Service dogs at cons

I don't mind of course, but I feel bad sometimes. At Megacon this weekend people kept asking this one handler what breed the dog was, nonstop. Con goers kept hugging and petting the dog too, which kind of bothers me. It just seems so intrusive, like putting your own satisfaction over the personal space of a total stranger. I thought it was common knowledge to not touch a service animal? I think even asking to pet them is kind of weird. It should be up to the handler if someone interacts with their animal.

Also saw a dog covered in marker designs to match the handlers cosplay. I know there are pet safe dyes, but this was legit marker scribbles.

But it's Florida, there were sooo many dogs at the con and I'm sure more than half were untrained bs comfort animals because everyone here has to be special.

I don't think I've ever seen an actual service animal (not "emotional support animal") at a con. There are plenty of them around town and people all seem to respect the "service animal - do not touch" harnesses.

Honestly I think it's really irresponsible, especially at large conventions. They may be trained to deal with stressful situations but I can't imagine the hell it must be to be a dog packed into crowded hallways for a whole weekend. It can get stepped on, get claustrophobic, and overstimulated from the noise and smells. If you need support at a con, take a person instead.

And fuck people who bring emotional support dogs to cons! You're too frail to handle a convention so you subject your untrained dog to it instead, how selfish.

At one of our local cons they bring service dogs as part of these dogs' training regimen. The dogs are always well behaved since at that point they're nearly ready to be paired with a person. I've never seen people pet the dogs, I think here it's common knowledge not to pet or distract service dogs.

I have no problem with service animals for ACTUALLY impaired people, but fuck people that bring them when they don't need them. Cons are bad enough with dirty people around, I don't need your stinky ass dog near me (and yes, 99% of the time they stink and/or behave badly, but owners think they don't).

My friend brought her dog with her to a con. She is in training for the type of dog that goes to hospitals and such, as well as being a general aid dog, so I guess she is one of those "emotional support animals" but not as a personal bs dog. People in general were respectful of her since she was in a vest in all, but my friend told me some asshole kids kept on trying to poke her dog with their props, even after told to stop. Completely unacceptable. It made me pretty mad, because of the obvious, and that it wasn't even like a toddler, who's parents didn't teach them any better yet, but older kids.

Don't fucking try to poke animals with props.

>>9501257
I should add this was a smaller con, with dogs in similar training there as well. Not a giant type of con.

Roomed with someone at a con last year who had a PTSD service dog with her. Sweetest dog I've ever met, but man he would NOT let me do my yoga every morning. Every time I tried to do the slow steady rhythmic breathing along with the exercises he would alert and think I'd stopped breathing and come over to check on me.

Also the woman who owned him was the most impossibly obnoxious woman on the face of the planet. The dog was great though. A+ roommate, would room with a dog at a con again.

>>9496431
My mom is a professional ASL interpreter, and ADA legal advocate who's written extensively on the mass-social-gathering aspects of service animals (mostly in the purview of historic reenactments, larps and conventions).

The short answer is, if its a legitimate service animal (seizure, seeing eye, hearing, PTSD, glucose etc), then you are not allowed an opinion, simple as that. The animal has a job, will be fully trained, and should be left alone.

Though, like many people who were raised around or need actual support animals, I am eager to drink up the sweet, salty tears of entitled bullshitters with ill-behaved pets who try to game the system with a fake tag and vest from Amazon. The new registration laws go into effect soon, and the fines and punishments are harsh.

>>9501223
>Honestly I think it's really irresponsible, especially at large conventions. They may be trained to deal with stressful situations but I can't imagine the hell it must be to be a dog packed into crowded hallways for a whole weekend. It can get stepped on, get claustrophobic, and overstimulated from the noise and smells. If you need support at a con, take a person instead.

You should watch a video on the training they go through. It starts from puppyhood, and you really can teach a dog anything. Matter of fact, to build on >>9501233
, the living museum I work at is a common training ground for large crowds, sharp noises (gun and cannon fire) and labour animals (horses and carriages). They dogs do fine.

>>9501301
Dog did a good. Good dog. A+ post, would headpat.

>>9501355
Oooh. What types of fines and stuff? I'm really tired of these fake ass esa's ruining shit. Legally, my service dog and I are fine but we constantly get stopped and asked if we're legit because of the uprising of fake dogs

I wouldn't want dogs touching my lolita or cosplay. And in crowded convention hallways that seems impossible to avoid. It's rude to bring dogs to a place where people walk around in expensive, fancy shit. They get hair and drool on things even when they're well-trained. I'm glad I've never seen a dog at a convention I've been at.

