Why do people think they can tell by looking at someone whether they need a service

[Purple_Kangaroo]

dog or not? I've seen a number of comments from people who are upset because they see people taking a dog into a store or other non-pet-friendly place. They assume that because it's a small dog, or it's a breed they don't associate with service dogs, it must be just a pet. But they don't bother to ask the person whether it's a service dog or not. They just get annoyed and assume that it must be a pet where pets don't belong.

Many people with seizure disorders, deafness, diabetes or panic disorders use service dogs. They aren't just for blind people.

You can't tell by looking at someone whether they suffer from something like seizures or deafness. Not all disabilities are easily visible.

Service dogs are not required by law to be labeled or wear ID showing that they are service dogs, and they can be any breed or size. Other types of animals, such as monkeys, can also be trained as service animals. Service animals are not pets--they are highly trained to offer assistance in mitigating a person's diability.

Why do people assume that if they see a little dog in someone's shopping cart, it must be a pet? A little dog can help with many disability-mitigating tasks just as well as a large dog can.

How can disabled people with service dogs help to educate the public so that they understand that service dogs can be any size and breed, and that they have a right to have their service dog in any public place to assist them with their disability?

I'd like to hear anyone's suggestions on good ways to help educate the public about service dogs and hidden disabilities. How can we make it less of a struggle for people with hidden disabilities to get access to take their service dogs with them wherever they need to go? And, how can we help more people in the general public know how to behave appropriately around service dogs and their handlers (i.e. not harrassing or scowling at the person, not asking them for details of their disability, and not distracting or trying to pet the dog while it's working)?

The ADA's FAQs about service animals: http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm

ADA business brief on service animals: http://www.ada.gov/svcanimb.htm

By federal law, a service dog is not required to wear any sort of identification or be registered or certified, although some individual states do have differing requirements. The ADA supercedes state law.

The problem with requiring a service dog to be certified, marked, etc. is that it can cause barriers for a disabled person. Many disabled people cannot afford to lay out tons of money to get their dog certified or buy special vests, etc. for them. Some dogs don't do well wearing a vest or scarf, especially in hot weather or if they do a task that requires them to be very active.

For seizures, diabetes and many other conditions, dogs are often trained to give the handler a signal to tell them they are about to have a seizure or that their blood sugar is elevated. These are called medical alert dogs.

It can be lifesaving to have a dog tell a person they are about to have a seizure, in time for them to get to a safe place before it hits. No other medical equipment can do this.
No, service dog owners are not required to carry any proof that their dog is a service dog or that the person is disabled, according to the ADA.

The ADA website (links above) says:

"Businesses may ask if an animal is a service animal or ask what tasks the animal has been trained to perform, but cannot require special ID cards for the animal or ask about the person's disability."

"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. . . . documentation generally may not be required."

If you think someone is taking a pet where it shouldn't be, just ask, "Is that a service dog?"

If it is, leave them and their dog alone. If not, feel free to complain to the manager and have the animal removed.
For those wondering what kinds of tasks service dogs do to help people with various disabilities, here's a list of just some of the tasks service dogs commonly do: http://www.iaadp.org/tasks.html

It lists different tasks that are frequently trained for guide dogs, hearing dogs and other kinds of service dogs.
Service dogs are already required to do tasks to mitigate a disability AND to be well-behaved in public by law.

Requiring certification or labeling would add nothing to that except creating more barriers for disabled people. Owner-trained dogs already must meet the same requirements and public access skills as organization-trained dogs.

http://www.iaadp.org/iaadp-ada-training-requirements.html

Anyone can slap a vest on their dog. Dogs aren't robots, and certification is no guarantee that the dog will never misbehave in public.

By law, access for a service dog is dependent on the dog's behavior. It's that simple.

If the dog is behaving appropriately, the worst that happens is that an extremely well-trained pet walks through the store without bothering anyone. If not, it needs to be asked to leave even if it is a service dog.

Better a few well-behaved pets get through than that one disabled person be denied access with their necessary service dog.