Soullugia11 - Secretly A Velociraptor

Fake Service Dogs?

You’re sitting at a cafe with your friend when suddenly a woman walks in with a toy poodle in her purse. The manager at the counter informs her “I’m sorry, but we do not allow dogs”. She replies with a heavy sigh and a “She’s a service dog. She can come with me”. Not knowing much about service dog law, and worrying about getting sued for asking further questions, he sits this woman down at a booth. There, she promptly unzips her purse and places the dog on the booth seat next to her. When the woman’s food comes out, the little dog begs and she feeds her bits off her plate. This dog is not public access trained, and proceeds to bark at those who walk by. This dog is a nuisance and causes many in the restaurant to complain. The manager cannot do anything but inform the unhappy customers that this is a service dog, so he can’t ask her to leave. In the end, it’s the customers who end up leaving.

Now I walk in with my highly trained service dog pressed against my leg in a perfect heel position, and I’m quickly bombarded by the manager telling me “No dogs! No dogs! We ALL know what happened last time”. Confused, I tell him “This is my medical alert and medical response service dog. Her right to accompany me is protected under federal law.” With a sigh, he seats me at a table far away from others where my dog promptly tucks under my feet, out of sight. When my food arrives my dog is still tucked tightly under the table because she knows she’s not supposed to eat when she’s on duty. She stays there ignoring those who walk past for the remainder of my meal. When we leave, a woman by the door exclaims “Woah, I didn’t know there was a dog here!”

See the difference?

Scenario number two occurs at a local grocery store when a man decides to bring his certified emotional support animal into the store with him. Upon entering he flashes a fancy ID card and certification papers. This dog is not as unruly as the first, but he still forges ahead of his handler, sniffs the food on display, and may seek attention from those who walk past. You find this dog adorable, and when he and his owner walk past you ask to pet him. The owner says yes and explains how all he had to do was go online, register his dog, and a few weeks later they sent him a vest, ID card, and certification papers.

Now I pull into the same grocery store. I’m in a rush to get an ingredient for a dish I’m making so I hurry into the store with my service dog next to me. I’m quickly stopped by a manager who demands to see my service dog’s certification card. Remember, this is NOT required by law, and most real service dog teams don’t have them. After 15 minutes of trying to educate, pulling up the ADA website on my phone, back and forth bickering, and drawing more of a crowd than I want to describe… I’m finally allowed in. I grab my ingredient, stand in line (where my service dog obediently moves between my legs to make space for those around me), and I get bombarded by people asking to pet my dog. I explain that she’s working, she has a very important job to do, and she’s not allowed to be pet while on duty. People walk away grumbling and complaining about how rude I was when other handlers like the man they met earlier allow their dog to be pet.

Moral of the story? Fake service dogs create real problems. The ones who are impacted the most are the true service dog handlers who rely on their dogs every day to help mitigate their disability. How would you feel if everywhere you went, you couldn’t make it 10 feet in the door because people were asking you questions? Imagine how much time that would take out of your already hectic day. Businesses lose customers because word gets out that there are unruly dogs in their store, customers become misinformed and start thinking some of these behaviors are okay, some people even start to believe the lies that anyone can just register their dog online and make him a service dog. The result? MORE fake service dogs. MORE real problems.

Rockman: What if mayonnaise came in cans?

Netto: Well, that would suck, because you can't microwave metal

Meiru: Good morning to everyone except these two people

star wars fix-it fic writers

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) dir. George Lucas | BEHIND THE SCENES

do you ever hear the intro theme to a video game and you get really emotional and your heart feels really weak like it’s coming back home and it’s basically like that whole world you love so much summed up into one epic song and you just want to fucking cry a lot because this is the video game for you and nothing else ever can even compare to the feeling you get when you hear that one fucking bit of music

I’m so embarrassed to have to type this out but this is the last place I can turn for the support of my friends and community. I’m a struggling Latina lesbian trying to make my way in the world, and with COVID19 my financial situation deteriorated until I was forced to move back in with my parents. 

A few nights ago a person I once considered a friend outed me to my parents because he was upset I rejected his romantic advances. Upon finding out my parents decided to kick me out, and I’ve had to stay with a friend. Now that she can no longer house me, I’m trying to find an apartment and need help staying at a motel and paying for food and gas.

I just need a few hundred dollars to cover the cost of living until I get my next pay cheque and find a place to lease. If you want to help a struggling sapphic Latina, my paypal is paypal.me/ant0nella

I know everyone is going through tough times, but please if you cannot donate just signal boost. I have faith in my friends and found family here.

This footage of Elmo after messing up a take on Sesame Street is peak relatable

You didn’t think you were the only magical girl in town, did you? The name’s Agatha Harkness. Lovely to finally meet you, dear.

KATHRYN HAHN AS AGATHA HARKNESS IN WANDAVISION | 2021

Roll: You're like the totally awesome level-headed kind-hearted glue that sticks us all together!

Rockman: *answers a phone call*

Rockman: Glue speaking.

So how is it that second-hand embarrassment is the single most powerful and weakening emotion one can feel from media?

Tragedy? Delicious.

A hard-earned happy ending? Wonderful.

A convoluted narrative? Keeps you glued.

Simple slice of life? It’s entertaining.

Second-hand embarrassment? Hang on, g, I gotta pause this for fifteen minutes, no, I cannot continue watching this right now, I am just not strong enough.