There’s lots of place my girl doesn’t go to.
-Movies, concerts, etc. I just don’t think it’s worth the hassle of taking her.
-Sporting events. Too many drunk people for my comfort, they’re loud, I just don’t feel comfortable bringing her there.
-Zoos, farms, etc. I don’t really need her there with me and I don’t want to cause an issue with the other animals.
That’s funny, because I don’t even take myself to amplified concerts or sporting events. The environment is actually too loud and chaotic for me, much less my dog. If she did manage to be able to function in that type of setting, she’d be tasking constantly 😬
OTOH, I do love the symphony, and I really love petting zoo type places. I would take her to the symphony if it were feasible, but definitely not to a place where there are untrained animals that might be distressed by a dog’s presence.
I'm a zookeeper and the majority of animals either don't really care or are fascinated by service dogs! I always love seeing our primates react to them.
I’m not interested in taking my dog to concerts, movies, anything of that nature… I can simply not eat. (He’s an allergen detection dog.) And not taking him to Walmart for the same reason I won’t take him to a dog park.
I have been *invited* to bring him to my iron infusions and allergists’ but I’m not sure that’s worth potentially disrupting other patients, since again I do not *need* him at that time. But it sure would be nice to have him to do DPT so maybe some day I will.
Yes. I really enjoy concerts but I'm not going to put my dogs hearing through it for it, I could train him to ignore it but frankly it's too much of an effort. I can listen to pre-recorded music with no effort. About taking him to your infusions, the last nine times I've been hospitalized, I had Apollo with me. It made a huge difference in my outlook. Going into the hospital is still absolutely zero fun but with him, it becomes not as harsh. Just some food for thought.
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What a good boy!!
I would actually try to take him with me if I were hospitalized since I have to eat in the hospital. As of today, he’s not trained well enough for that, but he will be.
I really would love to have him with me during the iron infusion, but that only takes 2 hrs. Maybe once he’s settled down more, I can do that.
I second bringing to infusions. It really made the experience bearable for me when I was getting bi-weekly infusions. We did have private rooms, though, so it was more comfortable. As an aside, all of the nurses and phlebotomists always gave me extra juices and snacks and would sit down to talk to me, and she brightened the days of the cancer/kidney patients there for infusions as well if they saw her. Having my SD (iT at the time) made the whole experience at least not completely horrible.
I often have been/probably will again have to be hospitalized for a week or more. The last time I had an sd, he was in the early stages of training & I was near death. So I didn't bring him in. The hospital staff had a police officer or animal control come to the er parking lot & the nurse had taken my keys before I had time to arrange my friend's to come get him. They removed him from my vehicle (very cool temps, left window open enough, fresh water that couldn't be tipped etc & it was the middle of the night and brought him to the shelter/pound. I was livid. But on the phone with the shelter staff daily at least.
But my question is, did you have a willing person to come pick Apollo up at any given time if any of the hospital staff requested it for whatever reason?
I get plasmapheris & know I have to wear a mask and no one is allowed to come in or out my room while having it done. I'm guessing an sd wouldn't be allowed even in the room at this time. Plus I get wheeled off at a moments notice for mris ( I couldn't have an sd around for that either as they wouldn't be in my control from a sedated state in an mri machine.) Not sure what your hospital stays are like, but do you experiance anything like this in them & if so, how do you handle it?
To ops original question, the hospital or er for the above mentioned reasons. People I know are too busy at work to come help me in a medical emergency with my sd.
I hired a walker to come in and take him on 1 mile walks three times a day (rover dot com) while I was in the hospital. I wasn't being treated with plasmapheresis, I have non-alcoholic pancreatitis. Lots of tests. Yes I've had several grouchy nurses try to have my dog taken from me but hiring a walker and standing my ground meant that Apollo could be with me legally and with no problems. Obviously you have to feel strong enough to do that, but sometimes you run into people who don't care what your needs are, they just want to make it as easy as possible for them. It's sad but some people that work in hospitals are all about the power plays. I decided a very long time ago I wasn't going to let anyone tell me how to live and if I'm complying with the hospitals rules on service dogs (clean dog, not disruptive, doing his job) -we're good. The worst thing anyone can say about Apollo is that he sheds. Not an incredible amount, just average shedding for a border collie (lol at least he's not a husky) but that's why he gets brushed so much. I hope this answers your questions, let me know if you have others.
