ADA Laws Welcome Service Dogs

[AshertoAsher]

A barking service dog?

http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/features/local_story_042123804.html?start:int=0

ADA Laws Welcome Service Dogs

Imagine sitting in a quiet library and suddenly hearing the loud bark of a dog.

Not what you might expect – but this isn’t just any dog.

“She’ll bark at [other people] because it helps me out with knowing someone is behind me,” said Elizabeth Reeve, who owns a service dog.

[Kirsten]

Hogwash.  A service dog should not be barking at people.  If she needs to know when people approach, the dog can do it in the same way a hearing dog signals a deaf owner about a sound.  It need not be disruptive.  Further, allowing or encouraging a dog to bark at strangers in effect gives that dog permission to control the behavior of that person, thereby giving some dogs permission to do more than bite if they believe the situation warrants it (such as biting).

Otherwise, it was a good article.

[hopesclan]

Doesn't look like they are accepting comments.  BS on the barking.

[fledchen]

A dog barking to signal a handler of something is, in my opinion, a nuisance and constitutes a fundamental alteration (rather than a reasonable accommodation). I wouldn't object to a dog barking if someone fainted, had a seizure, or was in some other kind of danger or trouble. There are more reasonable ways to signal a handler that someone is approaching, such as a paw touch or nose touch.

[Roxie]

Totally agree with you!!

Roxie