Friend lied about having emotional support dog.

Dogs aren't allowed in most shops and cafes so if you don't like dogs, don't go in ones thT are. It's difficult to find time to walk a dog wice a day every day so if you can incorporate them into your lives somewhat it's much nicer for you and the dog. I agree she shouldn't have lied about it being a support dog though.

My husband wears bilateral hearing aids. Obviously he wears them for fun, or you would think so the way he is treated. 90% of loop systems don’t work and/or no member of staff has a clue how to work them. My husband lip reads slightly but that depends a lot on the person who is talking being deaf aware and not ignorant.
I could continue to list the difficulties he has from background music in shops to accents and female voices, but this would be a long post.
He takes me along but how many times have people talked over me and then been told to deal with me! It gets stupid.
One day we were having a meal with my brother in law, our dog at the time had severe separation anxiety and in his lifetime ripped apart three sofas, rather than …what was it ‘snoozing on them’ at home, drugs didn’t work.
Thank you for that snippet, it had to be from a non dog person!
We were staying overnight at a hotel near my brother in law, whose accommodation came with his job.
Yes, guilty as charged we said our dog was an assistance dog as there were no dog friendly hotels anywhere nearby.
However, the way my husband was treated, with something visibly indicating that he has a disability was astounding. We had advised the hotel and loops worked, staff spoke to my husband directly, music was quietened. It was like staying at deaf aware heaven.
I have called hotels before and mentioned that my husband has severe hearing loss and I can almost hear it going right over their heads to the oblivion of ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ just as I say it and know full well that the loop system won’t work on arrival.

I agree lots of organisations train dogs to be assistance dogs nobody needs to say their family pooch is their assistance dog.

I agree but to get a Blue Badge or registered Guide dog/Hearing dog I am assuming that a Medical professional has to agree so it should be the same.
People cant just announce they have an assistance dog and expect it to be allowed everywhere

My mental health "issue" is just as medically valid as diabetes, visual impairment. I have various syndromes and disorders that mean that my Assistance Dog is vital to my wellbeing. Please do not try to imply that mental health is any lesser disability than another.

I think you're overthinking

This is a serious issue to anyone allergic. My DS is severely allergic to dogs and as a result we can only go to dog-free places. As more and more places allow dogs this has meant fewer places we can go; now there’s dog owners who’ll try to take their dogs into the dog free ones as well. It infuriates me and makes me so sad for him.

my son has asd and we have to show proof of disability for lots of things, which is usually done with dla or access card, places don’t just have to take peoples word for it in the uk. We don’t have a dog so the whole assistance dog isn’t an issue for us

QP’s friend is a tw*t. She thought she was being ‘funny and clever.’ It is indicative of the kind of person she is which is why the OP can’t shake it off. The person who let her in possibly didn’t believe her either.
OP was left with a bad taste in her mouth when she realised what an arsehole her friend is.

The issue is that these places just won’t open to the public if everyone starts bringing dogs because of the mess and the inevitable damage when someone wees up something .

I think you are being mean and unreasonable. Who does it hurt if your friend brings her dog into a stately home or anywhere else? Personally I think the world is a better place with dogs in it and the more places they are allowed the better.

Very similar form of deception, albeit a somewhat lesser scale, to the people who claim war-veteran status.

I find that real war-veterans hardly talk about war experiences to others. Similarly, REAL owners of REAL service dogs and REAL disability-aid dogs usual;y have their animals' certifications with them at all times and, if required 'dress' their animals for the service associated.

I absolutely detest animals being in food establishments.

We were sat in a pub recently when a man came in with his two boxer dogs and one of them jumped up and tried to sit on our laps.

Absolutely vile, disgusting and inhygenic. No one gave a shit either.

YANBU

the amount of humans in these places that stink of fags, BO and human waste is MUCH more significant than of a dog smelling from the rain. plus parents who are too lazy to change their baby's nappy so we all deal with the stench of that! its rare I notice a dog smelling near this bad in public domain

It is an issue because not everyone wants wet dog smells in indoor places, especially with the UK’s current weather issues. Putting up with wet dog smells when a dog is performing an essential function is one thing, but….

if the dog is well behaved I don't see an issue. the majority of dogs I see out in public (in shops, restaurants etc) are a lot better behaved than the vast majority of children I see at the same places.

Yes @ColdWaterDipper, most dogs are fine left at home to snooze. Not the whole day obviously, but a morning or afternoon is fine.

Absolutely yanbu that's super entitled and as a dog owner and lover i would never.

Her dog could act in ways that would make things difficult for actual service dogs. Plus there is likely reasons of sustainability and protecting a heritage site that are why other dogs aren't allowed in the first place.

My guess is the person working there wasn't sure enough of where they stand on service dogs and what counts as a service dog and therfore was tricked by your friend into making a mistake in their job. Bet your friend doesn't care what happens to the staff member either.

It would really put me off someone.

P.S. "emotional support dog" means fuck all. Everyone's dog is an emotional support dog, we love them and they make us feel happy and relaxed apart from the naughty ones

It's sadly become all too common to do this, and it causes problems for those with genuine guide or assistance dogs when these pet dogs misbehave.

There's two people just in my small town who parade about with fake "assistance" dogs in vests they've bought off eBay. One is a naughty sausage dog who's had no training whatsoever, the other is a Lhasa apso.

It really grinds my gears. I'm involved with guide dogs and I know how many owners have access problems and people faking it doesn't help.

However if they are an assistance dog they should have on appropriate identifying vest.

They don't need one though and anyone can buy them on Amazon anyway.

The owner should also be able to state how the dog assists and if there are any cues people around should note.

Asking how the dog assists is too similar to asking someone to state their disability, and that's something that's completely against our policy.

However if they are an assistance dog they should have on appropriate identifying vest. The owner should also be able to state how the dog assists and if there are any cues people around should note.

A friend's daughter has an assistance dog that provides her the cue that she is about to have a seizure.

I am a dog person, and have a lovely dog who enjoys his time at home while we go out to places that either he wouldn’t enjoy or (more often) that I just deem to be places that dogs shouldn’t be (other than guide dogs etc). These are places such as national trust properties, cafes, children’s playgrounds, visitor attractions, museums, in fact anywhere that isn’t a dog friendly beach, the coast path or a nice walk!

The rise in so called emotional support dogs has coincided with the rise in crappy dog owners who don’t know what they are doing and therefore have never trained their dogs to be happy staying at home by themselves having a snooze in their beds. All of these dogs seem to have separation anxiety, and can’t be left so the owners just drag them along to all sorts of unsuitable places. I like dogs but there is a time and a place for them, and that isn’t everywhere, all the time.