a wheelchair or an oxygen tank. They would (and do) get sued.

As I mentioned above, service dog owners, due to the nature of various disabilities, shouldn’t have to carry official documentation. During times of crisis, it’s easy to lose such things, and it would be wrong to separate a person from their dog for a disability-related reason.

If a dog does something naughty (like barks or goes to the bathroom on the floor), store owners can tell the owner that the dog has to leave, but dogs don’t always behave perfectly and service dogs in training have the same rights (in my state) as full-fledged service dogs. Dogs need to learn how to behave in public by being in public. My dog has never done anything people would view as naughty in public since I’ve had her.

This thread is going into unexpected territory.

I really just wanted some reassurance. I hate conflict, especially when it’s in person.

Whether you think there should be or not, there isn't.

It'll probably go fine
If you are getting too worried about it, follow bea's advice

I love my dog and she does help me, but some of this stuff contributes to my anxiety. I really wish that people in public would leave us alone. That’s not going to happen, so I have to find a way to get used to it.

I believe you'll be fine in a museum, unless the museum staff gives you trouble.

Museums are normally quiet places---so there isn't much stimulation for the dog (or you) to respond to.

It also gives the dog the opportunity to experience Culture

Educated Dogga

It’s a big museum and gets a huge amount of visitors, so it’s going to be busy. I’m going to go midweek to try to ward off the busiest times.

I know what you mean----but a museum is not a rock concert. They get a huge amount of people----but it's usually as quiet as a library, perhaps even more so.