>>9501498
Gee. Would be great to tell that to someone who is, mostly blind, or has crippling anxiety.
Great that you can feel good about going out but some others feel fucking mortified by even walking out their front door and a certified service animal helps.
Drool everywhere? i don't know what kind of dogs you have been exposed too but the vast majority of small and medium sized dog breeds DON'T drool all over the place and most smaller dogs shed barely at all. Seems like you are relating a single bad experience of a shittily trained german shepherd to "all dogs ever"

>>9501498
Legit dogs cost more than your frilly dresses.

>>9501536

why should she and other people suffer just so your crippled retarded ass can go to a pedophile frilly dress tribal meeting?

before the 60s your kind wouldve been left for dead for being a drain to society

>>9501574
The bait is too strong. Please stop breathing.

OP here. Thanks for the input, guys.

I ask because I'm likely getting a service dog within the coming months and I wanted to gauge how they're received at cons or if they've caused any significant issues. Fortunately I don't attend any huge or over-packed cons.

>>9501498
Drool and shedding really varies from breed to breed. Most of the popular service dog breeds are pretty low on the drool factor. GSDs shed pretty hard a couple times a year, but even in crowded cons, the chances of you having no choice but to brush right up against a service dog that's trained to sit and stay in place is slim to none. Like I can understand your concern with people trying to pass undisciplined housepets off as emotional support animals because they might to to be too social and run up to you, jump, lick, etc, but registered service dogs are trained to do their job and stay put.

And I'd disagree that it's "rude" to bring an animal to a con when it's a service dog. Service animals are medical equipment like glasses, wheelchairs, or crutches, the only difference is they're living beings.

>>9501355
What are these new laws that are going into effect soon?

>>9501478
>we constantly get stopped and asked if we're legit because of the uprising of fake dogs
That's one of my concerns. Have you had any issues from hotels at all?

>>9501245
>99% of the time they stink and/or behave badly
Those must be ESAs, not service animals. While dogstank is the owner's responsibility, service animals go through training programs and if they can't behave even in large crowds, they don't get the job.

>>9501605
>Those must be ESAs, not service animals

Yeah, that's why I said that I don't mind actual service animals. People that do need them tend to take enough care of them that they're basiclly unoticeable - they are the 1%. Pet owners that feel the need to bring their pets to cons "just because" are the 99%.

>>9501498
Service dogs are well trained and they won't touch you, unless they have no choice in walking distance. As soon as that vest goes on, they have been trained for years to act appropriately. That's more than we can say about some people going to these from what we've all heard about some time or other. Honestly, you are just as likely to get other people's hair and drool on you, or breaking your fancy shit yourself.

>>9501223
This is what they literally train their entire lives to deal with, it's fine.

>>9501498
>It's rude to bring your life-saving medical equipment with you to a convention

You sure are a cunt.

Bait thread. OP just wants to stir shit up to trick assholes to reveal themselves and get pounced on others. There is no need to ask others for opinions about medical assistants. The law (US) states all public-access facilities must allow service animals; they are not required to wear a vest, and can be trained to facilitate their handlers for a variety of health issues, many of which are invisible. Large dogs are not the only qualified dogs; small ones can be legitimate SDs if they are able to perform their tasks.

>>9501498
Good thing it isn't up to you, you retarded, self-entitled, fungal cunt. I hope the sweetest golden retriever drools on your brand because it mistook your crotch for a loaf of bread.

>>9502061
>Bait thread.
Think what you want, but I legitimately did want opinions and experiences. If people like the Anon you quoted want to post negative things and end up getting pounced by others, not my problem, that's just par for the course in any discussion on /cgl/.

Really, I just don't want to show up at a con and be heckled over the legitimacy of my service animal by attendees and con staff, nor do I want to experience swarms of con kids running up to pet him/her despite vest patches instructing otherwise, so I'd like to get a general feel for the perception of service animals at cons and what others' experiences have been.

The only info I could find was someone asking on Coscom about dressing up their service animal in cosplay, and some Tumblr post about a person whose dog had half their tail amputed after a couple of angry guys stomped on it just because the owner wouldn't allow petting, and I've seen plenty of people complaining about ESAs which made me feel like service animals might get some flack too, even if it's unreasonable (which, another Anon's post sort of reinforced).

