Working Animal Guide Society of Louisiana

06/04/2026

One comment I keep seeing on my grocery store video is: “It’s not your job to police what other people do. Just focus on your own dog.”

The thing is… I am focused on my own dog. I was focused on my own dog when I called the store manager. That’s exactly why this is a problem.

I don’t go grocery shopping looking for rule breakers. I don’t care what breed your dog is. I don’t care if your dog is wearing a vest. Honestly, if your dog is quietly minding its own business and I never notice it, I probably won’t think twice about it.

However, that’s not the reality I’ve experienced, especially living in Florida.

The reality is that I’ve had service dogs attacked. Unfortunately, especially during tourist season, the reality is seeing dogs jumping on produce displays, watching dogs block entire aisles while owners stand there chatting, hearing barking, lunging, growling, and watching dogs drag their owners through stores.

Yet, somehow when service dog handlers speak up about it, we’re told we’re “policing” people.

No. We’re trying to safely access public spaces that we’re supposed to be protected in, places that are NOT pet friendly. I rely on a medical alert service dog. Grocery shopping isn’t a hobby for me, it’s not a social outing, it’s a basic life activity. The grocery store itself is actually one of the most challenging places I go because the design of grocery stores is actually built to stress your nervous system out so you buy more and get out fast.

I should be able to buy food without worrying whether the next dog around the corner is going to rush my service dog. I should be able to focus on my health, my shopping list, and getting home; not constantly scanning the store for potential problems.

What’s especially frustrating is that people often treat this like it’s a disagreement between dog lovers and dog haters…… It’s not. Most service dog handlers love dogs. Many of us have dedicated years of our lives to training, caring for, and advocating for dogs.

This conversation isn’t about dogs, it’s about behavior, accountability, and understanding that rules exist for a reason. If every dog entering a grocery store was calm, under control, non-disruptive, and posed no risk to the public or working service dogs, most of these conversations wouldn’t even be happening. However, when businesses take the approach of “we’ll only deal with it if someone complains,” the burden gets shifted onto the people most affected by the problem.

That’s where I think a lot of people miss the point. I’m not asking to police everyone. I’m asking to be able to buy groceries with my service dog without having to worry about whether today is the day another person’s choices put my safety, or my dog’s safety, at risk. That’s not an unreasonable expectation, it’s accessibility.

06/04/2026

“If you’re disabled, maybe Disney just isn’t for you.”

I’ve seen some version of this comment more times than I can count.

Usually this comment is followed by:“Dogs don’t belong at Disney.”

Every time I read it, I can’t help but think about what that statement is really saying. When someone says a person who needs a wheelchair shouldn’t go to Disney, most people immediately recognize that as ableist. If someone said a person who needs oxygen shouldn’t go to Disney, we’d recognize the problem. If someone said a person who needs medication shouldn’t go to Disney, we’d probably push back. Yet, somehow when the medical equipment has four legs, people suddenly think it’s a reasonable argument.

A service dog is not a pet that came along for vacation. As much as I hate this saying, service dogs are medical equipment. For many handlers, that dog is what allows them to safely participate in daily life as well as vacations like Disney.

The goal of disability accommodations isn’t to keep disabled people at home…. It’s the opposite. The entire purpose is to create access.

Disney didn’t accidentally decide to accommodate service dogs. The Americans with Disabilities Act didn’t accidentally include them. These accommodations exist because disabled people have the same right to participate in society as everyone else.

Let’s be honest for a second. Disney is one of the most disability-accessible vacation destinations in the world. There are designated relief areas for service dogs, rider switch options, accessibility services, service dog relief maps, and even kennels. There are procedures specifically designed to help disabled guests navigate the parks.

All of that exists because disabled people belong there too.

What’s interesting is that nobody tells a parent “If your child gets tired, Disney isn’t for you.” Nobody says, “If you need sunscreen, Disney isn’t for you.” Nobody says, “If you need a mobility scooter after knee surgery, Disney isn’t for you.”

We accept that people have different needs. Disability is no different.

The reality is that disabled people are allowed to have fun, allowed to travel, allowed to make memories, allowed to go on vacations, allowed to visit theme parks, and we’re allowed to use the accommodations that make those experiences accessible.

So when people say, “if you need a service dog just stay home,” what I hear is, “I don’t think disabled people should be able to access to the world the way everyone else does.” That’s a much bigger conversation than where a dog belongs. Accessibility isn’t about whether a disabled person can stay home. It’s about making sure they don’t have to.

05/31/2026

05/31/2026

“Certified ESA” does NOT automatically mean your dog has public access rights.

I recently had a conversation with someone who genuinely believed that because her emotional support animal had documentation and a certification online, that meant she could now take her dog into stores, grocery stores, restaurants, and other non-pet-friendly places.

This misunderstanding is becoming way too common. Let’s clear this up because there is a HUGE difference between Emotional Support Animals and Service Dogs and confusing the two hurts everyone involved, including disabled handlers.

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) provides comfort simply through companionship. ESAs can absolutely be life changing for people struggling with mental health conditions, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more. Their role is valid and important.

However, legally, an ESA is NOT the same thing as a task-trained service dog.

In the United States, service dogs are individually trained to perform specific tasks that directly mitigate a person’s disability. Examples of these tasks may include: alerting to seizures, guiding visually impaired handlers, retrieving medication, cardiac alerts, interrupting psychiatric episodes, allergen detection, mobility assistance, and more.

That specialized training is what gives service dogs public access rights under the ADA. An ESA does not receive public access rights just because it provides comfort, has a vest, has paperwork, or was “certified” online.

This is where people get confused:
There is actually NO federally recognized service dog or ESA certification in the United States.

Most of those websites selling certificates, ID cards, and registrations are marketing tools not legal documentation granting public access.

For ESAs, documentation may help with certain housing accommodations under the Fair Housing Act, but it does NOT override no-pet policies in public spaces like grocery stores or restaurants. I think a lot of people truly do not realize this distinction, especially because social media has spread so much misinformation around “registering” your dog.

Yet, the consequences are real. When untrained or undertrained pet dogs are brought into non-pet-friendly public spaces, it creates safety issues for actual working service dogs and the disabled handlers who rely on them every single day.

This conversation shouldn’t be about “whose disability is more valid.” It’s about understanding the law, respecting boundaries, and protecting accessibility for the people these protections were created for.

There’s nothing wrong with having an ESA. There IS a problem with misinformation surrounding public access rights.