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whaletacochamp t1_j0zo869 wrote

Reply to comment by JerryKook in Dear person who dislikes dogs by totallymike

As a pretty big dog person, totally agree. My favorite thing to do when a dog is barreling toward my (on leash) dog and their stupid ass frantic owner is screaming that (why do you need to scream warn me of this fact if the dog is so perfect??) is to say "oh, well mine's not" and just stand there. It's doubly fun when they then get mad at ME. "Why do you have your dog out here if he's not friendly blah blah blah!"

My dog is friendly, but when he is on leash and settled and your little POS comes barreling at him out of nowhere, i neither blame him nor will reprimand him for standing his ground and putting your dog in its place. Little do they know if my dog was off leash he would just frolick and play (the eskimo way), but when he is on leash he's a bit more reactive.

Also if you need to bring your non-service dog into the grocery store in order to not have a panic attick you need more help than your toothless chihuahua can provide.

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Realistic_Law1226 t1_j0zpqxr wrote

Last sentence is uncalled for.

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whaletacochamp t1_j0zs05h wrote

No, it’s not. Using a poorly trained and poorly cared for dog as a band aid for your mental health meanwhile bringing it places where it’s not allowed and whatever risks are associated with that is neither good for you, nor the dog, nor society. Sorry it came across as brash, but it’s true. These people will literally destroy a dogs life for a temporary perceived improvement in their mental health meanwhile actually negatively impacting their overall mental health.

Just because I’m talking about mental health doesn’t mean what I’m saying is wrong or shouldn’t be said. It’s also not a dig at these people - they quite literally need more help than just the emotional companionship of a dog that is not trained to provide emotional support.

There are many people out there literally abusing their dogs in the name of mental health all the while detracting from actual service dogs.

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Realistic_Law1226 t1_j103jow wrote

You didn't say poorly trained. You were making a blow towards people who have animals for anxiety/mental health etc and acting like they shouldn't, I'm sure half of the people do have medical treatment but still need their dog to support them and that may be the only support that they have in real life, as long as the dog is behaving and by their side there should be no issue.

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whaletacochamp t1_j107ia0 wrote

K. It’s pretty clear you just want to debate because I said something semi critical relating to mental health, so I’m not going to belabor this. But when I say a non-service dog I literally mean a dog that is not trained to do the job that this person is having it do, and not trained to be in general public 24/7. I don’t agree that the person likely still needs it. I’m sure they THINK that they need it, but personally knowing multiple people who fall under this umbrella I can confidently say that owning and caring for these animals and putting the pressure of this on the animals has led to more strife and anxiety than it has alleviated for them. And many MANY are using it as a stand in for actual treatment, which is incredibly sad.

In the end both the dog and the owner are worse off for it.

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somedudevt t1_j117wir wrote

If you need a service dog GET A FUCKING SERVICE DOG! But every pet is not that. Just because you call it a support animal does it make it so a service animal under ADA. If you feel you are disabled and qualify under ADA for a service animal, then there is a process. But just because you get a little sad or lonely, or don’t like people some days doesn’t mean you can bring Fido in the gricery store to put it’s wet nose on the produce and bark.

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Eagle_Arm t1_j10fj0m wrote

People using animals as emotion support slaves need to seek actual help.

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