Not much of a change, per se, except they made it easier for passengers
to lie about their pets being "service animals". And lie they do. Not
only do they lie about Fido's status, but they encourage others to
follow their lead. "Just say it's a service animal," I overheard someone
say on my bus recently. "Then they have to let you ride."
One operator recently suggested a rider's pet had to be in a carrier.
Another passenger immediately began berating the driver about not
knowing the rules. Poor operator was trying to tell the lady she could
ride but had to keep Fido on her lap. Snobby Sally insisted on their
getting off the bus and threatened to complain about the driver, citing
his "attitude". We can't win, it seems.
This new wording encourages more deception from the riding public. Some
people bask in the glory of giving us grief at every opportunity. Now,
everybody's dog can be a "service animal", and even if they're not they
can sit in their lap or at their "handler's" feet. Riiiight. I've
seen people struggling to keep their dogs under control on the
sidewalk, then drag them onto my bus and insist it's their service, or companion animal.
Read the whole post: From the Driver Side: Service Animals, or Animal Service?
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