# Incident..



## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

I'll be watching this to see how it pans out. The reporting these days is so incomplete and I am waiting to hear the officer's side of ..it may be that the dog was relieving himself or being a nuisance ..but chances are this guy had a legit service dog and was summonsed for it and the officer was ignorant of the law. But there are two sides to each story , need to hear the officer's reason for approaching this guy before I lodge my disapproval ( there are several hotlines and petitions being sent to the police station over it)

I have seen service dogs on this boardwalk before ..and I have a FB friend who was there with their service dog 3 weeks ago , no problems. So I wonder if there was something else to it.

Disabled Veteran Mocked, Kicked Off Boardwalk over Service Dog


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

and another video , where in the end it says the police say there were other circumstances. I am anxious to hear what they were .


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> even after showing the officer the dog's service identification card,





> help him walk and go up and down stairs.





> Gator also helps him emotionally


Just some thoughts:
And does anyone know what type of card was shown? More and more of the common easy to receive via the Internet and available to anyone with the money to purchase are becoming known to people outside of the SD community.

When the handler was questioned was the dog wearing any type of mobility equipment? (Not shown on video.) Of course a SD does not need equipment to show that it is a legit SD but in most cases there is some type of equipment on a dog that is used for such purposes. Also, watching the video with handler walking dog just raises some question as to the handler's need for assistance in walking. (Dog lagging behind / leash attached to chain collar).

"Helping Emotionally" is not a task per the Dept. of Justice

These just may be some reasons the officer on scene did not believe the dog to be a SD. The handler may have had legit reasons and the reporter wrote an article leaving more questions than answers.

I'm not trying to say the dog is not a real working SD nor that the handler doesn't have a need for a SD but just what is shown per the video and the article doesn't do the handler much good for his side of the story.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Here is another video. 

Army veteran kicked off North Wildwood boardwalk by police because of service dog | NJ.com


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

Some info I got ( turns out we know some people in common - firearms enthusiast community - lots of veterans participate) 

I heard he can walk around but gets bouts of vertigo where he suddenly starts to stumble. Sometimes it happens on stairs. The dog is trained to help mitigate that when it suddenly happens. Guy was hit with IED's twice..sounds like something that can happen with inner ear damage to me ( my supposition) 

There are pics on his FB page of him golfing and fishing , but the bouts come on suddenly and his dog is always with him . 

Now , the police say there were other reasons they were asked to leave the boardwalk. Could be because he had a strong reaction to being summonsed for his dog , which is understandable. It seems it was the validity of his disability was what was being questioned , not the service dog's right to be there should he be genuinely disabled. The ID card raises flags , yes , but in this case it looks like just an added accoutrement . 

Anyway , still looking to see how this pans out. As usual with yellow journalism these days you will only see details that support the publication's overall feeling towards the incident. And not understanding or misstating the law is epidemic in the press .

Like I said , I know some people in common. I would really like to know the details because if we wind up with a service dog , this is my home state and it is a boardwalk I visit yearly.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

IMO, both the police and veteran overreacted. The police could have given this man a warning not a summons. The boardwalk rules only allow guide dogs. From the veteran's comments, it seems as if the dog was for emotional support and to help on stairs. With the wife present, she should be able to help with stairs.

I know the ADA is the law, I don't agree with all of it. My daughter is legitimately disabled, she cannot play golf or fish, she cannot do stairs without a hand railing and can only hold with her left hand. If the stairs are crowded she waits until a less busy time. She does not require a service dog. The rules at the boardwalk are probably in place for a good reason, they should be respected.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

Edited to add , he received the dog last year as a trained service dog , not to take away from owner training ( since it is what we are doing , along with a trainer) ..but it does further indicate it is a true service dogs.All the agencies I checked with place with a dog that is specific with your disabilities , and they know the law , so it is highly unlikely this guy is faking a disability or using an emotional support dog as a service dog. 

Shame you have to think in this direction first and I feel a bit bad thinking he was faking at first...but the reality of it is the incident affects people with SDs either way..either this was an example of faking and getting caught , or of being discriminated against and having the law enforcers ignorant of the law. Looks like it was the latter. 

I'll probably join in writing an email to the police station to ask them to please make sure officers are all trained on ADA laws and service animals , and I'll sign the petition . Maybe the guy reacted strong enough to the summons to be kicked off ( I would have probably ) ..but the fact that he was summonsed which is a violation ( unless it turns out the dog pooped on the boardwalk or something ) still leads me to at least express my opinion to the police station involved.


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

If the dog was unruly and/or peeing on stuff, they could be asked to leave. SD or not.


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

Gretchen said:


> IMO, both the police and veteran overreacted. The police could have given this man a warning not a summons. The boardwalk rules only allow guide dogs. From the veteran's comments, it seems as if the dog was for emotional support and to help on stairs. With the wife present, she should be able to help with stairs.
> 
> I know the ADA is the law, I don't agree with all of it. My daughter is legitimately disabled, she cannot play golf or fish, she cannot do stairs without a hand railing and can only hold with her left hand. If the stairs are crowded she waits until a less busy time. She does not require a service dog. The rules at the boardwalk are probably in place for a good reason, they should be respected.


The boardwalk rules do NOT" only" allow guide dogs ..they , by Federal law ,allow all service dogs. The officer was ignorant of the law and that is why the summons was dismissed once the PD looked into it. 

It is not up to any individual , regardless of how they handle their own challenges in life , to decide how another should go about improving life with THEIR disability . 

That is why the Federal law exists and why the ADA exists , to ensure rights are not stripped despite someone's "opinion" .


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## Oisin's Aoire (Jun 17, 2013)

FlyAway said:


> If the dog was unruly and/or peeing on stuff, they could be asked to leave. SD or not.


Yeah , that is what I am kind of wanting to find out..if the officer saw the dog relieving himself in an inappropriate area or behaving inappropriately , then he can legally ask them to leave. Not summons them though. Unless they refuse to leave?

Need more details .


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