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  1. #1
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    Support animals... (not!)

    Yeah, so it was crazy, crazy negotiating the Atlanta airport with my 93 year old mom who is blind. The San Jose airport was marginally better.

    Anyhow, I couldn't believe all the "support dogs" that were being led around the terminals, going through TSA lines or sitting at gates waiting to board planes. Two pit bulls, a little border collie who was spooked and clearly afraid... pulling on his leash, a French Bulldog who was probably not full grown, assorted pocket dogs in various types of satchels, and a Golden.

    I spotted this Golden when he and his handler were going through TSA in a line nearby. (Naturally, my bags were pulled off the conveyor thinger so it could be hand-searched. And since they had maybe 12-15 bags stacked up to go through, I had nothing to do but watch.) The dog's owner was a young guy, really buff, and I was sorta thinking this Golden "support dog" was just another crock, and the handler just wanted a way to transport his dog without paying extra. BUT.. this dog was calm as could be in all the chaos. Sat to have his collar removed (I don't know why TSA needed to x-ray it, but...) and sat to have it put back on. Walked through the very heavy congestion on a loose lead. He was really focused on his owner, though scanning ahead as they walked.

    Then it dawned on me that this guy was probably a vet and his dog was there to help him with his PTSD. (I can see how the crowds and chaos of Atlanta Hartsfield Airport during the T-giving crush could re-traumatize a veteran.)

    Anyhow... I went from being p!ssed and fed up with people and their scam dogs... to being kinda grateful we have guys/gals who have served our country in some pretty wretched circumstances, and who deserve a canine companion (and a lot more besides).

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    IRISHWISTLER (12-02-2017), Macy (12-03-2017), POPTOP (12-03-2017), ronmcq (12-03-2017)

  3. #2
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    To see if contraband was hidden in the collar?

    I spoke at some length to a lady I met in a store. She said her support dog gave her confidence to leave her house and mingle with people. I was beginning to wish the dog was not there, she was hard to get away from. LOL, I guess that means she's lonely and maybe should go out more with the dog. But we were complete strangers and I got a life history waiting in the check out lane
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  4. #3
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    A lot of times when you don't notice anything "off" about someone, it's because that dog is there. A lot of people have things going on that aren't visible to others...either physical or mental...until there's stress or specific types of activity to contend with. My own experience (self and others) allows me to give people the benefit of the doubt.

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  6. #4
    Senior Dog MightyThor's Avatar
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    I just read an article the other day about a veteran support dog who was specifically trained to search ahead around corners, into dark rooms, etc to 'check for danger'. The vet had severe PTSD and could barely leave his house before he got the dog, and then only with trusted family members who would perform that task for him. Sounds like this dog was similar - watching the crowd and the surroundings to confirm that things are ok.
    Mighty Thor, "So Much Dog", born 1/6/2014
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  7. #5
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Was at Bass Pro yesterday and a man had a GSD with a vest on - Therapy Dog. No problem at Bass Pro with dogs and being a GSD I had to chat. The dog did a lot of VA hospital visits. Beautiful girl.

    Did not know about the collar thing.
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  8. #6
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    It was a beautiful dog. Kinda on the fluffy side, maybe show lines. They were a confident pair, creating no problems for other people. (Can't say that about the dogs that were straining at the ends of their leash, or the little Frenchie who was kinda getting under the feet of other people in line.)

    Regarding the collar, they didn't make the dog take off his vest. They sent him through the metal detector (It really was a crowded mess so I don't know if it went off. It should have since it had metal rings on it.)

    Thinking about it all... the whole reason there is a TSA is because of terror threats specifically from (forgive me if I state the obvious) sharia-loving radical Islamists. These people think dogs are unclean. We're probably safer with dogs in our terminals. Just a thought.

  9. #7
    Senior Dog voodoo's Avatar
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    my nephew has a pitbull mix service dog...it is super well trained when his vest is on...no vest it can be a trouble maker

    think my nephew took a year of 3-4 clsses a week to get his certification as service dog...you can tell very quickly whether these dogs are trained or not...
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  10. #8
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by voodoo View Post
    ...you can tell very quickly whether these dogs are trained or not...
    Yep. The folks who use the Service Dog as a scam are making it tough on folks with genuine disabilities.

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    Annette47 (12-05-2017)

 



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