u/Ayesha24601

Another person's post just got deleted from the main sub for bringing up fake and poorly trained service dogs. They weren't calling out anyone specifically, just bringing up their concerns.

Well, I've got news for the mods, suppressing discussion does not make the issue go away. As a handler since 1988, I'm watching with sadness and anger as people turn against service dogs in public because of widespread abuse of the lax rules. I'll be getting a puppy to train soon, and I worry about him/her being attacked by a "service dog." I worry about discrimination even though I am very visibly disabled and my dog will be a breed that is regarded as non-aggressive by the public.

I have several family members and friends who work in retail, and they've all said they're afraid to confront people who bring poorly-behaved animals into their stores. Yes, we all know they CAN kick them out, but the law has no teeth, so the risk of a lawsuit or getting in trouble with their boss is higher than allowing the animal to stay unless it's literally biting people.

I went from being against certification of any kind to favoring a public access test and ID system. I support owner training -- I train myself with help from a professional -- but owner-trained dogs need to be held to the same behavior standard as those from a program.

I understand that people face barriers to access testing and certification -- but there are many ways to reduce them, such as allowing testing via Zoom if the handler lives in a rural area or lacks transportation.

I would love to be able to clip an ID with a QR code to my dog's vest, go about my life, and anyone with questions or concerns can scan it and see that we are legit.

Registration/certification can be done, it NEEDS to be done, and if handlers aren't leading the charge, it will be done in a way that causes harm instead of protecting real disabled people with real service dogs.

I just watched the first episode of Black Trick: The Lawyer Who Controls Justice on Netflix and highly recommend it to Leverage fans. It's a Japanese show about a mysterious lawyer/architect and his ragtag team that creates elaborate deceptions to clear innocent people of wrongdoing and expose corruption.

Have you watched it? What do you think?

I have an 11-year-old Sleep Number bed. The mattress has developed a severe leak on one side despite having replaced it not long ago. I’m done with air beds at this point and I just want a regular mattress.

However, my adjustable bed still works, mostly. Sometimes the remote will become disconnected from the bed and I have to take the batteries in and out, sometimes more than once. And, the app to control it and the remote are both tied to the Sleep Number bed. The app also acts up sometimes.

I know the adjustable frames are made by a different company, so I’m wondering, is there a way to disconnect it from the Sleep Number ecosystem and just use it as a regular adjustable bed? I would prefer to also have access to an app, but I could deal with just the remote if needed. But I would love to get a different remote that only has the bed functions.

I’m trying not to spend a fortune here just because I need a new mattress. thanks!

I’m shopping for a new mattress and having difficulty figuring out what I need. I have fairly severe cerebral palsy and use a power wheelchair. Both my arms and legs are affected, so I have difficulty rolling onto and from my side, but I can do it if I’m on the right surface.

I have been using a Sleep Number bed for about 20 years. I’m on my second one, and I’m having problems with leaks. Plus, they are very expensive! I would like to try a different bed. But the challenge is that I will often make the bed harder to help me roll, and then soften it for comfort. Obviously, most mattresses just have one firmness level.

I usually sleep decently on hotel mattresses. I believe I need a fairly firm mattress, since it’s more important for me to be able to roll/change positions. I know I hate pillow tops. I need a mattress that is compatible with an adjustable bed.

I prefer a mattress that is relatively thin. Certainly no more than 12 inches thick. Otherwise, it will be difficult to achieve the bed height I need.

I am generally the only human that sleeps in the bed, but have large dogs that often sleep on the other side. I want a queen or full bed; currently have a queen, but it might be nice to save some space in my bedroom.

I have a moderate budget. Since I also must buy an adjustable base, I would love to save money on the mattress if I can, but I don’t want to buy one that will be junk in a couple of years.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Obviously, most landlords will want to collect as much as possible for their rental. However, does section 8 require that the landlord collect the tenant portion? If it is a small amount and the landlord wants to give the tenant a break, can they do so?

If anyone can point me to specific law/policy regarding this, I would really appreciate it.

I help run a nonprofit that provides free equipment to people with disabilities. I am also a service dog handler, but my dog is retired and ill, so I’m currently not bringing a dog in public.

Today, one of our clients brought an aggressive dog that was wearing an in training vest. The dog is very unassuming looking and initially appears gentle and a bit fearful. I could tell that the handler was a bit nervous about her potential behavior, but I didn’t think it was anything serious. I petted the dog very briefly with her permission, and the dog seemed fine. She wasn’t super warm with me, but touched me gently with her nose and smelled my wheelchair, picking up on the scent of my four dogs.

However, a few minutes later, when my personal care assistant petted her and then stopped, the dog barked, snapped, and lunged at her. It was unexpected, scary, and unprovoked. I believe the dog is fear aggressive and potentially very dangerous, especially because she doesn’t initially seem dangerous.

I didn’t say anything to the client, partially because I was in shock, and also because I don’t know her at all and didn’t feel like I could successfully intervene. I have already reached out to the client‘s caseworker to talk to her about the situation. I’m waiting for her to get back to me as this just happened this afternoon.

I feel really bad, because this person is absolutely disabled and probably very lonely and the dog is probably all she has. She seems to have cognitive challenges and possibly mental health issues as well. But I believe it is deeply unsafe for her to be taking the dog in public. I would hate for the dog to bite a child and have to be put down. Her owner has been through enough already.

Besides reaching out to the caseworker, is there anything else I can or should do about this situation? As a local handler, I also have a personal interest in making sure that aggressive dogs are not being utilized as service dogs in our fairly small community.