Legitimate, but.....

I think from having researched this topic for the past several weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that there needs to be a more distinctive set of rules for support animals.  When I started this blog, I thought support and service animals were similar, and so should be treated the same, but I now feel like there is too broad of a definition of what is considered a support animal, so there must be rules better defining them, and regulating them in public. 

I think the question, “What is a legitimate support animal?” is still up for debate.  My research has shown me there can be several different types of support animals and a large range of purposes that they can be used for so, if anything, the question has widen beyond what it was when I started. As a result, this exploration has brought up some new questions for me, including should support animals just be limited to typical animals such dogs, cats and small mammals?  Should there be size and weight limits?  Should people be required to register them and get formal training?   In addition, I think in the weeks to come, I am also going to be wondering, given the recent negative news stories centered around therapy and support animals, should there be more changes in place to combat reoccurring problems with these animals?   

The position I didn’t have before, but that I would argue for now since creating my blog, is that owners of these animals need to buckle down and not just assume the animals they are getting are support or therapy-ready, but instead really put in the work to train the animals so they have a better understanding of their animals and how to work with them.    

I'd like to leave you with some ideas for future thought. Other dogs used in the service of aiding people in need have standards they must meet.  Maybe those same standards can be applied to support dogs.  

Works Cited

Howcast. “What Is Therapy Dog Training? | Dog Training.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Feb. 2012,

         

           www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rl9r2t6V80.