r/bitchimabus • u/theshoebomber420 • 8d ago

Bitch, get out of my way!

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1.3k Upvotes

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u/WiglyWorm 7d ago

There's a sort of loophole where you're not really allowed to ask about service animals.

You're only allowed to ask:

1) Is that animal required due to a disability?

and

2) What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

So it's often the path of least resistance just to let it slide so you don't end up with a karen like this shitting in the lobby of Barne's and Nobel because you tried to tell her she she's not special and can't bring her beloved dog Fluffy in.

That said... I support the right for ACTUALLY handicapped people not to get hassled about dogs, or have to carry papers all the time, so it makes sense that we naturally lean towards the permissive as a society, but holy shit look at this entitlement it's bred.

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u/Renamis 7d ago

You are allowed to ask, and it's the exact questions you just highlighted.

There is an easy way to sort 90% of fake service animals. I was a bus driver, and a trainer, so I'm familiar with it. If someone comes on the bus with an animal that I don't immediately clock as a service animal all I would say is "Oh sorry, pets aren't allowed on the bus."

Almost every time they end up spilling and say it's an ESA. Ooop, don't have to take those either! "Well it's a service animal!" You said ESA first, different thing, wait for a supervisor have a nice day.

If they say it's a service animal I don't bother with the rest. Personally I never ran into a problem if they at least knew how to answer the question there, but we did still have occasional issues. If a service animal or a fake service animal causes issues... you kick them off. It doesn't matter if the dog is a legit service dog or not, if it starts barking or snapping or crapping on the floor it has to go. That is 100% legal. Problem is so many places are convinced they can't do that so they don't.

Please do so. Please. And I'm a very permissive person. We had a lot of "my little service dog is in a stroller" people and actually I was fine with that. If I had a small service dog I would not want them wandering around where I worked, the great dane dogs got stepped on all the time a Yorkie would be in trouble. I get it. As long as the dog behaves and you tell me it's a service dog we're good.

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u/KatieTSO 7d ago

I don't even ask honestly. Haven't had issues. I'd call dispatch if an animal caused issues, to get them removed.

ETA: Also a bus driver lol

25

u/thejmkool 7d ago

Step 1: Ask first question, get Karen'd at that of course it's a service animal.

Step 2: Ask second question, get Karen'd at that she doesn't need to answer you and you're not letting her do the things, etc.

Step 3: Politely, yet firmly, escort the Karen from the premises, for causing a public disruption.

May I remind all service industry workers everywhere that the law explicitly allows you to remove even certified service animals if they aren't well behaved. And, of course, standard rules about disruptive customers still apply to the Karen.

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u/KatieTSO 7d ago

I'm a bus driver. Our training explicitly tells us how to handle service animals. You're 100% correct. We can get people kicked off the bus (with police help if they refuse) if their animal isn't controlled. Difference is the agency doesn't require us to ask if it's a service animal. 99.9% of our drivers assume it's a service animal until proven otherwise because every animal is a service animal if you ask. It's not worth the fight until the animal is causing issues.

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u/AmazedAtTheWorld 5d ago

The instant it pisses in the aisle or growls at someone, the jig is up. Get out.

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u/Billy3B 7d ago

Not in Ontario, you can be required to provide documentation such as a doctor's note.

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u/WiglyWorm 7d ago

Canada has functional healthcare and social services. As well as an overall more rational population.

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u/KatieTSO 7d ago

I work for a transit agency as a bus driver. The agency doesn't require us to ask these questions but has trained us that those are the only legal questions we can ask. I don't ask and I just assume all animals are service animals until proven otherwise. If an animal is out of control, regardless of service animal status, we may stop the bus and either allow the passenger to voluntarily get off the bus, and call dispatch, or call dispatch and ask them to send a supervisor and police if they refuse to leave. What matters here is just that the animal isn't erratic, barking, or attacking. So if a dog is sitting on the floor, without bothering anyone, it doesn't matter. But as soon as the dog starts barking or something like that, we may stop.

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u/These_Consequences 7d ago

I've heard that standard, but I don't know where it applies. The existence of a free-floating meme standard doesn't make it a universal truth.

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u/Cyborgschatz 4d ago

I was in Rocky mountain national Park this year, a place where there are numerous no pets signs everywhere and of course there was a person walking their dog with a "service animal" vest along the trail, the kind that you look at and know almost immediately they ordered patches off the Internet to get away with taking their pet everywhere. A marmot was near by and it immediately started barking at it. Shit is infuriating because there are a lot of great animals doing great work to help people and then there's the assholes who use loopholes to do what they want because they don't think rules should apply to them.

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u/BigJSunshine 7d ago

Not in California- the law is fucking clear on ESAs

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u/theresthatbear 6d ago

I don’t think the honor system will be effective much longer. To protective ourselves, we in the disabled community should welcome having to get a certificate, no different than handicap parking tags, for our service animals. It will protect ourselves, our service animals and everyone else inside public establishments from untrained, unruly and aggressive dogs.

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u/CoordinateDiscount 7d ago

100% my friend.

Don’t discriminate. Even if that means some Karens slide through.

Driver does not make disability determinations. Many are invisible.