I'm cynophobic. I can't remain in the same room as a dog without experiencing severe anxiety. Since I can't ask people with service animals to leave their dog outside, I end up having to leave myself. Needless to say, I hate them.

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30KB, 277x315px

>>9502088
>and some Tumblr post about a person whose dog had half their tail amputed after a couple of angry guys stomped on it just because the owner wouldn't allow petting

jesus fuck this makes me so angry, what the hell?

>>9501498
I've had more issues with shit like spiky armor and poorly done body paint then the fur from a service animal. Dog fur is 1000x easier to get off a dress then body paint.

I have a service dog for my epilepsy which used to be worse than it is now. My main rule of thumbs are 1) people are stupider than you think and 2) do what you can first. In general, I don't go to huge cons just because of where I live, but even then I usually end up only going for a day. I try pretty hard to not be an idiot and put myself in places where my epilepsy would trigger (a big one at cons can be lack of air-especially if its like more than ten people in an elevator type situation or finding that I have low blood sugar from not eating or certain amounts of stress). Secondly, I make sure to never dress up my dog. I even put 'do not pet' and 'on duty' patches pinned to the vest as well as illuminator strips, just to look more 'watch out!' and shit.

He honestly ruins all my coords because I'd rather him stand out than match me, but that's a non-issue. I've only had to yell at a few people because they just go in for the pet without asking, but I can deal with that.

>>9502104
I hadn't considered this before, but that's actually really unfair.

>>9502061
>The law (US) states all public-access facilities must allow service animals; they are not required to wear a vest

"Not required to wear a vest" is all well and good for dealing with the owners of establishments. But, legal requirements aside, putting the vest on seems prudential to head off a bunch of people asking to pet (or petting without permission) your dog.

Real service dogs: awesome, better behaved than most congoers

Fake bullshit emotional animals: fuck you bitches. I will never forget the year that snowflake Homestuck girl brought her "service" CAT to Katsucon. The poor thing looked like it was in cardiac distress. Straight up animal abuse.

>>9502169

What always gets me is that people seem to treat the need of a service dog as more important than severe aversion (allergy or otherwise) to dogs.

>>9502337
I see the problem. But I also think it's a very risky theme to be discussed. There are people who use the dog as their eyes, making them go without the dog it would be like taking a wheelchair away from someone without legs.

But you're right there are people with strong allergies or which are scared of dogs (I'll exlcude ppl who 'hate' dogs, because hatred is stupid and unnecessary and can be overcome with a little amount of braincells). The best is that these people need to get informed that dogs may show up in the area, it's the only thing that could be done. Also ban any other animals from cons other than registered srvice dogs/emotional support dogs.

>>9502302
How? Did the cat have a leash? Cause I put a leash on my cat and she freaked out! Jumped over my moms leg and ran under a car. That cat was having a panic attack. I was just trying to take her for a check up. I had to cancel and the cat ignored me for a few days.

>>9502511
She did yeah but it had reached that level of so stressed out it was just huddling in her lap, panting. At some point she let it loose in a bathroom and it went tearing around trying to find a safe spot. She also didn't give it any water all day

If someone has a trained service dog which is warranted by a legitimate disability, then there's literally no problems.

Just don't fucking bug the owner about it unless they dressed up the dog, in which case they're asking for it.

>>9502088

With the sheer amount of indoctrinated tumblrinas at conventions nowadays, you're not likely to have someone come up to your dog and just start petting without someone stopping them and going "what the fuck are you doing, you can't just pet a service dog! That dog is doing a JOB! You're directly disobeying the patches that say DO NOT PET! Go check yourself before you wreck yourself!" Etc etc etc

had someone do that to their friend when the friend was about to pet my buddy's service dog once. the girl like straight up grabbed her friend by the arm and gave them the most pointed talking-to I've ever seen in my life. It was hilarious.

>>9502118
Found the post again for you, Anon.
http://conventionhorrorstories.tumblr.com/post/122774278808/welcome-to-service-dog-hell

Made me kind of terrified of running into something like that, even though I know it's probably highly unlikely.

>>9502104
>>9502337
See, this was also one of my concerns- phobias and people with severe pet dander allergies. Is there anything service dog owners can do to make things better? I'm fully willing to move to another part of the room or hallway if someone has phobia or allergy issues, but the unfortunate thing is I won't know unless it's brought to my attention, and someone with severe allergies or phobia isn't really going to be able to approach to let me know.