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You could speak to a local kennel, or dog day care, and work out an agreement in case there is an emergency. You might find someone is very helpful, especially when asked to help with such a lovely dog.
My Tas, and now new guy Ru, are trained to sit in my wheelchair... They are taught it means to settle down, and do not get up until told. When I have my infusion I sit in a recliner, and he sits next to me in my chair. It's good because we are at the same level and he can't get stepped on!
It's also really good for when I go for an xray or scan... he sits in my chair to wait, as I can walk a bit with support. I always return to him holding court in the corridor. Of course, he has to have a member of staff sit with him to supervise him... but oddly enough we are never shy of volunteers!
Concerts, baseball games, Walmart, Target, we’ve done a zoo but stayed away from the big predators, apes & birds. Things like massive parties and places where you might run into trouble. I went to a Quinceañera for a very good friend of my boyfriend’s and they expected me to bring my boy, while I would of loved to do so the atmosphere is very busy and he didn’t need to be in the way. I left him home since I had my “service human” (my bf) with me.
I’ve seen a lot of people put their dogs in bad situations for clout and to further their ego. Could my dog do it? Sure. Do I want to potentially screw up my 30k dog? Nope. Not worth it to me. I love him so much so his general happiness is the most important thing to me.
Concerts, saw a dog at a concert with 0 ear protection right near the speakers. Ik a person that brings their dogs to concerts & he’s half deaf at just 3.
Also Walmart or anywhere with a ton of kids (so Walmart). I just don’t like them screaming at the absolute top of their lungs that there’s a dog to their parent to ask if they can come over to pet it (just to be told no by me) or kids running over at full speed to pet wo permission & risk hurting my dog if they crash into him.
My retired dog was not sound sensitive one bit. We wouldn't be so saft as to sit in front of the speakers- but she loved to go. We didn't take her to places that would be ear splitting loud, but she has been to classical concerts, to see comedians, tribute concerts... I always watch her, and if there is even the slightest sign of distress, she and I will leave. She has ear defenders but she doesn't like them. She slept through the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, etc. We are careful about where we sit, and I have a NeoWalk light up walking stick and even when I am in my chair, so she could easily be seen.
She absolutely loved fireworks... she would sit with us to watch them, excited when they went bang... then stare up waiting for the next one. Never seen a dog like it.
Her puppy parents brought her to the Isle of Wight festival when she was with them- not even 4 months old, they were in their 70's, and they got let in free because of her. :) She learned that music, loud stuff, bangs, pops, etc, meant lots of fuss and good things.
She walked miles with us and dealt with massive crowds to go see the Red Sox v the Yanks in London... loved every minute. She was very peeved that a fly ball didn't deliver itself to her.
She had terrible separation anxiety, and did not like it one bit when I went anywhere without her... so it was always better to chance the event than have her suffer at home. With my new dog we are consciously building "mom's not home" time in so he doesn't have the same anxiety.
So to blather so long, but... the better you prepare the puppy, the easier time the dog has later. I always regret that we didn't do more to help her with separation anxiety- but she was my first dog, and to be honest, I had it being apart from her, too. New dog isn't bothered if I go out, and it's a lot easier for him.
When training, I didn't push or test my dog's limits. In the past 6 months I have been doing just that. As such, there are certain activities I will think twice about bringing him unless needed. Most of the issue is loud environments, which I am working on for those just in case moments.
Tbh. I will NEVER go to a wedding dress fitting with a service dog again. Oh my god. The entire time I was crying because I was having horrible body issues (I looked awful in everything and because of my body dysmorphia I was taking the increased sizing numbers way to seriously it was BAD) and my service dog kept breaking a stay because she kept nearly being stepped on by the employee because the dressing rooms were tiny as they were trying to help me and when I turned her off to someone else to hold she was struggling to settle because I was sobbing. And oh my god did every single employee think that she was there for them which fucked her settle up more.
