Psychological Service Dogs Allowed in the GSMNP

[Gambit McCrae]

I have read under the nps.com that Service dogs are allowed in the national park trails with a permit. Does anyone know if this policy covers all service dogs? Seizure awareness, anxiety, medicine reminder etc? And Does anyone know what credentials the NPS requires for qualifications as a service dog?

I met a guy in the smokies with his dog that said his dog was registered as a service dog for anxiety relief to warn him of upcoming panick attacks. Thus is why I am inquiring.

[Stir Fry]

I do not think ti matters as long as it deamed a service dog.

[Rasty]

There was a thread last week about this. Comfort dogs as these are classified are not allowed per NPS rules.

[slbirdnerd]

Of course, if you go right now no one is there to apprehend you now, are they?

[max patch]

"Service dogs" are one of biggest scams going on right now. Many people with real service dogs are concerned about the people gaming the system.

[Starchild]

IIRC There are two categories of service dogs, one falls under the ADA the other does not, only the ones under ADA are permitted.

[HooKooDooKu]

IIRC There are two categories of service dogs, one falls under the ADA the other does not, only the ones under ADA are permitted.

Bingo! The GSMNP is only allowing pets into the back country when the ADA requires that they let them.

I'm no lawyer, but I would say that the jist of the ADA requirements is that the animal perform a "service" (i.e. task).

So in general (and this was discussed in that other thread) an animal that provides "Emotional Support" does not meet the ADA requirement and is not allowed.

[Alligator]

If the dog is an ADA certified service dog, under the law it can go wherever the public is allowed to go. Also, per ada.gov,Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

[Lone Wolf]

service dogs and therapy dogs are different

[evansprater]

Service dogs and therapy dogs are different, however you can claim that your dog helps you with panic attacks and this falls under a service, rather than therapy. Just registered my little bugger (I do have diagnosed anxiety and OCD, though) for free here https://www.usservicedogregistry.org/shop.php, all the papers are $50 but no one can tell you you can't take them anywhere and you are not required to divulge specifics about your disability.

[Odd Man Out]

I found this document from the ada.gov website. It is consistent with much of what was said above.
For a government document, it was surprisingly easy to read, informative, and useful.

http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

[WingedMonkey]

Service dogs and therapy dogs are different, however you can claim that your dog helps you with panic attacks and this falls under a service, rather than therapy. Just registered my little bugger (I do have diagnosed anxiety and OCD, though) for free here https://www.usservicedogregistry.org/shop.php, all the papers are $50 but no one can tell you you can't take them anywhere and you are not required to divulge specifics about your disability.

Are you saying that you require, and take your dog to work with you in the restaurant you work in?

[BobTheBuilder]

Service dogs and therapy dogs are different, however you can claim that your dog helps you with panic attacks and this falls under a service, rather than therapy. Just registered my little bugger (I do have diagnosed anxiety and OCD, though) for free here https://www.usservicedogregistry.org/shop.php, all the papers are $50 but no one can tell you you can't take them anywhere and you are not required to divulge specifics about your disability.

Shame on you. Service dogs are not only trained to perform specific tasks, they are carefully selected and trained for years to behave properly in public. Your selfish, narcissistic, and immature gimmick to get your dog admitted for your convenience is going to cause untold hardship for people with a real disability. Just like the jerks who scammed Disney World by putting healthy kids in wheelchairs so they could go to the front of the line. Grow up.

[max patch]

Service dogs and therapy dogs are different, however you can claim that your dog helps you with panic attacks and this falls under a service, rather than therapy. Just registered my little bugger (I do have diagnosed anxiety and OCD, though) for free here https://www.usservicedogregistry.org/shop.php, all the papers are $50 but no one can tell you you can't take them anywhere and you are not required to divulge specifics about your disability.

Thats just a scam website selling fake papers used to intimidate businnesses to allow their dog entry where they would not otherwise be allowed (restaurants, hotel rooms, etc). Google says:

“It took me under two minutes to register my fake dog to a fictitious, nonexistent person,” said Friedman, a personal injury specialist with Friedman Law Offices in Los Angeles. To demonstrate how easily service dog scams are carried out, Friedman created a phony pooch, registered it, and shortly after that he received ID cards and a service dog certificate. “[It’s] all from a website that ‘sounds’ like a government entity called usservicedogregistry.org.”

U.S. Service Dog Registry is among many organizations selling service animal supplies and certificates to the public, effectively blurring the line between legitimate service animals with their disabled owners and people eager to exploit unsuspecting businesses into allowing their pets to follow them anywhere.

[Lone Wolf]

NO dogs, service or otherwise are allowed at The Place hostel. churches are exempt from ADA laws

[max patch]

Shame on you. Service dogs are not only trained to perform specific tasks, they are carefully selected and trained for years to behave properly in public. Your selfish, narcissistic, and immature gimmick to get your dog admitted for your convenience is going to cause untold hardship for people with a real disability. Just like the jerks who scammed Disney World by putting healthy kids in wheelchairs so they could go to the front of the line. Grow up.

Heard on Clark Howard last week that Disney World changed their policy because of the abuse of the system. People in wheelchairs now have to use the fast pass line rather than going to the front of the line. Legitimate handicapped people are the losers here.

[max patch]

Shame on you. Service dogs are not only trained to perform specific tasks, they are carefully selected and trained for years to behave properly in public. Your selfish, narcissistic, and immature gimmick to get your dog admitted for your convenience is going to cause untold hardship for people with a real disability. Just like the jerks who scammed Disney World by putting healthy kids in wheelchairs so they could go to the front of the line. Grow up.

I think this is way too harsh. I have a kid about the same age of evan, and I'm assuming that this "registration" was not done with malicious intent, rather, just the inexperience of being a young adult.

[Rasty]

Are you saying that you require, and take your dog to work with you in the restaurant you work in?

Even assistance dogs cannot legally go in the kitchen areas. Only police dogs are allowed.

[ChinMusic]

Shame on you. Service dogs are not only trained to perform specific tasks, they are carefully selected and trained for years to behave properly in public. Your selfish, narcissistic, and immature gimmick to get your dog admitted for your convenience is going to cause untold hardship for people with a real disability. Just like the jerks who scammed Disney World by putting healthy kids in wheelchairs so they could go to the front of the line. Grow up.

this............

[Odd Man Out]

NO dogs, service or otherwise are allowed at The Place hostel. churches are exempt from ADA laws

But reasonable accommodation of disabled people is required, even at exempt institutions, if they receive financial assistance from any Federal program (a church gets a Federal grant to support a food bank, e.g.). Also, the ADA applies to employees of other exempt institutions if they have more than 15 employees.