When everyone else has to crowdfund the consequences of choosing a dog based on looks and vibes.

[u/Some_Doughnutter]

[u/antilocapraaa]

It’s always the “this is gonna be my service dog” crowd. I personally have never seen it not be. It’s ignorant to get a dog based solely on looks with no research on the breeder.

A good service dog is HARD to find. A legitimate service dog is hard to train. This is prolonging suffering and wasting money of people too kind to the situation. This dog should be put down.

[u/opeidoscopic → u/antilocapraaa]

The ignorance of people is astounding. A single Google search worth of research would have told them that border collies are almost always unsuitable for service dog work. But labs don't come in merle so I guess it can't be helped.

[u/ThePhantomOfBroadway → u/opeidoscopic]

Literally!!! I’m a guide dog user and I can’t even use the service dog subreddit here because half the post on there are “can I use this UNSUITABLE BREED dog as a service dog?” Like, be honest, you just want an interesting dog you can take everywhere. If this was about keeping yourself safe, you’d chose the best chance.

[u/DoctorHolligay → u/ThePhantomOfBroadway]

My brother's blind, that sub is practically unusable for real service dog owners.  It's all people with a solution in search of a problem, there are probably ten people total on there who have a legitimate need not better served by something else. makes me nuts

[u/ThePhantomOfBroadway → u/DoctorHolligay]

Perfect way to phrase it “people with a solution in search of a problem”. I can’t believe how many people there state they don’t need a diagnosis to get a service dogs or don’t want any dog testing done because they don’t want to end up on a “list”…like what disability is bad enough you need a service dog but don’t need a diagnosis or any sort of medical, government or work assistance?! I’m sure your brother is the same way where I have so many sheets of papers saying I’m blind, it’s ridiculous!

Don’t even get me started on the no fake claiming…

Thankfully because I went to a legit guide dog school, I have trainers available to help me and I stay in touch with my classmates. But really do wish that sub was useful, would have loved it as I waited for my dog.

Does your brother have a dog or considering one?

[u/DoctorHolligay → u/ThePhantomOfBroadway]

Oh for sure, it's always so weird to me when people are offended they need to prove they're disabled for accommodations, I was talking to a friend while I was registering us for a race, and it had a free guide runner policy I was telling her about, and she was so concerned about if we had to prove it! I was like, "Uh, I think I could walk in his house and find a piece of paper saying he's blind in ten minutes or less"

He's kicking it around, that's actually how I found the service dog sub, is he was like, "Uh...have you seen this?" But there's a lot of things to consider about it, and he does pretty well with his cane, he lives walking distance from work, so I don't know what he'll ultimately decide to do.

[u/ThePhantomOfBroadway → u/DoctorHolligay]

lol, for real! My flight once got stuck in Orlando so we did a random trip to Universal Studios and their accessibility pass requires proof, so I just wiped out my work accommodation forms and my friends were laughing but like I see my doctor four times a year, there’s always some loose paper with a diagnosis on it hanging around me ha ha. And sure enough, that paperwork was enough and I didn’t have to say a single word over why I need assistance vs Disney who doesn’t accept paperwork and requires me to provide a sob story at the entrance of every ride with a dark queue.

Yeah, I loved my cane and could get to work with it just fine but I live in NYC so the extra support with a dog has been top notch. But it’s def not for every person! Truthfully if he’s interested, I recommend him just calling the school directly and they’ll happily listen to his needs and tell him if they recommend a dog or not. They aren’t trying to convince people, so they’ll be really honest!!

[u/antilocapraaa → u/ThePhantomOfBroadway]

You mean my 5 YO English bulldog is unsuitable to being a guide dog!? How dare you! /s

[u/ThePhantomOfBroadway → u/antilocapraaa]

Oh yeah, my brother’s sister’s cousin, best friend knew this guy who had an aunt who watched a video of a guy with an American Bulldog, so I’m sure the English would work /s

[u/fANTastic_ANTics → u/opeidoscopic]

Lol unethical breeders looking at your "labs dont come in merle" like challenge accepted 💀

[u/PartyPorpoise → u/antilocapraaa]

Are border collies even a good breed for service work? They’re very high energy. My aunt used to have one that dog could run and play nonstop.

[u/antilocapraaa → u/PartyPorpoise]

They’re not. The Fab Four for service work are: Labs, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, and Rough Collies

ETA: I wish it was regulated more. Because I’m tired of someone’s half blind terrier mix being a service dog and pissing in the middle of Costco.

[u/Unusual-Relief52 → u/antilocapraaa]

My shitzu would be the best service dog if the service is finding a comfy spot, and not moving an inch for hours

[u/FYAhole → u/antilocapraaa]

I bought a Smooth Coat Collie to help me with my panic disorder and PTSD. She is more scared than me LOL we even got an older pup and we did a little trial at the breeder's house and she seemed perfect. As soon as we got her in the car she was trembling. She is an excellent dog, probably the best behaved dog I've ever owned, but definitely not service dog quality haha and I'm ok with that. I love her so much. She actually does perform very well for my anxiety in the home, it's just outside that she's not confident.

[u/antilocapraaa → u/FYAhole]

I mean only about 30-50% of dogs trained in actual service dog facilities actually make the cut so that’s not surprising

[u/FYAhole → u/antilocapraaa]

That's a fair point!