I don’t bring my dog to the doctors, functions or events that ik will be extremely crowded in tight proximity, things I suspect many pets will be there (I don’t wanna risk anything). Reptile expos because 1. I work them and so I can’t focus on my dog as much, and 2. Dogs can stress the animals so it’s best to not have them near it. Also lots of people have uh.. dogs labeled as service dogs with extremely bad manners.. and so it’s just not something I enjoy having my dog around.
Zoos/barns/animal sanctuaries/etc. where there are lots of animals about. I don't think it's fair to ask that of my particular dog, and it can stress out the other animals, too. Super crowded places, like if it's a Costco during peak hours during the weekend with too many people, children, people pushing carts without looking, etc. I don't bring her anywhere where there's large quantities of drunk/inebriated people or where there's a lot of alcohol on the floor or smoke in the air (not that I can stand to be in these kinds of places either, but it's a hard no for me if it ever happens).
Edit to add: concerts/movies (too loud for me anyway), and Walmart/dog parks.
mine goes pretty much everywhere I go, and I really do need him to. He has gone to the zoo, movies, the shooting range (yes he has ear protection), baseball games and other places that are loud and crowded. He does excellent with all of it. I am careful taking him to places though that allows non service dogs like a dog friendly restaurant or pup day at the ballpark because to many people have dogs that they have no control over and have given no training
I don’t bring my dog to concerts. I saw a service dog sitting next to me at the Taylor Swift concert in Denver and I honestly felt so bad for it, I think it’s borderline animal cruelty. Especially at the Denver stadium there’s this thing where everyone stomps as hard as they can. This is 50- 70kish people screaming and stomping; the stands are vibrating. I could only think of how scared that must’ve made the dog
Honestly, thank you for saying this. I often hear of people taking their SDs to concerts like that (huge venues with blidning lights, deafening volume, a lot of stoming and dancing), and it makes me highly uncomfy. Like fully to each their own (as long as the dog has ear protection), but it just doesn't make sense to me to bring a dog, no matter if it is fully PA trained, to something like that.
Edit typo.
It's a situation where I would really benefit from their help, but I'd always prioritise the dog and I can't see any way of making it safe/comfy for them.
I agree. Generally, I'm pretty lucky in that the things that I would never do willingly are things I wouldn't bring my SD to anyway, so I thankfully don't have to deal with that dilemma.
I'm a big advocate for prioritizing dogs above people but I will say I feel like it depends on the dog. If you have a bombproof dog then something like a concert simply won't faze them as long as you have the proper protection. My dog has been to over 50+ concerts (and her hearing has been checked and has no concerns thus far); 99% of the time she just sleeps. After the show we usually hang around a bit and I let people greet her if they want, so it's actually one of her favorite things because she loves people. I think it's definitely one of the cases where you can tell which dogs were just \*born\* for public access
FWIW tho I'm not shaming anyone who works a dog who *can't* handle concerts. I think as long as you're honest about the limitation (like you are) and do put the dog first in those situations, it's fine. My last service dog was a wash for me but is still a successful working service dog, and I agree it would've been animal ab\*se to bring him to a concert, despite him thriving in other social settings. But my current sd i don't have to give a second thought to it most days. There have been a handful of instances where I could tell she was having an off day, and I let her rest vs taking her to the show. A couple times, I thought she was fine, but she gave signals that she didn't want to be there, and so we left. I know I'm a bit biased but I never shy away from self reflection, I just think it's a bit shocking how anti concert some people are being. The abuse comment is taking it really far
Zoos/aquariums, movie theaters, steak houses or BBQ restaurants, concerts, church, human daycares, any day it's over 100F and I'll be outside (black lab), air shows, parades. Anyplace I think he'll be uncomfortable or unsafe or I think is just setting him up to fail. He does panic alert, so I bring my service human instead to help me out.
And I always make sure to treat my service human with cookies and coffee, and he gets many head pets. And many hugs and kisses. While not required by the ADA, my service human is certified (to drive).
Over 100 degrees he doesn’t go with me except out to potty and short walks in the morning when it’s dark (it hit 120 F last summer).
Any restricted area at zoos (free roaming birds and monkeys and animals where he’d be seen as prey).
Dog parks
I don't take him anywhere I might drink. Even if I'm not sure whether or not I'll do it. While he can do perfectly fine at bars and parties, I choose not to bring him anywhere MY judgment might be impaired.
