This was bound to happen sooner than later. With so many selfish, irresponsible pet owners labeling their ordinary pet dogs as so-called emotional support animals just to treat them like fur children and take them everywhere they go, this was bound to happen.

According to CBS Philly, Frank Bicking of Thorofare, NJ was with his service dog Beauty at a mall when his dog was suddenly attacked by two dogs belonging to a man who ran a kiosk. That man claimed them to be emotional support dogs. The unleashed dogs set in on Beauty biting her back leg then one began biting at her belly, according to Bicking. He said he had to use his cane to get the dogs off his service animal, which is trained to never show aggression even under these circumstances of being attacked and in pain. True to it’s training, it never fought back; it just took it.

This all happened on December 22 at Christiana Mall in Newark, Delaware. Beauty is a highly trained service dog who warns Frank about seizures before they happen, but since the dog attack he says she is skittish and traumatized and may need to be retrained. Mall management has since banned the offending dogs and that kiosk is closing. Further, the kiosk operator says he was in trouble with Delaware Animal Services.

Too little too late.

Frank Bicking should not have had it happen to him and his legitimate service animal. He thinks too many people are faking a need for their ordinary house pet which doesn’t really provide any actual service. He’s right. There are sites across the Internet for people to buy phony credentials for just this purpose. As far as so-called emotional support animals, a business can still legally refuse to accommodate a person with an emotional support dog but cannot legally deny a person with a true service dog.

The problem is no businesses seem to have any backbone in standing up to these selfish dweebs. When a legitimate service dog is treated the same as an emotional support dog and a run-of-the-mill house pet it causes confusion all around. But that’s what’s happening. Either no one is being challenged or sometimes everyone is being challenged, even people like Frank Bicking, and that is the saddest part. According to NJ.com, Frank suffers life-threatening seizures and his dog is trained to detect them up to 30 minutes before they strike. He needs to be allowed to bring his dog anywhere. Emotional support dogs are generally not trained to do anything, so anyone can claim their pet makes them feel better therefore it’s an emotional support dog.

Please. Stop being selfish jerks. You’re making the world tougher for people with true disabilities.

I was just at Philadelphia International Airport and I lost count of how many dogs I saw out of their carriers and being disruptive. When a dog is straining at its leash, sniffing at or jumping on other people’s legs, fighting to approach other dogs, snapping up things left on a floor, these are not true service dogs. Service dogs are disciplined. These are pets owned by selfish people allowed to be a nuisance. Period. This must end.

Owners of service dogs are not required to show any official documentation. This rule is part of the problem and needs to change. If we adhere to strict guidelines of what kind of animal is allowed in public places and have laws stating you need to carry standardized federal documentation to prove it, these fools with their fur children could finally be challenged and kicked out. And kicked out they should be, every last one of these posers. The law needs to change. I’m sure Frank Bicking would agree.

It’s bound to happen sooner than later.

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