Attorney General Mark Herring has taken action against a problem that is fast becoming a social crisis: that is, the runaway enthusiasm for “service dogs.” The AG’s office has filed a lawsuit against Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers, Inc., a Madison County dog breeder that trains Labrador and G0lden retrievers to be “diabetic alert dogs” and sells them for $25,000 a pop… er, pup.
While making grandiose claims about the dogs, Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers often delivered “poorly trained puppies with significant behavioral issues and inadequate skills or training to notify a customer of a potentially life-threatening high or low blood sugar situation,” the AG’s office said in a press release. The business also allegedly misled customers about certain aspects of its payment structure and lied about the principal’s service in the armed forces.
“Our investigation shows that, in many instances, Service Dogs was simply selling a $25,000 pet, leaving customers with a huge bill and no protection,” Herring said. “Customers have a right to rely on the accuracy of a business’s claims, especially when it involves a person’s health and well-being.”
The company says it is committed to changing the lives of those living with “invisible disabilities such as Autism, Diabetes, PTSD, and Seizure Disorders.” The website provides heart-warming video testimonials of happy employees, satisfied customers, even former Governor Terry McAuliffe, and, of course, lovable pooches. You truly have to have a heart of steel to watch these dogs and not go, “Awwwwwww.”
I don’t know if the AG’s charges against Service Dogs are warranted or not. But I will say this: The service-dog thing is out of control.
Service dogs have long been a staple of society as companions for the blind. Blind people need help navigating streets and sidewalks, and and everyone accepts the idea that the dogs can give them mobility and autonomy. Because the blind are few in number, everyone is willing to make minor accommodations for them and their dogs.
But the concept of a “service dog” is morphing. Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers is a perfect example: It helps people with “invisible disabilities” such as autism, diabetes, PTSD and seizures. That stretches the definition to encompass, I’d guess, 10% of the population. But the concept is even more elastic. Now people have “emotional support dogs.” And they want to take these dogs onto airplanes and into the workplace. If we include people who need “emotional support” among the protected category of “the disabled,” we’re probably talking about half the population!
Because the “disabled” enjoy legal protections, and because anyone who utters inappropriate sentiments might find him/herself tarred as an “ablist” and a bigot, people are scared to resist the trend. Americans always push the boundaries as far as they can, and there are no discernible criteria in our culture of victimization that people can draw upon to say, “That’s enough!”
What if you’re allergic to dogs? What if the dog sniffs your crotch? What if seeing a dog triggers post-traumatic stress because a neighborhood dog mauled your kid? Do you have rights? Not now.
Herring’s lawsuit does draw a line of a sort — the service dog must be capable of providing the advertised service, in this case, detect swings in blood sugar. That’s a start.
