Therapy dogs in shops and restaurants

[Humpback21]

Where I used to work we had a rule of no dogs except assistance and guid dogs etc. in the last few years at that job we get dogs coming in as “therapy dogs” with coats for the dog saying therapy dog.One lady would bring her big dog pulling on the lead I questioned her and politely said no dogs allowed she claimed it was a therapy dog but it didn’t like to wear its coat and collar. I recently saw a dog outside the supermarket with therapy dog written on its coat waiting with its owner and all their shopping. There are no dog charity’s that train dogs to be assistance therapy dogs. I know of charities that bring therapy dogs into hospitals and care homes. Are people really buying fake coats for their dogs so they don’t have to part with them. I’m all for dogs and am a massive dog lover but surely dog owners have to realise that a trained assistance dog in a public or private space is trained to be

If you take a biased snapshot of the UK (some MN posters for example?) you'd get a strange idea about the UK too. The USA is not overrun by emotional support monkeys or anything else because they actually have a central register. But thankfully I have a "legal disability" ( you do know there is no such thing in the UK?) so I'll be able to keep my assistance dog. And there is also no such thing as a register of assistance or support animals in the UK either, with or without a "legal disability ".

But there definitely is, in the UK, a legal requirement for service providers to make reasonable adjustments for service animals and there is no requirement for them to be registered as such becuse there is no register. Woe betide any service provider who refuses to comply with the law. You may not believe that a dog is not a service animal, but it isn't up to you to decide that. Yes, some people will abuse that. Some people abuse disabled parking regulations, and regularly get told on here that's fine because their need is greater than that of people with blue badges. There's always chancers. But this seems to be turning into another thread where people without disabilities have the opportunity to tell disabled people that they are frauds and liars. It's those with disabilities who are spoiling it for all you "norms".

That's a good point.

Can someone tell me what a "legal disability" is in the UK please? Thanks so much.

Better yet. What's an illegal disability?

😂😂😂😂

You could think about introducing the access card at your work if you don't have it already. They have a symbol for assistance dogs which includes other assistance dogs than just guide dogs. You could advise you accept assistance dogs with this card or paperwork confirming they are a trained assistance dogs. The jackets are a red herring that can be bought anywhere

Sure, here’s a direct quote and link as your Google is broken

“You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities”
https://www.gov.uk/definition-of-disability-under-equality-act-2010

Where's this register? Who holds it?

@FurAndFeathers there is no "legal disability" in the uk. Just as there is no illegal disability.

Hth.

There is also no register of disabled people or assistance dogs.

That’s absolutely not what is being said 🙄

I’m simply pointing out that there is a difference between a properly trained assistance dog and someone putting a jacket on a dog and saying it’s a support animal.

out if interest, having worked in the US and faced some of the challenges of folk wanting to bring ‘support animals’ into unsuitable environments (where they’re likely to be a risk to other animals) , I’m unaware of the central register - could you link please? Considering each state has individual legislation I’m surprised there’s a national database, but it’s a while since I was there.

The correct phrase is "you meet the definition of disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if ..."

Not "you are legally disabled" or "you are illegally disabled".

This thread is disgusting

If there’s no legal definition of disability then why have I managed to link to it? And how do you think the law is enforced to protect people with disabilities if disability cannot be legally defined?

@FurAndFeathers my previous post refers.

I apologise for my clumsy phraseology.

I should have said if you meet the legal definition of disabled rather than if you are legally disabled.

It's the sort of "clumsy phrasing" that infers there are illegal disabilities.

I really don't need someone patronisingly telling me my google must be broken when I am well aware of the correct phraseology.

I'm disabled. Not stupid.

There's several 'support dogs' in our town. I'd love to know what they do bearing in mind they can't walk on the lead properly and look terrified around people. One woman kicked off in the local paper as hers wasn't allowed in the supermarket. Whenever I saw them together it was a little pest. (FWIW I love dogs, I'll even stop mid run if a nice one wants to say hello).

my actual point was that the accommodation of assistance dogs is to ensure equality for people meeting the legal definition of disabled under the EA.

Not to allow any dog with a jacket into any premises.

Then stop asking questions to which you clearly know the answer 🤷‍♀️

I don’t want to upset anyone by asking a dog

Op why would you say this? It's dehumanising off disabled people and belittling.

It's ableist.

*of

Damned disability affects my fine motor skills.

Sadly you can buy therapy/assistance dog flashes/vests off eBay now, so anyone can claim their dog is a therapy dog.

I am involved in training actual assistance dogs, and when people take their badly trained pet dog into shops etc it can really cause us problems. Although you can ask to see proof of registration for guide dogs, with assistance dogs it's more difficult. Saying that, people can train their own guide dogs, they're not all registered with GDUK.

ADUK do issue a certificate for dogs trained by them but there's no nationwide scheme for registration. We have a woman in our town who goes in all the shops with a sausage dog in an "assistance dog" vest. It's laughable.

I do think all genuine assistance dogs should have to be trained to a certain standard and registered. It would make it easier for everyone.

In which case it should also include people who have emotional support dogs for disabilility arising from mental health conditions - from the YouGov website.

“A mental health condition is considered a disability if it has a long-term effect on your normal day-to-day activity. This is defined under the Equality Act 2010.

Your condition is ‘long term’ if it lasts, or is likely to last, 12 months.
‘Normal day-to-day activity’ is defined as something you do regularly in a normal day. This includes things like using a computer, working set times or interacting with people.”

As I have a diagnosed long term mental health condition that affects my day to day life and my dog helps me in many situations I otherwise would find extremely difficult she should be allowed with me by your reasoning. The legislation is defective and effectively discriminated against people with disabilities caused by mental health conditions.

the good thing about this thread is that it’s made me realise that this needs to be changed. I will be contacting my MP to campaign for this. The law needs updating to ensure equality of access for people with all disabilities.

There are no dog charity’s that train dogs to be assistance therapy dogs.

https://petsastherapy.org/

Those are calm/trained pet dogs that people take into care homes etc as therapy for the residents, not therapy dogs for the individual that owns them.

@KimberleyClark that is about companionship. PAT dogs aren’t assistance dogs.