Friend lied about having emotional support dog.

[Otins]

A friend of mine has a dog. He is a pet. She loves him, but he is a pet. Nothing else.

She recently went on a day out to a stately home. Dogs not allowed inside.

She told them it was an emotional support dog and they let him in.

She thought it was really funny and clever to do this.

I told her that I didn’t approve - and we moved on, and it was fine.

But the more I think about it, the more it winds me up.

For transparency, I am not a dog lover (not a dog hater either) and the sense of entitlement I see from many dog owners annoys me, and I think dogs being allowed (emotional support or not) in cafes and shops is inappropriate.

Whatever happened to leaving your dog at home to snooze on the sofa while you went out?

AIBU

Yes - how does this affect you if she takes her dog into places when you’re not there.

No - she was wrong to deceive the stately home in this way.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

You cannot refuse any animal (be it a dog. Cat or parrot etc) entry, if they state it's an assistance animal, by law.
You cannot even stipulate an area that they can go, ie sit on the side of the restaurant with wooden floor instead of the carpeted side. Also, you cannot say because of allergies. There is no proof needed, or even indeed, available, as there is not a register.

Emotional support dog my arse.

If you are so severely affected in some way that you are totally unable to set foot inside any building without the support of your dog, then your dog is an assistance dog.

If, on the other hand, your fondness for your furbaby is on a par with ferocious maternal instinct, then you need to give yourself a damn good talking-to and find out what is so lacking in your pathetic life that you have to rely on another species to provide it.

Anyone who pretends to have a disability wouldn't be a friend of mine.

Not true in the UK. Equality Act only covers mitigation of your disability by a dog, no other animals.

The only person I know who calls their dog an emotional support dog, has actual pretty severe disabilities and I’m actually suprised they don’t have an official assistance dog.

To blatantly lie just to get your pet in to somewhere they’re not allowed, is pretty shitty and I’d not find it remotely clever or funny. YANBU

Wouldn't they be better off with an assistance dog?

Wouldn't they be better off with an assistance dog?

I think they would. They have close family and support so I’m sure they’d be aware of the possibility of applying . Maybe they don’t meet the criteria, I don’t know.

You can buy the jackets on Etsy. I know someone who has bought “seizure alert” vests for her two badly behaved poodles. She doesn’t even have seizures. She takes them in Tesco!

Not on - she is making life more difficult for people with genuine assistance dogs by perpetuating the narrative that 'emotional support' is just an excuse to take your dog places it wouldn't normally be allowed. It may be that venues are obliged to admit them, but if everyone does this it will create a negative attitude; not to mention an excess of untrained dogs in inappropriate surroundings.

You can tick a box on the Airbnb site if your dog is an assistance dog. Most places won’t say no, can you imagine the fall out. I suppose the owner of the home could ask for proof?

Your friend was wrong to pretend her dog was an assistance dog, she should’ve chosen to stay elsewhere. There are plenty of dog friendly homes and places.

You can tick a box on the Airbnb site if your dog is an assistance dog. Most places won’t say no, can you imagine the fall out.

It would be illegal to say no.

I suppose the owner of the home could ask for proof?

There is no proof.

Your friend was wrong to pretend her dog was an assistance dog, she should’ve chosen to stay elsewhere. There are plenty of dog friendly homes and places.

She didn't, she claimed it was an emotional support dog.

Are you still friends with this liar?

This is true.

But most people working front of house in a restaurant/cafe are young, and on minimum wage. Like my DD who has just finished her first year at uni. She is not going to be assertive enough to say that actually no, your "emotional support" animal is not coming in as that class of animal is not recognised in the UK and that only assistance dogs are allowed.

Or take the risk that the CF animal owner whips out their phone and posts a rant on their local facebook page, moaning that they have been DISCRIMINATED AGAINST by some spotty teenager in Pizza Hut who wouldn't let their furbaby emotional support bestest boy in, which attracts hundreds of comments about "OMG hun, that's awful i'd be fumming" and dozens of people emailing the CEO, their MP and probably the sodding Pope.

So the member of staff rolls their eyes and lets the CF in with their "emotional support" animal because to to otherwise is just not worth the hassle.

Which of course the CF knew all along and was counting on.

I am amazed they let her in without the dog carrying identification (on its harness or lead at least). I once walked my labrador through a covered bus shelter in an unfamiliar place without realising it was assistance dogs only (the one in my town allows dogs on leads) and someone asked me for his papers.

You should see some of the owner trained assistance dogs FB groups. They’ve decided emotional support dogs are now Psychiatric Assistance dogs as legally nowhere can turn an assistance dog away or ask for proof of training etc. It’s absolutely disgusting the advice that they give each other on some of these groups and there’s often people selling ID’s for these dogs.

If anyone does dare turn someone away (the ones with emotional support dogs under the guise of Psychiatric Assistance dogs) they all email the premises screaming the Equality Act 2010.

There really does need to be some sort of National register for Assistance Dogs and records of training/vaccinations etc.

As for your friend OP, personally I wouldn’t be going anywhere with her if she’s bringing the dog and I’d be telling her what I truly thought of her, some people have absolutely no morals.