JohnC, tell that to Helping Hands, the non-profit organization in Boston that breeds and trains small capuchin monkeys to work as service animals for patients with limited mobility. They’re trained at Helping Hands’ Monkey College, and I’m aware of at least one person in Vermont who has one.

Go to monkeyhelpers-dot-org for details.

I think I just rambled lots, but I think most of you will get the idea.

Re your proposed ADA cage match, I believe Walter had a post on that precise question re a NYT article a few years ago (the original article was titled something like, “Treating One Worker’s Allergies Sets Off Another’s”). Indeed, there’s no shortage of these cases, including a number involving cabbies (note: putting the dog in the trunk is not a reasonable solution).

And there’s no easy answer. Employers are required both to (a) provide a reasonable accommodation to both, and (b) treat neither one better than the other. (Though neither allergies nor phobias are protected, unless they rise to the level of disability; and dog allergies are unlikely, by themselves, to rise to that level.) What make the issue especially problematic is just how vicious and unsympathetic the two sides — each probably used to being the “victim” and claiming the moral high ground — become.

For now, it’s something most employers can solve if they actually give two thoughts about the ADA (most don’t). That may not be the case as the ADA’s definitions of disability and requirements for accommodations continue to hypertrophy. [Insert usual forecast re reluctance in hiring the disabled, etc.]

Thanks for providing some light on the situation. I am a fan of old movies and recently saw the MARCH OF TIME episode in which they made a fuss about changing New York City’s health laws to allow Seeing Eye Dogs in taxicabs. Seventy-five years later, I think “What can of worms they opened up!”

So, given the situation, how would you guys, as legitimate owners of service animals deal with situations such as the one recounted in Lowering the Bar’s “Free Advice: Service-Animal Claim Is Stronger If Animal Not Dressed as Pirate”? (http://www.loweringthebar.net/2011/03/service-animal-pirate.html) How do we determine and balance the needs of people who use service animals with those of the more general public, some of whom have allergies and phobias? What do we do in a business situation in which the boss has two employees, one of who requires an emotional support animal to function in public, the other has allergies or phobias and the boss may not, because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, dispense with either?

As for me, when I am unable to do my job, I call in and say “I can’t do my job today. Do I need a doctor’s note?” Is that what your service animal does?

Bob

@Humor_Me
“Most of the time, you can tell by the dog’s behavior whether or not it is a Service Dog.”

Completely agree. And the owner’s behavior (with the dog) can be just as much a give away. Though, contrary to what many may think, breed is often a poor indicator of legit creds (i.e., I was surprised to learn thatm kickable as they seem, papillons make decent service dogs).

“To require us to get “registration” or “identification” would be difficult if not impossible given the vast array of tasks and alerts (epileptics would be required to show their dog’s ability….”

I have a working dog (cadaver search), and when he travels with me for work, I sometimes have the same demo request. Though, the request tends to end when I say, “Okay, just go outside and — wait, which do you prefer: the desiccated finger or fake corpse spay?”

@Bob Lipton
“So, Humor Me, if your epilepsy service dog is having an off day, it’s ok?”

The off day isn’t related to serving the disability; it’s that, e.g., after a long flight to a strange place, you may not get perfect obedience. The dog’s not going to main a toddler or walk his owner into traffick; at most he may bark a bitor even, uh, “stake his territory.” It’s rare, but it happens for even exceptionally well-trained dogs.

Is it okay when you have an off day? Do you get sick? Do you get the flu? A cold? Eat something that disagreed with you? Are you human? If you are a living being and dogs are living beings, then the same thing happens to them. You have NEVER made a mistake at work? EVER?

Things happen. We train and we train and we train, but continuing fakers force us to train harder and harder because we never know where we will meet them and have to prove our case. Who else has to prove who they are more than us? We don’t ASK to be stared at, questioned about our private lives, pointed at, shied away from because some faker has probably lunged at them in the past. Do you know how many times a day I hear, “Look at the doggie!” and “Can I pet your dog?” Nobody ever says, “Hi my name is [insert me here]. That’s a nice dog you have. Would you like to join our dog club/come for a drink/go out for dinner/can I have your number?” I’m just a dog in a store. A novelty.

And I’m so glad that you’ve been able to diagnose me over the internet. Are you a psychic? Or you’re just using the example I gave to assume that my dog is is an epileptic alert dog? You make some mighty big assumptions there for someone who doesn’t know me or my dog. I suggest you stick to generalizations, they suit you better.

seizure alert and diabetic alert dogs cannot. what do you want to do? induce a low blood sugar crash in their human to watch her perform? uh right… risk disaster for a test.

and yes, better a dog that can save my diabetic friends life 80% of the time, than no dog. my friend’s dog woke her up out of sleep to test her sugar repeatedly over the years, and once, when she wouldnt wake up… woke up her husband in time to save her life.
yeah, i will take that over nothing

My service dog is currently in semi retirement owing to having had some idiot run over her tail with a shopping cart in a store.
(she now thinks all shopping carts are hazards i have to be taken away from, which kind of limits her help out shopping, although we did find out that the training in how to operate a fire exit door had worked just dandy….)

Bob