Friend lied about having emotional support dog.

She's a liar. I'd never speak to her again.

What if he’d cocked his leg on a piece of antique furniture?

We refuse entry to "emotional support dogs", not assistance dogs. Sorry that wasn't entirely clear.

Assistance dogs, in 99% of cases, have an appropriate harness, jacket and/or some other form of identification. The other 1% in we let in after a brief chat usually, because not all disabilities are visible etc. and we'd rather be wrong than upset someone.

Whereas the smug bastards come in with just a regular dog loudly proclaiming "it's a support dog" like it's some sort of golden ticket. Someone tried it with a chihuahua not that long ago!

What "proof"? That they've decided to join a private club? Even if their animal was registered with that organisation and they can show some sort of certificate, the owner/manager of the property is still under no obligation to allow it inside.

I believe that guide dogs and other trained assistance dogs legally cannot be excluded. But emotional support dogs are not assistance dogs.

She was out of order but the whole 'emotional assistance' thing needs regulating

I was in the Dr's recently - in the foyer as you have to talk to reception then get buzzed in. There was a woman, her daughter and their dog - the woman was shouting at the receptionist that they HAD to let the dog in because it was an ES animal and it was disability discrimination not to let the dog in. She was threatening legal action and the press - poor receptionist had to keep saying they couldn't let a dog in as many patients had allergies or phobias and she could book a home visit.

I felt sorry for her - it does need regulating as they absolutely would not refuse an assistance dog despite the same issues.

On what basis do you refuse someone entry when they are claiming theirs is an assistance dog, rather than emotional support?

You're not allowed to question people's disabilities so you're on dangerous ground there legally.

I work in a shop a woman came in with a dog a few weeks ago. I politely explained that we only admit assistance dogs and she said it was an emotional assistance dog, I said that we don't allow emotional assistance dogs. Then a different customer decided to get involved and had a go at me and said we should allow emotional assistance dogs.
We have a history of non-assistance dogs leaving deposits in the shop, staff then have to clean it up as the owners don't.

I work in a public building and this is problem we are encountering on an increasingly frequent basis. Assistance dogs are always welcome. But it's always some smug twat with a massive sense of entitlement and a daft dog, gloating because they think we can't do anything about them.

We do, we refuse them entry. Cue much huffing and puffing and utter incredulity. Fucking chancers, and a total insult to those people who do require assistance dogs.

She chanced it. Surely they need a certificate or an official tabard or something?!

They don't because emotional support dogs aren't a thing in UK law.

It's entirely up to the venue if they want to allow them in or refuse.

I am a dog lover and a dog owner. And people like her really make me angry.

She shouldn't have lied.

Dogs aren't allowed in all cafes and shops. There are cafes and shops to suit all definitions of appropriate. One of the joys of this life is that if you can just choose the ones that suit you best.

There is no such thing as proof.

You can buy all manner of shit on Amazon like harnesses and even ID cards that state your dog is an emotional support dog, but all dog owners can do that if they wanted to.

Trained assistance dogs are working animals - that goes way beyond being a pet. They are accompanying their owner and doing a job of work.

It is an insult to their owners, the animals themselves (and their hard-working trainers) when people pull stunts like this.

She should be disgusted with herself.

This isn't a real Assistance Dog website and they have no UK standing. The "registration" is just with that company and has no legal basis. Emotional support dogs are not in UK legislation.

Support Dogs are also not a UK term. I'm the UK support dogs refer to police, fire type dogs.

Assistance Dogs teams have no way of proving they're legal. You cannot request proof of disability. There is no UK legal register of Assistance Dogs and no UK testing standard. Assistance Dogs do need to live up to a certain standard but that is not set in stone.

Most pets fulfil some emotional need or another, in some way. Some not, I guess, but most people have pets because they enjoy the companionship, or it makes them feel less lonely, or they feel happier or more contented when they're cuddling or stroking or caring for their animal, or they like having a bond with an animal, or someone who'll always welcome them home, or they like to feel needed and loved, or they feel their animal understands them or connects with them in a special way, or they feel good when they see their pets playing with each other, or they have them because they like observing their pets' relationships with each other and with themselves and seeing how similar animals can be to humans in some ways, but different — or (on a darker note) maybe they like having a sentient being that's weaker than them that they can take their frustrations out on… or all kinds of bloody things. Having pets can be very emotionally rewarding.

