According to testimony and court filings, SDWR approached Tech students about volunteering as puppy raisers. In September 2017, Burch agreed to take a young service dog-in-training. Lesley would accompany Burch, a junior majoring in criminology, to classes and other public outings. Burch would bring the dog to training sessions SDWR held.
People have become emboldened to bring their pets along on public outings thanks to legal gray areas and widespread availability of service animal insignia. People are emboldened to bring their pets along on public outings thanks to legal gray areas and widespread availability of service animal insignia. “If you go anywhere on the internet you can buy a vest,” said Severt.
“If you Google ‘service dogs,’ the first thing that comes up is a registry. It’s totally bogus.” Yet pet owners purchase a certificate and claim they “have paperwork” when questioned, she said.
Dogs aren’t called “man’s best friend” for nothing. If you’ve ever owned a dog, you know the bond between this animal and we humans is very real. We mourn our dogs when they die. And yes, after sharing our homes and our lives, they mourn us when we die. We feel genuine love for each other.
Slate staff writer Ruth Graham is clueless in recognizing this.
Kylie is a 3-year-old black Labrador-greyhound mix O’Brien received in August 2016. He and she received training from a nonprofit organization called Mutts Mending Mankind based in Bantam.