The TRUTH About Service Dogs & ESAs

02/18/2025

I feel like there is more to this story than what is being reported.

For a teacher to decide whether or not someone has frequent seizures is a bit much. Not all seizures present in the stereotypical tremors. Some are simply "spacing out" which can easily be missed by someone who isn't familiar with them.

The parents chose to home school rather than take the fight to a higher court.

I just feel this could start us on a downward spiral if we don't fight for our disability access rights. Especially with the current DOGE destroying solid systems and checks and balances in this country.

A judge has ruled that Germantown Municipal School District can deny a service dog.

02/11/2025

Not every disabled person has a support system.

02/10/2025

02/09/2025

FYI: The two questions the ADA allows "Is it a service animal required because of a disability?" And "what work or tasks does the service animal perform?"... You only have to answer those questions asked by STAFF of the public place you are entering. So security at theme parks, yes, answer them. Manager at a grocery store, yes, answer them. Receptionist at a medical office, yes, answer them.

Regular ass people shopping for clothing, theme park guests, gym bros, etc do not have the right to receive answers to those questions.

I have seen a number of videos and posts of regular ass people saying they approach disabled handlers and question them. You absolutely can answer the questions if you want to, but ONLY STAFF are required to get answers. You are not obligated to respond to anyone.

If a regular customer asks you, not answering is acceptable. Telling them the staff has already asked you, is acceptable. Telling them you only answer those questions when asked by staff, is acceptable. Answering the questions is also, acceptable.

Me personally, I don't give regular people more info than I want to. Some people are just trying to make small talk and are sincerely interested, but there are people out there who feel they have a moral obligation to have you answer them. Keep your own mental health in mind and what you feel comfortable talking about. Don't let self appointed service dog police ruin your day.

02/01/2025

A little perspective:

01/24/2025

We know things are a little scary and crazy right now in the world, but if you are a part of the lGBTQIA+ here’s something to hopefully make you feel a little better
Link to creator
 https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8FWEcJd/m

01/23/2025

Finally!!! Some good news!!!!

Let's hope it is the start to a major change and the end of ESA letter mills!

We absolutely support valid ESAs on this page. But these letter mills are just not it. They hold no real value and have scammed countless people and give a false sense of security and superiority.

If you have a need for an ESA, speak to your personal mental health practitioner.

If you want to see how shady these ESA letter mills are, check out this 2018 study on them!https://www.senate.ga.gov/committees/Documents/ESAMemo8-20-2018.pdf

A Montana state senator says it’s too easy to log online, pay a fee and get a certificate to have an emotional support animal. He says that’s unfair to…

01/17/2025

Service dogs are specially bred and trained to provide independence, mobility, and companionship to their handlers. They have an important job, and proper etiquette is essential to ensure the safety of the dog and its handler. 🐕‍🦺

Avoid touching, talking to, or feeding the service dog while they are working. Distractions can create dangerous situations. You should always speak directly to the handler, not the service dog or those accompanying them.

Remember that not all disabilities are visible. Trust that the service dog provides vital support, even if you do not see the disability.

Your respect and understanding make a big difference in allowing service dog teams to navigate the world safely and confidently! Tap the link below to learn more about service dog etiquette.

https://www.vetdogs.org/AV/care-support/AssistanceDogEtiquette.aspx

01/17/2025

01/17/2025

Accessible vehicles should be affordable to those who they are intended for.

01/17/2025

Watching a video from Crutches and Spice by Imani Barbarin on TikTok and she reminded me that while I HATE this app, the PAGE it is important to my fellow disabled individuals. While our admin team may not be as active on this website going forward. We will still be here advocating and sharing memes.

01/13/2025

We used to have class! We used to have culture on this app! We could educate and have discussions with actual people! Now I’m sifting through tons of ads and Bot pages just to get the smallest peek at actual content from fellow users and friends.

Image description: AI  generated black-and-white photo of a classy 1940s woman sitting at a desk with a laptop and a martini, black lab at her side.

PS I’m so sorry about the use of AI here. I hate it, but it can also be convenient to get exactly the right kind of image I want especially when that image doesn’t exist in real life.

Edited to add a comment from admin, Crystal on another post

“Admin Crystal here. I know I've been less active here for a while. And Tiffany has kept this ship going which I am externally grateful for. I knew I could always trust her with it. But we are indeed tired.

The original page was started as The Truth About Service Dog Free Press. When Jon Sabin used the anonymity of pages to attack and harass anyone he deemed not disabled. This was generally a lot of handlers under the age of 30. Handlers with invisible disabilities. Handlers who weren't veterans who agreed with him. Handlers who were liberal. Handlers who were LGBTQ+. BIPOC handlers. Handlers who used breeds out of the Fab 4. Handlers who used funny and brightly colored working gear or dyed their dogs. Overweight handlers. Basically if you weren't white, old, physically disabled, a veteran, and/or a Republican he came after you. There was never any attempt at education from him. He would use people's photos without permission and attack them. Even body shame them when it had zero to do with their service animal. I made the page to be petty and expose people to who he really was. A man stripped of the right to train dogs for others. He had no business telling other people how to have service dogs when his "trained" service dogs were attacking children and other dogs. After we basically chased him off Facebook, we decided to change the page to what SDFP could have been. Education. We have made friends and allies. We have helped people on their journey to get a service dog. We have helped teach the general public about the laws surrounding service animals. Thank you to everyone especially those who stuck with us since the beginning. 💜”

01/12/2025

I have to be honest after losing our original page and trying to restart it, and just not having the energy or the desire to use this website/app anymore I am heavily considering deleting this page. It’s been fun educating and sharing funny, silly, memes while it lasted but I’m tired and Facebook is just garbage now.

01/03/2025

Our good friend came down to visit, and our boys are having a last hurrah before they retire. Jax and Levi working together at the beach.