I planned on staying largely out of the way of people in the halls, avoiding crowded dealer and AA booths until people go elsewhere, and if I do end up in a panel room, sticking to a back corner. I also plan on being alert of people nearby and moving away if I see anyone notably discomforted.

>>9502146
Thanks for the input. The illuminator strips are a good idea.
>no autocorrect I did not mean Illuminati strips

>>9502527
Fuck, this pisses me off. Cats make terrible service animals because they're independent and hate changes in their environment, and at that point they're incapable of really being any "service". She'd be better off with a damn service daki pillow.

>>9502540
I don't really see the point of dressing up dogs to begin with, but dressing up a service dog seems to counter-productive. The dog is there to do a job and not be bothered, but putting him/her in cosplay draws attention.

>>9502577
For attention. Passing around the cat and cosplaying as Catwoman and other cat related cosplays while having a live cat means all the attention you want, with a rock solid tumblrina wall of defense if anyone calls you on it. "WAAAH SHE HAS A MENTAL ILLNESS AND NEEEEEDS IT"

At Anime North last weekend I saw at least 20-30 'service animals'. Like bullshit, man. Mostly all able-bodied, particularly young women, all belonging to cosplayers. Several had matching costumes. Very very few animals seemed used to that kind of crowd or really well behaved at all. And several girls were dragging their dogs through the dealers room between people. I almost stepped on a poodle as a girl pushed through the crowd with this dog at the end of its leash dragging behind her.

I work at a grooming salon and every now and then we have a girl come in with her "service dog". I put that in quotations because the dog is clearly not trained to be one. She's always severely freaked out, doesn't listen to commands well even from the owner, she is frightened by any loud noise, etc. She always looks more like a newly adopted shelter dog who isn't accustomed to people yet. And I say this in comparison to other service dogs we groom as well as hospital emotional support dogs. None of them act that way at all and the key difference is how confident and comfortable they are.

In any case, I went to Acen and saw the kid with her dog there. The dog looked like it was going to bolt any second. I felt so bad. She was dragging her throughout the dealers room and it gets extremely congested at times.
I just can't understand how people can be that dense to how their dog is feeling.

>>9502061
>Good thing it isn't up to you, you retarded, self-entitled, fungal cunt.
I pulled a muscle laughing, thank you anon.

>>9496431
>what's your opinion?
Doesn't matter what I think, if he/she performs a service for you, I can stfu. Personally, though, I'm always happy to see someone be able to enjoy themselves like everyone else, wherher or not they need assistance, be it mechanical, medical, or animal, I don't care.

>do you have personal experience?
Traveled and sat in dealer halls with a few, they are as well behaved as a tank of oxygen and take up less space.

>>9502104
>>9502337
>>9502577
One thing I found pretty courteous was the use of Service Dog signage at the booths in dealer rooms or art halls. In case the dog isn't seen right away (they are usually silent, and sitting behind or under the table), the allergic and phobic have an extra heads up to avoid that booth.

Mine gets mistaken for ADA often (due to his utility vest and behavior, but he's a volunteer companion only, I don't need him to physically get around, only to cheer up sick kids and old people), and I firmly decline offers to bend or break rules. Every bent rule costs that much more scrutiny, from the public and management, for the next, legit, dog.

>>9502302
I have seen cats at cons before, but never as "service cats". The cats I saw were representatives of some sort of animal shelter or something. I've only ever seen them at a small con that paired up with the organization and they chosen cats that were as chill as fuck. You also had to go to their own little booth, so if the cats were too stressed out you could shoo people away. I saw a sphinx once and I legit thought it was stuffed before it blinked at me. However, "service cats" that you lug around large conventions is just retarded. Cats can be smart, but they just can't do the level of training and stress management that dogs can.

>>9502337
This is a hard decision of treatment par say, because like >>9502481 said it is like taking away their equipment, but some allergies can be pretty damn serious. I guess if I had to pick it would be service dog first (but only ACTUAL service dogs) since the later party can just got in a different area until they are gone, but the dog might be that persons best bet if something goes wrong, or depends on that dog to get around.

>>9501223
Where I'm from they train dogs at conventions regularly. Teach them to deal with the huge crowds and chaos.

>>9502577
This post is real hypocritical and I don't believe it really happened. She says it's not a pet it's medical equipment then calls it her "poor baby" and why would the guys wanna pet the dog then hurt it? She also went into way too much detail about her panic attak. Sure your dog was just maimed but let's talk about YOU. I think she just wanted attention.

