06/23/2024
Meet Napa. Napa is a patient of mine at the Black Hills Animal Hospital. Napa is a tried and true, real service dog. She was born and raised by a non-profit in Ohio that breeds and trains service dogs for the disabled. Napa’s owner has a real disability. The non-profit flew her to Ohio to be trained with Napa to work together as team. Napa is trained to perform many tasks including picking up items and carrying them to her owner. Napa helps her owner to live her daily life. Napa is current on every vaccination. She is weighed monthly at our clinic — a requirement by the non profit to make sure she is cared for and kept at the perfect ideal weight. Napa’s cost is estimated at $20,000-50,000 (breeding program, foster homes, training for 2 years, feeding, medical care, paying for disabled owners to train with and travel to them). Most dogs don’t make it out of the program. Napa is elite. She is one of the most highly trained dogs I’ve ever worked with.
Napa was attacked by a dog today. A dog running loose in a Dollar General. Another dog walked in the door at the same time. Two dogs that had no business walking in a store. Napa has been attacked by dogs twice already in the last six months.
This has got to stop. Please stop taking your dogs into stores. They are not service dogs. A vest you bought online does not make your dog a service dog.
A service dog assists a person with disabilities by performing trained tasks.
Service animals are working animals, not pets. Comfort or emotional support dogs do not qualify as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Service dogs are so highly trained they don’t even BARK at another dog. They stand still next to their handler.
Taking your pet into public places and letting them interact with, bark at, threaten, and provoke or attack a service animal puts the real service dog at risk. It puts disabled people at risk as well. Napa’s owner could hardly stand to control her and try to help her.
If Napa becomes skittish or dog reactive in public….. she will be sent back to the service dog organization. Let that sink in. Her owner will have to give up Napa because you had to take your dog into every store and restaurant with you. You didn’t control your dog. You have put zero training into your dog. You couldn’t be bothered to put your dog on a leash today.
Let that sink in.
We must do better.
Please leave your dogs at home. And please leave your fake service dog vests at home as well.
Sincerely,
Napa’s veterinarian
Melissa Mez DVM
