Old man cookie and other tales of Café Woe (LONG)

[MMATM]

Dogs can be used by epileptics to help them know when they're about to have a seizure, and get to a safe place before they let loose, they are also used by people with mobility issues, too.

I didn't know that. If G2 was who I thought she was, she doesn't have epilepsy, but G1 may have. That's a good point I never considered. My initial thought was to ask what service the dog was performing, but I was considering it as more of a sarcastic remark. Now I'm not sure if I'm glad I didn't say it or if I should have because then I'd know about service dogs being used for epilepsy.
That must be some serious training to teach a dog how to recognize the warning signs of a seizure.

[Lady Ono]

I loved the story about the guy who rejected free coffee. If it wasn't for customers DEMANDING free stuff most of the time, would this website even have a reason to exist?

[Der Cute]

FYI those service dogs dont get trained to find/hear seizures...it's a gift they have.
Some dogs have the gift, some dont. The ones that are gifted & given to trainers are trained to DEAL with the sz as it comes along. Such as notify other humans, keep person safe etc.

Usually a service dog DOES wear a vest, and has some logo on it. I'd look for a nylon or poly vest w/ writing on it. And most of the service dogs I know of ARE medium size.

Somehting you might want to look for next time is a Medic Alert bracelet/ necklace. Don't ASK FOR IT......but keep an eye out for it. If person X has Service Dog Woofy, they might also have a Medic Alert with them...I have E and wear a bracelet..doctors notice all the time.

Not everyone with disabilities has it obvious.

I'm glad you're willing to learn.

Cutenoob

[Banrion]

It's situations like these though that make me think that just as you have to register your pet dog with the town/state and get licenses, service dogs should also have to be registered and accredited as such. Right now, you technically have to take people at their word. You cannot ask for proof or why legally per the ADA. The town I live in, I see and hear all the time, these perfectly healthy 17-18 yo Paris Hilton wannabees with their accesory dogs and claiming they are service dogs. Unless there is something seriously wrong with the water here, there is no way that 6 of 15 girls on the VARSITY volleyball team have a need for service dogs.

[Tria]

Dogs can be used by epileptics to help them know when they're about to have a seizure, and get to a safe place before they let loose, they are also used by people with mobility issues, too.

A smart person would've said the dog was in training.

[Tria]

Unless there is something seriously wrong with the water here, there is no way that 6 of 15 girls on the VARSITY volleyball team have a need for service dogs.

It's because they are MENTALLY handicapped.

[Banrion]

It's because they are MENTALLY handicapped.

So what? The dog is doing the thinking for them?

[Tria]

So what? The dog is doing the thinking for them?

Or just servicing them.

[Phone Jockey]

he said NO to free coffee?
NO? to FREE COFFEE??
he must be an alien! coffee is the most wonderous, splendiforous drink in the multiverse!

Yeah, I'm gonna have to disagree witcha there. I've never liked coffee, just never got a taste for it. I get my caffeine in other ways, but you will not get coffee into my body. Blech!

[tollbaby]

Yeah, I'm gonna have to disagree witcha there. I've never liked coffee, just never got a taste for it. I get my caffeine in other ways, but you will not get coffee into my body. Blech!

I'm with you. My only source of caffeine is diet coke, and the occasional bit of chocolate.

[protege]

Slightly OT...some months ago, my grandmother fell in her house. As the cat was inside, he ran over to try and comfort her.

As to G1 and G2, I think they're full of crap. Service dogs, at least here, usually have vests on and/or a harness. As if that wasn't enough, they usually have warnings that "they're working" and not to pet them.

[tollbaby]

yeah, just putting a blue sweater on fido doesn't make him a service dog

[MMATM]

That was my thought, but I wasn't about to argue with them about their right to keep the dog in the store. Mainly because I didn't know what the law really was or what service the dog might have been performing, but also because I like dogs. The dog barking was the only thing that really made me think that the girls were full of it, since I was under the impression that any dog trained to be a service dog was also trained not to bark except in an emergency situation (I suppose the owner having a seizure would apply).
In any case, I wasn't going to do anything that would get the owner of the store (doofus though he may be) called into court over something that minor.

And I'm always open to learning real-world stuff. Ninety percent of problems stem from not knowing enough about whatever is at hand. (And 63% of statistics are made up, including those ones...)

But it's always seemed to me that knowing more than people think you do or should tends to come in handy, as long as it's viewed objectively and doesn't skew your perceptions.
/"Wisdom"

[Banrion]

This came up on another website so I have read the text.

Q: How can I tell if an animal is really a service animal and not just a pet?

A: Some, but not all, service animals wear special collars and harnesses. Some, but not all, are licensed or certified and have identification papers. If you are not certain that an animal is a service animal, you may ask the person who has the animal if it is a service animal required because of a disability. However, an individual who is going to a restaurant or theater is not likely to be carrying documentation of his or her medical condition or disability. Therefore, such documentation generally may not be required as a condition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal. Although a number of states have programs to certify service animals, you may not insist on proof of state certification before permitting the service animal to accompany the person with a disability.

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/animal.htm - straight from the Department of Justice

[AFpheonix]

A smart person would've said the dog was in training.

I have yet to see an assistant dog in training that didn't have a lil' vest on that proclaimed their status as a training dog or a 4-H project.