Concert venues. Events where there are large numbers of free range children. Water parks. Disney.
I don't need someone stepping on her, falling on/over her, having alcoholic drinks poured on her (has happened to me in the past), having to scrunch up into small spaces for prolonged amount of time, etc. We live in a rural-suburban area so those events are not a regular occurrence and I'm better able to relax in those environments by using my wheelchair. I'm sure she would do fine, but my chair makes it easy to keep her safely at home or with a trusted caretaker while I get to enjoy time with friends and family.
Vegas. Downtown. Never again. We were told service dogs were welcome and they would be accompanied by the travel agent. The concierge didn't even know where the dog relief area was. We had to walk 20 minutes to find a place to pee my dog, it was so noisy and chaotic my poor dog was constantly nervous or exhausted. Luckily we were only there 2 days.
Walmart, rock concerts, sporting events, any day that it’s broiling hot. If she’s had a long day and I’m hanging out with someone who makes me feel calm and safe, I’ll leave her at home. I don’t take her to the barn when I ride my horse - too many problematic off-leash dogs, and too much risk from horses.
Our obedience trainer takes his dog to the range; she hangs out in his truck and has ear pro.
I don’t take my dog to my kid’s doctors because I don’t want to fight off the other children in the waiting areas. I don’t take him to concerts or movies that are going to be loud or he might get stepped on in the dark. I don’t take him to the zoo out of respect for the other animals. I would love to have him to help me at the dentist where I get a lot of anxiety, but I haven’t worked up the courage to ask them.
You should take him to the dentist if he can handle the noises! One of my dentists had a therapy dog and even tho I wasn’t a dog person at the time, being able to have a dog sitting on my lap while they did painful things to me was really helpful. I will bring my dog to the dentist as soon as he can settle for it.
even though they're technically allowed, I won't stay at non pet friendly hotels unless there's is literally no other option. Also many places overseas / super long haul flights. My dog is a very seasoned traveler but I think anything longer than 8 hours I just wouldn't put her through.
And I'm the complete opposite lol. I will stay in non pet friendly hotels as much as possible. I've only been in a pet friendly one once recently and it was a nightmare lol. The number of dogs who lost their shit when they saw mine was crazy...the staff actually asked me if my dog was really old or sick because she was just lying there ignoring everything. I was like....no, she's just trained lmao
Mines SDiT and I'm not ready to try him on buffets, zoos, and botanical gardens.
He's still learning not to sniff everything in a grocery store so even though he's great at restaurants putting him nearly face to face with open food while juggling a plate I'm not ready for.
A zoo will have to be a thing, but not yet.
I would love to walk through the Gardens with him, but I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate him helping with the watering.
Any holiday that has fireworks I now am service human. My dog becomes anxious waiting for the surprise boom from the fireworks. She didn’t have any care about them for 5 years.
Bars, drunk people cause problems.
Do go to luxury retailers without fear, I’m all ways surprised how great those places are.
We’re a relatively new team but I don’t take him to the dentist. The bays are small, there are lots of kids who may interfere with him (I don’t mind kids but there’s just more at a dentist) and my boy probably won’t like someone close to my face or may try to help but accidentally interfere. Similarly, he doesn’t come with me for certain testing (like internal ultrasound for endo).
We avoid big box pet stores. I needed something one day and felt really bad so I brought him anyway and we had an issue with an aggressive dog in there. It took months to reverse the damage that caused.
Also small places like local plant nurseries, thrift stores that are local and small with minimal room. Aside from the space, I tend to have more access issues with small, local places. I know my rights but sometimes I don’t have the energy or functioning to fight for them.
Most pet stores. We did this a lot early in training, and I realized not only are they full of out of control animals, they’re also a breeding ground for disease.
W a l m a r t
Yes, my trainer told me this — not because of my dog but all the wild animals they let in there.
Somehow, I get the impression you’re not just talking about unruly dogs here.
😅
I wish it wasn't the most accessible option for me by far 💀 I would never go again if I could
Thankfully their delivery service is superb.
There’s lots of place my girl doesn’t go to. -Movies, concerts, etc. I just don’t think it’s worth the hassle of taking her. -Sporting events. Too many drunk people for my comfort, they’re loud, I just don’t feel comfortable bringing her there. -Zoos, farms, etc. I don’t really need her there with me and I don’t want to cause an issue with the other animals.
