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SERVICE
DOG OR LAP-DOG – THAT’S THE BIG QUESTION
By
Jan Bergemann
Published
July 25, 2014
Let’s
make no mistake: Even the so-called “Professionals” dealing
with this issue often have no clue what they are talking about.
What would you think about a doctor who just recently promoted a
lap-dog – described by neighbors as a “barking nuisance”
-- to a trained certified service animal? Please see as well my
Op-Ed “INCOMPETENT
GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATORS DON’T EVEN KNOW THE LAWS – AND
THEREFORE IGNORE THEM!”
I
love pets – my cats graciously allow me to live in their house
– but for me rules are still rules. And when somebody, who
bought into a no-pet community, changed his/her mind the
applicable rules still have to be followed. If the owner’s
health requires a pet – especially a trained service dog –
the community should make the necessary accommodations and
should grant the owner permission to keep the dog, even if the
rules don’t allow pets.
But
this owner has to follow the rules and file the necessary
application – with the required documents attached – before
bringing the dog into the community. And the doctor’s
“prescription” should make sense, unlike the one from Dr.
Paul Murry in the above mentioned op-ed. We only see too often
notes from doctors attached to applications for an emotional
support animal that absolutely make no sense. If questioned
under oath these doctors often have to admit that they just
wrote the note to do their patients a favor – not because
there was a medical necessity.
A
service dog is a trained animal – like a seeing-eye dog –
that underwent special training and where the owner can produce
certification documents from specially certified dog trainings
facilities.
An
emotional support animal is nothing but a lap-dog with no other
training than any other pet-dog. These lap-dogs are good company
– but don’t really supply any special services other than
making the owner “feel good!
The
fights are on because too many owners have abused the system,
bringing pets into no-pet communities with bogus applications
and doctor’s notes.
As
usual, there are always two sides to a story. Believe me, I
understand that people like company, and especially if the
partner passed away, a pet is great company. But remember, other
owners moved into this no-pet community for a reason. Either
they are allergic to pets – quite a few humans are – or they
plainly don’t like pets – for various reasons. Some dogs are
of the “permanent barking” variety; other dogs – blame the
owners – are leaving their “piles” in unwanted locations.
In
short: Pets are Pets and Service Dogs are Service Dogs. It’s
important for everyone involved to know the difference – and
deal with these problems accordingly.
And
here is what goes for both sides of the aisle: Follow the rules
– or risk a serious legal battle!
By
the way: You want to get a good laugh and see how you make out
of your lap-dog a certified service dog or a certified emotional
support dog?
Nothing easier than that:
Go to the US
Dog Registry and register your dog – no matter if
your dog had any special training or not. Just pay a fee and
make a certified emotional support animal out of your pooch!
This
is in my opinion plainly ridiculous!
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Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice,
Florida
's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group.
CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in
community
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associations. He moved to
Florida
in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the
developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues
for his own purposes. End of retirement!
CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in
Tallahassee
- finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a
member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.
The organization has two websites to inform interested
Florida
homeowners and condo owners:
News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.
Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all
service providers surely have a different interest! We are
trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are
useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking
in
Florida
!
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