I bring my service dog to conventions.
That said, I don't like seeing "service dogs" at conventions.

This is always a weird topic for me. I am an army veteran, and I feel extremely entitled to having a working animal with me. I went through a lot of shit to get that dog. I worked with the VA to get him, I was the one that trained him, I handle him like the piece of medical equipment he is.

I feel sick to my stomach when I talk to a 19 year old with "PTSD" caused by that time her tumblr got too many ask and was way overwhelming. I hate it. Get your stupid poodle out of my face.

https://youtu.be/HBXy3XxqZ38
There's a video of my dog at his biggest convention, Midwest Furfest. It's a furry con, because I'm a degenerate furry. You can see that yes, I let him interact with fursuits. I let people in costume approach us, and I also let him be petted while we rest in the headless lounge.

I do not cosplay/fursuit with him. If I'm in suit, I'm not responsible enough to handle an animal. I have someone handling ME, so I'd never put him through that.

I've seen service dogs at a convention, and they shat and peed everywhere around the hotel. And those were 'trained' dogs, but the owner is an ass for not taking them somewhere for a walk. I know a girl who calls her dog her 'emotional support dog' and it's cringy as fuck. What if I were to bring my untrained shepard along to a con? Trust me chaos will ensue.

I have no aversion to dogs, but I find it quite discourteous to subject others who may to their presence.

>>9503002
Semi-OT, but furry cons look really fun. So many people in suits, just dancing around and having a good time. Didn't see any lewdness either. How could people hate furries?

>>9503144
Same. Wheelchairs, tubes, and oxygen tanks too, why should I be subjected to things like that when it makes me uncomfortable? Just stay at home.


^sarcasm

>>9503144
>unless you're only talking about the shitwind ESA and pet owners that try to squeak by, then I'm with you, otherwise that's kind of a dick stance

>>9501223
Trained service dogs are suppose to be able to handle life in New York City mid-day. They can handle a convention. At least, real service dogs can handle those types of crowds. The selection process is very strict so very few dogs make it through training for the reason you mention.

>>9501478
>>9501605
Not 100% sure. I only talked about it in passing last I saw my mom, but they are basically going to require actual license (which actual service animals won't have problem proving), and levee huge fines against people who try to fake it. Its going to be a shitstorm when it does start.

>>9501498
Thankfully, its not up to you.

>>9501561
A legit dog costs more than my car.

>>9502104
Maybe they have a service dog to help with your cynophobia?

>>9502295
Thats one of the things that is supposed to change, and the fines for a fake vest could hit four digits.

>>9502337
As >>9502481, people with severe allergies/fears are already aware of the fact that in daily life, you have a very high probability of coming into contact with a dog. Its a fact of life, especially in the US.

>Dat story
I am going to call BS... Assaulting a service dog is a pretty serious offense, and pretty much guaranteed to be filed as a hatecrime.

>>9502856
>>9502302
>>9502511
There is no state that qualifies any form of service cat.

>>9503099
>I've seen service dogs at a convention, and they shat and peed everywhere around the hotel. And those were 'trained' dogs, but the owner is an ass for not taking them somewhere for a walk.

Fun fact: Rarely does someone with a service dog actually "own" the animal outright. Not meeting basic animal needs is a great way to have the dog removed from your use.

>>9503165
I'm talking about legitimate service animals. I feel pretty strongly about it too. Fortunately, it's not an issue for me and I can happily judge in silence.

>>9503183
I legitimately hope that you wake up profoundly disabled and find yourself unable to live your life without a service dog.

>>9502337
I don't think an allergy or aversion is less serious, but I agree that actual service dogs are only given out when the person sincerely needs one. It usually indicates they are blind or have a severe case of epilepsy. They can't safely function without a trained dog. Those dogs are crucial to their ability to walk around independently because otherwise they'd have to constantly be chaperoned by a person. I feel like that's a situation one has to make do.

Although, a trained service dog will not run up to you, pounce on you, or otherwise harass other people. An "emotional support" dog is very likely to because many are not actually trained to avoid other humans. I only think trained service dogs should be allowed in building.

If people want emotional support dogs for PTSD. That's cool, but they should undergo the same training and display the same traits required of a service dog. They should be service dogs.

>>9503191
Should that happen I'll be sure to take measures to avoid disturbing others.