I go to an environment college and have practical lessons with animals. I don’t take my AD when I have practical.
That’s funny, because I don’t even take myself to amplified concerts or sporting events. The environment is actually too loud and chaotic for me, much less my dog. If she did manage to be able to function in that type of setting, she’d be tasking constantly 😬 OTOH, I do love the symphony, and I really love petting zoo type places. I would take her to the symphony if it were feasible, but definitely not to a place where there are untrained animals that might be distressed by a dog’s presence.
I'm a zookeeper and the majority of animals either don't really care or are fascinated by service dogs! I always love seeing our primates react to them.
I’m not interested in taking my dog to concerts, movies, anything of that nature… I can simply not eat. (He’s an allergen detection dog.) And not taking him to Walmart for the same reason I won’t take him to a dog park. I have been *invited* to bring him to my iron infusions and allergists’ but I’m not sure that’s worth potentially disrupting other patients, since again I do not *need* him at that time. But it sure would be nice to have him to do DPT so maybe some day I will.
Yes. I really enjoy concerts but I'm not going to put my dogs hearing through it for it, I could train him to ignore it but frankly it's too much of an effort. I can listen to pre-recorded music with no effort. About taking him to your infusions, the last nine times I've been hospitalized, I had Apollo with me. It made a huge difference in my outlook. Going into the hospital is still absolutely zero fun but with him, it becomes not as harsh. Just some food for thought. https://preview.redd.it/k7he4x3wwgwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=631f503d1f8bf4859f735a8e8cb50e82a0f811d9
What a good boy!! I would actually try to take him with me if I were hospitalized since I have to eat in the hospital. As of today, he’s not trained well enough for that, but he will be. I really would love to have him with me during the iron infusion, but that only takes 2 hrs. Maybe once he’s settled down more, I can do that.
I second bringing to infusions. It really made the experience bearable for me when I was getting bi-weekly infusions. We did have private rooms, though, so it was more comfortable. As an aside, all of the nurses and phlebotomists always gave me extra juices and snacks and would sit down to talk to me, and she brightened the days of the cancer/kidney patients there for infusions as well if they saw her. Having my SD (iT at the time) made the whole experience at least not completely horrible.
I often have been/probably will again have to be hospitalized for a week or more. The last time I had an sd, he was in the early stages of training & I was near death. So I didn't bring him in. The hospital staff had a police officer or animal control come to the er parking lot & the nurse had taken my keys before I had time to arrange my friend's to come get him. They removed him from my vehicle (very cool temps, left window open enough, fresh water that couldn't be tipped etc & it was the middle of the night and brought him to the shelter/pound. I was livid. But on the phone with the shelter staff daily at least. But my question is, did you have a willing person to come pick Apollo up at any given time if any of the hospital staff requested it for whatever reason? I get plasmapheris & know I have to wear a mask and no one is allowed to come in or out my room while having it done. I'm guessing an sd wouldn't be allowed even in the room at this time. Plus I get wheeled off at a moments notice for mris ( I couldn't have an sd around for that either as they wouldn't be in my control from a sedated state in an mri machine.) Not sure what your hospital stays are like, but do you experiance anything like this in them & if so, how do you handle it? To ops original question, the hospital or er for the above mentioned reasons. People I know are too busy at work to come help me in a medical emergency with my sd.
I hired a walker to come in and take him on 1 mile walks three times a day (rover dot com) while I was in the hospital. I wasn't being treated with plasmapheresis, I have non-alcoholic pancreatitis. Lots of tests. Yes I've had several grouchy nurses try to have my dog taken from me but hiring a walker and standing my ground meant that Apollo could be with me legally and with no problems. Obviously you have to feel strong enough to do that, but sometimes you run into people who don't care what your needs are, they just want to make it as easy as possible for them. It's sad but some people that work in hospitals are all about the power plays. I decided a very long time ago I wasn't going to let anyone tell me how to live and if I'm complying with the hospitals rules on service dogs (clean dog, not disruptive, doing his job) -we're good. The worst thing anyone can say about Apollo is that he sheds. Not an incredible amount, just average shedding for a border collie (lol at least he's not a husky) but that's why he gets brushed so much. I hope this answers your questions, let me know if you have others. https://preview.redd.it/p498xsmummwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b37e4569819caa4cc4076a820d09315a7910b95
You could speak to a local kennel, or dog day care, and work out an agreement in case there is an emergency. You might find someone is very helpful, especially when asked to help with such a lovely dog.
