Animals in Public Spaces

In Pennsylvania, we have laws that require businesses to allow service animals that have the required documents. This law is in accordance with the ADA laws. Other animals should not be allowed around food or the preparation of food. Other businesses may set their own policies as to what animals they will or not permit.

Some people are afraid of dogs, big or small. Businesses have the right to not allow any animals, except service animals. I have seen signs on the front doors of businesses stating “Service Animals Only Are Permitted.”
 

Nearly any rental home will charge and extra upfront fee and then add a monthly fee to your rent if you have pet/pets.
There were/are companies out there taking advantage of this and diagnosing ANY dog/cat/animal online from a few questions
so you can purchase an "Emotional Support" certificate and dog vest. Which made it possible to eliminate those rental fees.
In Virginia I began seeing them a lot in stores and quite a few of those dogs were not the slightest bit obedience trained.
I could understand wanting to get the rent fees taken off but not using your dog whom surely has no public etiquette training
to dare a store to not allow you access with an unruly dog.
There truly are people who have had a bad trauma that need an emotional support dog to just leave their home. I know one
such lady with the most behaved little doxy and when Target began refusing her admittance because it was NOT a Service Dog
she didn't toss a fit, she just doesn't go to Target now here.
Boundaries get pushed and taken too far and it's the ones who really are in need who suffer sadly.
 
I'm okay with it as long as they are well behaved, trained......and real 'assistance' animals. Fortunately we don't have many problems in my area. I don't see many animals off leash and none in the stores and restaurants.
 

In my experience, when it comes to dogs in public spaces, the ones with behavioral issues almost always reflect poor ownership rather than any inherent flaw in the dog itself. I’ve crossed paths with plenty of well-mannered pups—assistance dogs in supermarkets, companion animals in big-box hardware stores, and occasionally even in smaller restaurants. Every encounter has been a joy; I genuinely love seeing them out and about.
That said, I understand why certain laws and restrictions exist. As much as I’d welcome more canine company in public, the unfortunate reality is that too many owners simply don’t take responsibility for their dog’s behavior. So while the rules might feel a bit limiting, they’re probably necessary given the number of people who treat pet ownership like an afterthought.
 
Speaking of dogs, I've got a big lug of one named Bruno staying with me tonight. We are hoping he works out since we lost Marley. I'd like to train him to be a therapy dog as well. He's very affectionate and is only 18 months old right now. He has begun to take simple commands from me. No one ever worked with him before. He's a Heinz 57, so I don't know what his DNA really is.
 
Lewkat said:
Service dogs are usually for the blind, epileptics and the like.

Therapy dogs go to hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

There are the occasional restaurants and hotels that permit all dogs as long as they are well trained and behave well.
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There are even gardens where they are allowed like the Mendocino Botanical garden up near Fort Bragg, Ca, the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, Ca. and the Blake Garden in Kensington, Ca.
 
Service dogs aren't just large dogs for seeing eye purposes anymore or for helping other disabled people. They are also now for mental health. I think cats can also be service animals for mental health as well.

Sometimes if people show up at the ER with a family member and they can't leave their pet in the car the hospital will let them bring them in but they have to be contained in the room.

I see a lot of people at Walmart with them in their baskets. And if the door personnel ask about them the customers get rather nasty with them. Some of them are real service dogs. Others are just dogs that belong to hateful owners.
 
I have no problem with pets in public places but think people take advantage of it, many are simply pets, not certified service animals.

I have seen a couple of odd ones. One was a twenty-ish tatooed up woman carrying some sort of lizard in Walmart, it had a collar on and a leash but she was carrying it in her arms, and it was a good size. Another was a family with a goat on a leash in Lowes, they were loving all the attention the goat brought them.
 
There used to be someone at my sons football club who had a pet snake. He watched the game before his with it wrapped round his neck - looked like a scarf till you looked closely.
He would then leave the snake,with his phone, keys,wallet etc in his unlocked sports bag while he played - nobody ever stole any of his things. ;)
 
Lewkat said:
Speaking of dogs, I've got a big lug of one named Bruno staying with me tonight. We are hoping he works out since we lost Marley. I'd like to train him to be a therapy dog as well. He's very affectionate and is only 18 months old right now. He has begun to take simple commands from me. No one ever worked with him before. He's a Heinz 57, so I don't know what his DNA really is.
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Is Bruno working out ok for you? I hope so.
 

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