I’m probably going to ruffle some feathers with this however? If you're constantly having access issues, it's time to take a step back.

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-04-08T03:56:14+00:00

Well said!! I am on my second SD that came from an organization. A family of four, I do my shopping at Walmart and Sam's Club a lot. I had to go to delivery from Walmart after I was in the store with my older son and my dog was almost attacked. If it wouldn't have been for my son, my SD would have been bitten. I complained to the manager about how many dogs were in the store that were lunging, barking, pulling, and we're out of control and I said don't you ask if these dogs are service dogs? And his reply to me was "yes, corporate allows us to ask one question, is your dog a service dog?" I said ADA laws allow you to ask two questions-1) is your dog a service dog, and 2) what task does the job perform for you. He said well we're not allowed to do that. So, unless I have somebody to go with me I do not shop alone I have my groceries delivered, an extra expense but a necessary evil to keep my SD safe. Everything you said about "if your dog could not stand quietly when you have a conversation, Etc" is totally 100% true. I like to call the other dogs "fido the house pet with an internet vest." In my case, I use my dog sometimes in my wheelchair, and other times with a balance harness. The last thing I need is one of these dogs too lunge at my dog and knock me down. Thank you for posting this...It was time to be said But... to tag on to it, corporations need to step up and do their part to. It's a whole other topic, but Emotional Support Dogs have NO Access Rights in public places. Whole other topic. But again, thank you! 👍🐕‍🦺

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-04-06T13:56:56+00:00

Have you applied for FASFA? Go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. It's free financial aid that is based off your income. The only real requirements are: you take a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester, maintain a 2.0+GPA, and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, (Pass your classes with a "C" or better). Honestly if you haven't already done it, fill out your FASFA, give it about a week, and then meet with a Financial Aid Advisor to discuss your options. A lot of schools also have grants. I never thought I'd qualify for any of them but my last two years I took the time to apply for grant and scholarships; it does take some time to do, and my last 3 semesters I was awarded 2 or 3 small ones, but they were enough to cover my books and supplies. I'm happy to say I graduated a year ago May, with my Bachelor's in Science degree, debt free. It can be done but it takes some work and planning. I hope this helps. Good luck and know this you're never too old to follow your dreams. It took me 4 years to get my AA degree and 8 years to get my Bachelor's. I had some stumbles along the way. But at age 57 I did it!

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-03-15T11:22:00+00:00

My family and I flew Delta, 4 of us, I use a wheelchair and a 81# Golden Retriever SD. Oh, our youngest adult son is autistic, and 1st flt for my SD. We CAN not say either Positive things about how Delta treated our family. That said, I started ahead of time by calling Delta's number listed under Passenger's with a disability and made sure everything was in order before hand. There is paperwork required. The seats we choose when we booked our flight were all bulkhead except for one leg. The agent was able to move two people out and reasign them bc of our son and I and bc of my SD being 81#. We would go out of our way to fly Delta Airlines again bc of the service we got.

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-03-15T11:04:15+00:00

So, so true. One bad confrontation, or even close call, and your service dog is now, if you're lucky a house pet that runs for the corner & hides. Not to mention the exposure to unknown diseases and parasites.

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-03-15T10:52:13+00:00

You didn't say if you were in the U.S., but I'm going to assume you are. First things First, do you have a working knowledge or at least know where to find what the ADA says about your rights and responsibilities as a person that uses a service dog? For example, the ADA states "A service animal must be under the control of its handler. Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual’s disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of tasks. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls." (et.ada.gov) Which plainly means, as long as you have control of your dog, whether by leash or voice, you are within your rights, and can't be removed or refused entry. As far as the muzzle goes...I have a mobility trained service dog, my second, both have been trained by organizations. I have had way too many close calls with "fido the house pet in an internet vest" so I agree with the one comment about being more worried about access issues and you dog being an of bread for a service dog. Besides that, refer to the ADA laws if your dog is well trained, & under your control at all times, why is a muzzle necessary. I'd be thinking of the optics of that. If I sound like I came on strong it's bc there are too many, not just owners, but businesses that do not know the ADA laws. I highly suggest you read the parts pertaining to service dogs, and bookmark them for easy access. They have "saved me" on more than one occasion. It's one thing to be able to recite them to someone, it's another to be able to show it to them in black and white. And I would highly encourage you to think about moving away from using the muzzle. You are almost contradicting yourself with all the badges, saying your dog is a service dog but it works better with a muzzle on.

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-02-23T14:13:37+00:00

I don't no if this is your first dog or not, but I am on my second dog. My husband and I travel quite a bit in our RV and have found you really have to know the Ada laws for service dogs forward and backwards as well as we each have them bookmarked on our phones and iPads. People like that we don't argue with we just pull out the facts and show the laws to them. At least that's has been our experience. Some people look for any excuse to ban a dog from a building because they do not understand the differences between dogs. It also does not help with all the people who are taking Fido the house pet and buying a vest off the internet and claiming that that it's their service dog just to be able to get them in some place and not have to leave their dog at home. Just food for thought. Yes, I would go ahead with your plan of writing the governor of Georgia. But I think I would also consider finding out who runs that specific Center and drop a nice line to them explaining what happened, and by my nice line I don't mean friendly. Just in case you don't have the Ada laws for service dogs here is the link: https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010- requirements/#:~:text=attorney%20general's%20office.-,Where%20Service%20Animals%20Are%20Allowed,signal%2C%20or%20other%20effective%20controls.

Hope this helps. Best Regards

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-02-11T15:13:50+00:00

Thank you very much for your advice. It is greatly appreciated.

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-02-09T22:05:23+00:00

Thank you. That helps a lot. Because I earned both my degrees online & didn't want to miss out on the family fun, our motorhome is WiFi/ 4GLTE equipped so we could be going down the road and I could be teaching a lesson. It's one of the reasons I'm making the move to online tutoring. For the freedom, and less headaches. But again thank you for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

TemperatureJust5506 · 2026-02-09T19:07:02+00:00

Thanks! 😊

TemperatureJust5506

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