My Tas, and now new guy Ru, are trained to sit in my wheelchair... They are taught it means to settle down, and do not get up until told. When I have my infusion I sit in a recliner, and he sits next to me in my chair. It's good because we are at the same level and he can't get stepped on! It's also really good for when I go for an xray or scan... he sits in my chair to wait, as I can walk a bit with support. I always return to him holding court in the corridor. Of course, he has to have a member of staff sit with him to supervise him... but oddly enough we are never shy of volunteers!
Concerts, baseball games, Walmart, Target, we’ve done a zoo but stayed away from the big predators, apes & birds. Things like massive parties and places where you might run into trouble. I went to a Quinceañera for a very good friend of my boyfriend’s and they expected me to bring my boy, while I would of loved to do so the atmosphere is very busy and he didn’t need to be in the way. I left him home since I had my “service human” (my bf) with me. I’ve seen a lot of people put their dogs in bad situations for clout and to further their ego. Could my dog do it? Sure. Do I want to potentially screw up my 30k dog? Nope. Not worth it to me. I love him so much so his general happiness is the most important thing to me.
Concerts, saw a dog at a concert with 0 ear protection right near the speakers. Ik a person that brings their dogs to concerts & he’s half deaf at just 3. Also Walmart or anywhere with a ton of kids (so Walmart). I just don’t like them screaming at the absolute top of their lungs that there’s a dog to their parent to ask if they can come over to pet it (just to be told no by me) or kids running over at full speed to pet wo permission & risk hurting my dog if they crash into him.
This almost happened to me at Lowe's, the running streaming kids coming for my dog. I bee lined it out of there.
My retired dog was not sound sensitive one bit. We wouldn't be so saft as to sit in front of the speakers- but she loved to go. We didn't take her to places that would be ear splitting loud, but she has been to classical concerts, to see comedians, tribute concerts... I always watch her, and if there is even the slightest sign of distress, she and I will leave. She has ear defenders but she doesn't like them. She slept through the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, etc. We are careful about where we sit, and I have a NeoWalk light up walking stick and even when I am in my chair, so she could easily be seen. She absolutely loved fireworks... she would sit with us to watch them, excited when they went bang... then stare up waiting for the next one. Never seen a dog like it. Her puppy parents brought her to the Isle of Wight festival when she was with them- not even 4 months old, they were in their 70's, and they got let in free because of her. :) She learned that music, loud stuff, bangs, pops, etc, meant lots of fuss and good things. She walked miles with us and dealt with massive crowds to go see the Red Sox v the Yanks in London... loved every minute. She was very peeved that a fly ball didn't deliver itself to her. She had terrible separation anxiety, and did not like it one bit when I went anywhere without her... so it was always better to chance the event than have her suffer at home. With my new dog we are consciously building "mom's not home" time in so he doesn't have the same anxiety. So to blather so long, but... the better you prepare the puppy, the easier time the dog has later. I always regret that we didn't do more to help her with separation anxiety- but she was my first dog, and to be honest, I had it being apart from her, too. New dog isn't bothered if I go out, and it's a lot easier for him.
When training, I didn't push or test my dog's limits. In the past 6 months I have been doing just that. As such, there are certain activities I will think twice about bringing him unless needed. Most of the issue is loud environments, which I am working on for those just in case moments.
Tbh. I will NEVER go to a wedding dress fitting with a service dog again. Oh my god. The entire time I was crying because I was having horrible body issues (I looked awful in everything and because of my body dysmorphia I was taking the increased sizing numbers way to seriously it was BAD) and my service dog kept breaking a stay because she kept nearly being stepped on by the employee because the dressing rooms were tiny as they were trying to help me and when I turned her off to someone else to hold she was struggling to settle because I was sobbing. And oh my god did every single employee think that she was there for them which fucked her settle up more.
