Wherever we camp across the country, people have their family dogs with them. All kinds of dogs—big ones, little ones, tall ones, short ones, skinny ones, fat ones. These furry members of the family travel with their families. But pockets of the country haven’t caught on to the idea that in the 21st Century dogs are considered family members. They are discriminated against at places of business, restaurants, tourist venues and more. When we got Charlie as a puppy, we didn’t want to leave him at a kennel when we traveled and we wanted him to be a part of all the adventures we were to experience. So we had to figure out a way to meet the challenges of Doggy Discrimination.
After some good amount of research, Chris enrolled Charlie in obedience school. The idea was to train him so he could attain Service Dog status. Just as with humans who really take to doing something they love, animals are much the same way. Charlie, we found, was very competitive and always positioned himself to be the best in his class. Time and again he would somehow connect with the instructor (tapping his paw, making eye contact, whining) so he could be the one to demonstrate the most recent teaching. Well, Charlie was certified as a Service Dog—he was really proud of his red Service Dog vest. When we received it and put it on him, he strutted around the house for hours—really a different dog, one in uniform. Seems he just knew. From then on, Charlie could travel with us wherever we went.
But the Doggy Discrimination sometimes rears its ugly head. We had taken the water taxi across the inlet to an island restaurant near Inglewood, Fl when the hostess told us “no dogs allowed.” We gently told her Charlie was a service dog and that by law, she couldn’t deny him entry. She checked with the manager and apologized. Not a problem. We were seated. Dinosaur Land in Front Royal, Va was another story. We had forgotten Service Dog Charlie’s vest, plus it was in the 90s and too hot for him to wear it. We did have his Service Dog picture ID. But he was refused entry without the vest. No compromise. That was the first and only time in five years Service Dog Charlie was prohibited from accompanying us. I wrote the owner a polite letter explaining the law, but never heard back.
Service Dogs are protected by the ADA in all 50 states and a business may only ask 1) Is this a service dog, and 2) What task(s) does the dog perform? Service Dog Charlie has several tasks—guiding us safely along trails or sidewalks and street crossings, beaches–making sure we are alert to possible hazards and more. He is trained. And he takes it seriously, but also is very friendly to other dogs, people and children. He loves his job and loves traveling with us. Recently, he got a new service vest and it was amazing how he wanted to wear it around the house. He’s the first one in the RV when we are getting ready to go somewhere. If you want to bring your dog along on your outings, perhaps consider training as a service dog. An ancient proverb says “A friend loves at all times.” Dogs are that kind of friend.
Sources:
https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/