>>9503199
Like, kill yourself? You could get a head start on that now, just in case.

>>9503157
They are really fun. It's a nice vibe all around. There are rooms to draw together and people walk around with little repair kits for suits.

There's a few sexual aspects I guess in my video. There's an inflatable suit which is generally seen as fetishistic, and I'm wearing what a lot of people consider a "fetish mask" (the black+purple dog mask)
The worst I've seen at MFF in public is a man without his shirt on and one of the kink leather harnesses. I didn't appreciate that, but it was like 2 am. What can you do?

>>9503170
My dog breezes through convention crowds like he's on top of the world. It's me that's dying on the inside as I walk through them.

>>9503192
A dog that works with legitimate PTSD is not an emotional support animal.

>>9503203
>>9503199
You two knock it off. Fucking children.

>>9503203
Stop feeding the troll. Realize they are essentially saying they would never have a service dog because any time one even steps into a vicinity with people like a grocery store or even the sidewalk, there's high likelihood someone is averse to dogs or allergic.

>>9503204
with his shirt off*
My bad

>>9503204
I'm referring to the difference between a trained and registered service dog and an "emotional support dog". Many people in my area with PTSD buy harnesses off Amazon, and their dog is suddenly an "emotional support dog". I'm just saying it shouldn't be that way. I can clearly see why a trained service dog would be beneficial for someone suffering from PTSD. Having random pooches parading as trained dogs hurts the image of the service dog.

I wish trained service dogs were more readily available to those with PTSD.

>>9501605
Some hotels have tried to be shitty to me. I've started to carry around all of my documentation when out in public even though legally I don't have to. I try to stay at dog friendly hotels when traveling though (la Quinta is actually fantastic with pets and service animals).

>>9503208
For the record, I don't see an issue with service animals in outdoor areas where domestic pets are allowed, such as designated parks and beaches, nor to enable activities necessary for survival, such as grocery shopping.

>>9501355
My dad's the president, this now makes me qualified to counsel people on international issues.

I take my service dog to cons for my hearing disability. She has a lot of training and was incredibly expensive lol, but she has sort of an 'on duty' and 'off duty' training that I did with her. She's alert all the time to help me listen for things like emergency noises or name, but she's allowed to chill out from being 'on duty' and environmentally 100% alert when I'm sitting for a long period or in a space that I don't need to be 100% supported hearing-wise.

Con is draining for the both of us, but I generally just have a bandana type/mini cape collar (she looks like a fucking boy scout lol) when she's on duty and I'll detach it when she's not on full duty. Generally, this helps because people will want to pet her and without the special collar, she's just like a normal dog and loves people attention.

I like the cape collar because a vest is a hassle to put on or off at public spaces (although we do have one if I'm going on a Thing that requires her to be on duty all the time-like going out into the city for a interview at some office downtown). Also it's peculiar enough that people often do some sort of "Aw she's adorable with that cape-oh wait, I'm reading the bold letters on the cape that read she's a service dog" and stop in their tracks. Also I can speak alright with some speech therapy so I don't think I sound like a complete dumbass when I tell them to not pet her when she's 'on duty'.

I really want to register my dog as an ESA just so I don't have to keep paying pet fees for rentals. I'd never take her to a con, she'd hate it, but fuck I'd save so much money.

>>9496431
If it's legit? I'm cool with it.

If its bullshit & people just feel entitled to bring their poopsies than to hell with them.

I once saw an aoba cosplayer with a black pomeranian service dog just like ren, and it made me a little uncomfortable...like she adopted that dog or most likely sourced it out from breeders because of its similarity to an animal from a video game.

>>9504198
Or she decided to do a cosplay that revolved around the breed she already had? I mean, if someone had a golden retrieve, that might influence them to cosplay from UP or something.

>>9504057
That's the exact wrong attitude. No one with a real disability will okay that. You're literally doing the exact opposite of what anyone in this thread would advise you to do.

>>9504312
Oh, I know. But I pay almost $1000 a year in pet rent for a 20 lb, potty-trained dog. If you can't beat ESA owners, why not join them? My dog also makes me happy when I am sad. Emotional support amirite?

>>9504351
No, you are grossly wrong.

>>9503228
>I wish trained service dogs were more readily available to those with PTSD.

Same. I have pretty severe PTSD issues and I feel like a service dog could do me some good because my current stress coping is a lot of xanax and that's not sustainable. It's more affordable to try and train and go the route of ESA but god, people are really ruining that.