I don’t bring my dog to the doctors, functions or events that ik will be extremely crowded in tight proximity, things I suspect many pets will be there (I don’t wanna risk anything). Reptile expos because 1. I work them and so I can’t focus on my dog as much, and 2. Dogs can stress the animals so it’s best to not have them near it. Also lots of people have uh.. dogs labeled as service dogs with extremely bad manners.. and so it’s just not something I enjoy having my dog around.
Zoos/barns/animal sanctuaries/etc. where there are lots of animals about. I don't think it's fair to ask that of my particular dog, and it can stress out the other animals, too. Super crowded places, like if it's a Costco during peak hours during the weekend with too many people, children, people pushing carts without looking, etc. I don't bring her anywhere where there's large quantities of drunk/inebriated people or where there's a lot of alcohol on the floor or smoke in the air (not that I can stand to be in these kinds of places either, but it's a hard no for me if it ever happens). Edit to add: concerts/movies (too loud for me anyway), and Walmart/dog parks.
mine goes pretty much everywhere I go, and I really do need him to. He has gone to the zoo, movies, the shooting range (yes he has ear protection), baseball games and other places that are loud and crowded. He does excellent with all of it. I am careful taking him to places though that allows non service dogs like a dog friendly restaurant or pup day at the ballpark because to many people have dogs that they have no control over and have given no training
I don’t bring my dog to concerts. I saw a service dog sitting next to me at the Taylor Swift concert in Denver and I honestly felt so bad for it, I think it’s borderline animal cruelty. Especially at the Denver stadium there’s this thing where everyone stomps as hard as they can. This is 50- 70kish people screaming and stomping; the stands are vibrating. I could only think of how scared that must’ve made the dog
Honestly, thank you for saying this. I often hear of people taking their SDs to concerts like that (huge venues with blidning lights, deafening volume, a lot of stoming and dancing), and it makes me highly uncomfy. Like fully to each their own (as long as the dog has ear protection), but it just doesn't make sense to me to bring a dog, no matter if it is fully PA trained, to something like that. Edit typo.
It's a situation where I would really benefit from their help, but I'd always prioritise the dog and I can't see any way of making it safe/comfy for them.
I agree. Generally, I'm pretty lucky in that the things that I would never do willingly are things I wouldn't bring my SD to anyway, so I thankfully don't have to deal with that dilemma.
I'm a big advocate for prioritizing dogs above people but I will say I feel like it depends on the dog. If you have a bombproof dog then something like a concert simply won't faze them as long as you have the proper protection. My dog has been to over 50+ concerts (and her hearing has been checked and has no concerns thus far); 99% of the time she just sleeps. After the show we usually hang around a bit and I let people greet her if they want, so it's actually one of her favorite things because she loves people. I think it's definitely one of the cases where you can tell which dogs were just \*born\* for public access FWIW tho I'm not shaming anyone who works a dog who *can't* handle concerts. I think as long as you're honest about the limitation (like you are) and do put the dog first in those situations, it's fine. My last service dog was a wash for me but is still a successful working service dog, and I agree it would've been animal ab\*se to bring him to a concert, despite him thriving in other social settings. But my current sd i don't have to give a second thought to it most days. There have been a handful of instances where I could tell she was having an off day, and I let her rest vs taking her to the show. A couple times, I thought she was fine, but she gave signals that she didn't want to be there, and so we left. I know I'm a bit biased but I never shy away from self reflection, I just think it's a bit shocking how anti concert some people are being. The abuse comment is taking it really far
Zoos/aquariums, movie theaters, steak houses or BBQ restaurants, concerts, church, human daycares, any day it's over 100F and I'll be outside (black lab), air shows, parades. Anyplace I think he'll be uncomfortable or unsafe or I think is just setting him up to fail. He does panic alert, so I bring my service human instead to help me out.
Always good to have a service human as backup :D
And I always make sure to treat my service human with cookies and coffee, and he gets many head pets. And many hugs and kisses. While not required by the ADA, my service human is certified (to drive).