Even setting aside grifters like OP's friend, I can't see how an "emotional support animal" is functionally/qualitatively different to a pet. Lots of people e.g. cuddle and stroke their dog when they're feeling down, and it makes them feel better. It's a quantitative difference, maybe, in how much someone draws on their relationship with their pet to help them emotionally.

Well, okay, if someone has a difficulty or a disability that means they struggle to cope without their pet in places where pets aren't normally allowed, then fine, let's talk about whether we as a society should make an exception for those people to facilitate them being accompanied by their pet.

But in that case it would be the person who should be considered for an exception, not the animal. The animal is nothing special — it's a pet, fulfilling the main purpose of a pet. It might even have great toilet training and be exceptionally calm and well-behaved (or TBH it might not), and the person might feel radically more able to cope emotionally if they know they've got their animal friend with them, but that doesn't magically make it not a pet.

Trained assistance animals of whatever kind are different, and we make exceptions for the special kind of animal, and by extension the owner who needs the assistance of that animal.

When we describe these pets using special terms like "emotional support animal" as though the pets themselves are qualitatively different from other pets and should be exempt in the same way as assistance animals are exempt, we confuse the issue for those who need to understand that assistance animals are a special case and must be allowed.

If they are taking people's word on the notion that it's an emotional support dog, then it's more an error on their part than hers. She chanced it. Surely they need a certificate or an official tabard or something?!
I have to say it would be chaos if everyone decided to pull that one. Surely dogs can play in the grounds of the home, and maybe sit outdoors at the cafe. That should be enough really. Why would she want her dog traipsing about staring at a load of antique furniture, probably risking he could cock his leg on all of it!

Stately homes are full of artworks, precious ornaments, fragile textiles and centuries-old furniture. Not exactly the ideal environment for animals, what with their fleas, shedding hair, unexpected crapping, and leg-cocking.

I don't think dogs should be allowed in at all unless they are absolutely essential, such as a well-trained guide dog, a hearing dog for the deaf, or as a companion for someone with ASD or other severe condition. Not just any old dog, just because the owner doesn't want to leave their precious at home.

This woman was taking the bloody piss.

Having recently returned from a visit to the US, I was stunned by how many support dogs I saw in tourist attractions.
The various harnesses they wore clearly stated they were assistance dogs, but their behaviour, yapping, lead pulling etc. bears no relation to the guide dogs/"dogs for good"we are used to seeing in the UK/EU.
On the surface at least, it seems the concept of emotional support animals is being abused.

What sort of mental health issue would you need an emotional support dog for, in order to facilitate walking around a stately home?

All dogs are emotional support dogs but that doesn’t mean they should get the same rights and genuine, trained, assistance dogs.

But aren’t all pet dogs emotional support dogs? There is no licence/test/proof that an animal is an emotional support animal? I wouldn’t have an issue with it but would expect the owner to show proof of a disability? My dd has Autism and of taking a dog out with us helped it would make life so much easier, sadly she doesn’t really respond to dogs. If someone gets bad anxiety and a dog helps keep them calm then it can make life much more manageable.

It doesn’t really bother me if people take dogs places as long as they are under control and are cleaned up after but obviously there are people that would prefer to go somewhere that doesn’t have dogs and their are people who are scared or allergic to them.

more fool the stately home for allowing her in with the dog.

I believe it is possible to get assistance dogs for disabilities that are not blindness; there's dogs for people with autism, deafness, physical disabilities and some mental health conditions.

Is it possible she's using the American term and it is an assistance dog?

A friend of mine who has quite severe mental illness has an assistance dog.

Exactly, they don't do specific tasks or anything, just hang around with the owner. A pet.

Also unfair on people who hate dogs

I'm OK with guide dogs, as I understand the need for them, but fed up of people's pets everywhere