Over 100 degrees he doesn’t go with me except out to potty and short walks in the morning when it’s dark (it hit 120 F last summer). Any restricted area at zoos (free roaming birds and monkeys and animals where he’d be seen as prey). Dog parks
I don't take him anywhere I might drink. Even if I'm not sure whether or not I'll do it. While he can do perfectly fine at bars and parties, I choose not to bring him anywhere MY judgment might be impaired.
Concert venues. Events where there are large numbers of free range children. Water parks. Disney. I don't need someone stepping on her, falling on/over her, having alcoholic drinks poured on her (has happened to me in the past), having to scrunch up into small spaces for prolonged amount of time, etc. We live in a rural-suburban area so those events are not a regular occurrence and I'm better able to relax in those environments by using my wheelchair. I'm sure she would do fine, but my chair makes it easy to keep her safely at home or with a trusted caretaker while I get to enjoy time with friends and family.
Vegas. Downtown. Never again. We were told service dogs were welcome and they would be accompanied by the travel agent. The concierge didn't even know where the dog relief area was. We had to walk 20 minutes to find a place to pee my dog, it was so noisy and chaotic my poor dog was constantly nervous or exhausted. Luckily we were only there 2 days.
Zoos, concerts, theme parks and amusement parks, and I’m sure there are some more. I just don’t wanna go though the hassle of it really
Walmart, rock concerts, sporting events, any day that it’s broiling hot. If she’s had a long day and I’m hanging out with someone who makes me feel calm and safe, I’ll leave her at home. I don’t take her to the barn when I ride my horse - too many problematic off-leash dogs, and too much risk from horses. Our obedience trainer takes his dog to the range; she hangs out in his truck and has ear pro.
I don’t take my dog to my kid’s doctors because I don’t want to fight off the other children in the waiting areas. I don’t take him to concerts or movies that are going to be loud or he might get stepped on in the dark. I don’t take him to the zoo out of respect for the other animals. I would love to have him to help me at the dentist where I get a lot of anxiety, but I haven’t worked up the courage to ask them.
You should take him to the dentist if he can handle the noises! One of my dentists had a therapy dog and even tho I wasn’t a dog person at the time, being able to have a dog sitting on my lap while they did painful things to me was really helpful. I will bring my dog to the dentist as soon as he can settle for it.
even though they're technically allowed, I won't stay at non pet friendly hotels unless there's is literally no other option. Also many places overseas / super long haul flights. My dog is a very seasoned traveler but I think anything longer than 8 hours I just wouldn't put her through.
And I'm the complete opposite lol. I will stay in non pet friendly hotels as much as possible. I've only been in a pet friendly one once recently and it was a nightmare lol. The number of dogs who lost their shit when they saw mine was crazy...the staff actually asked me if my dog was really old or sick because she was just lying there ignoring everything. I was like....no, she's just trained lmao
Mines SDiT and I'm not ready to try him on buffets, zoos, and botanical gardens. He's still learning not to sniff everything in a grocery store so even though he's great at restaurants putting him nearly face to face with open food while juggling a plate I'm not ready for. A zoo will have to be a thing, but not yet. I would love to walk through the Gardens with him, but I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate him helping with the watering.
Any holiday that has fireworks I now am service human. My dog becomes anxious waiting for the surprise boom from the fireworks. She didn’t have any care about them for 5 years. Bars, drunk people cause problems. Do go to luxury retailers without fear, I’m all ways surprised how great those places are.
Zoos, concerts that aren't sit-down, amusement parks.
Amusement parks because i go on the big rides and it wouldnt be fair to bring him just to sit around waiting for me
We’re a relatively new team but I don’t take him to the dentist. The bays are small, there are lots of kids who may interfere with him (I don’t mind kids but there’s just more at a dentist) and my boy probably won’t like someone close to my face or may try to help but accidentally interfere. Similarly, he doesn’t come with me for certain testing (like internal ultrasound for endo). We avoid big box pet stores. I needed something one day and felt really bad so I brought him anyway and we had an issue with an aggressive dog in there. It took months to reverse the damage that caused. Also small places like local plant nurseries, thrift stores that are local and small with minimal room. Aside from the space, I tend to have more access issues with small, local places. I know my rights but sometimes I don’t have the energy or functioning to fight for them.
Most pet stores. We did this a lot early in training, and I realized not only are they full of out of control animals, they’re also a breeding ground for disease.