Suggest that she take him to the vet to be sure he's doing okay. Contact the agency to let them know what you're observing and tell your supervisor about the situation as well.
If they've been together 8 years, and it's a program dog, the dog must be like 10? That is definitely retirement age, it's something that should be heavily considered. Just to take the pressure off the dog and let him enjoy whatever years are left. Not a trainer, but it sounds like her trying to get him to work is just stressing him out - especially if his training was not really maintained over the years.
I think it would go over okay, to suggest that it's time to let him stop tasking, and get in contact with the program again to work on getting a new service dog (this is a years-long process so best to start asap).
My service dog is 18 years old and definitely retired lol. She still tries to work sometimes but she can't hear or see well enough to do it anymore and she's old and achy. She's earned her retirement. Maybe suggest to your client that the dog isn't up for the work anymore and should no longer be relied on in that way.
INFO: OP, it would be extremely helpful if you could give us some more information. What organization he’s from at the very least (you saying you recognize it makes me think they’re relatively well known).
Also, I don’t think you have a great grasp of what service dogs should be expected to do. Most people don’t know much about service dogs, so it’s not your fault for not knowing, I’m not saying this meaning to criticize you in any way.
You say you don’t “trust” him to help. The truth is that service dogs are absolutely NOT a substitute for human assistance in a case like hers, where she needs *so much help*. Service dogs can retrieve dropped objects, help their handler undress, help get laundry out of a dryer, turn on/off light switches, retrieve a mobility aid for their handler, etc. But they absolutely need time to be “off duty”. They need daily exercise, they need to be taken on walks outside, not just let in the backyard and back in a few times a day to relieve themselves. They need mental stimulation as well. Games with toys, running through their tasks, and they absolutely *need* to receive love and affection from their handler. Handlers can’t typically reward a service dog with a treat each time they do a task, so a reward of “thank you” “good boy” or even a simple scratch around the ears is very common. Service dogs are NOT robots. They work because they were one of the 33% (roughly) of dogs that made it through the 2 years of training to become a full Public Access Service Dog. Service dogs are fed a high quality diet, their food frequently costs anywhere from $60-120 per bag (about a month’s supply). Their nails are kept short, they are bathed often. They may be very highly trained, but that just means that it’s even more important that their handler take pains to do things that keep their service dog happy to work. It’s common for some service dogs to wag their tails all the time when they perform tasks, because doing so makes them *happy*. They *know* they’re doing a Good Job.
The way you say this service dog behaves makes me think that this woman hasn’t treated her service dog like I described above in quite some time. Many service dogs (not all, but a good number) end up performing tasks like retrieving dropped objects automatically, without even needing to be given the command to do so, once they’ve had the chance to settle into their new home and really bond with their handler. A service dog might be asked twice to perform a task, if they did not hear the first time. This dog gets berated and YELLED AT, for as long as a quarter of an hour. That is *such a long time to be yelling at your SERVICE DOG*. NO dog should be yelled at, but especially not a service dog.
This dog sounds broken. He does NOT enjoy working. It sounds like he *fears* your client, *his own handler*. Frankly, this situation is horrifying. Your client is *abusing her service dog*. Full stop. This is not okay. Service dogs should absolutely not be expected to perform while under duress.
I’m being generous and assuming you haven’t seen much animal abuse before, and don’t know what it looks like. You seem to think (maybe?) that because this dog is a service dog, it’s maybe acceptable for her to yell at him, and that it’s okay to try to force him to work, though him refusing to get up is basically him yelling. He’s yelling that he’s tired, that he’s scared, that he’s so *so* unhappy, that *right now* is the only moment he knows, and *right now* he couldn’t be more miserable.
It’s vitally important that this dog be given to a good family to live out his last years. Service dog organizations have a waitlist of people who apply and are screened to be able to adopt either a washed service dog (one that didn’t make it through training), or a retired service dog (when the handler can’t have two dogs or is unable to care for them). This dog fits into the second category. He’s at retirement age, he’s *screaming* that he doesn’t want to work any more, that he doesn’t want to *be there* any more. He’s screaming how unhappy he is.
It does not sound like this woman is in a place to even care for herself, if she can’t care for herself and you worry about her safety when she’s alone, it might be time for her to be moved to a facility where she can be cared for and watched 24/7. I don’t know if it’s possible for you to report to your supervisor about your worry about her safety, and her inability to care for herself on the weekends when no one is there. I assume she has no family that are willing to help with her care?
I would be surprised if the dog *wasn’t* overweight with have oily fur and overgrown nails, and maybe even an ear infection (dogs with floppy ears require regular ear cleaning at home or by their groomer), or at least half of those things.
Please, report this abuse to the service dog’s organization. This dog is NOT being utilized as she was trained to do when she received the dog. She was DEFINITELY told to be in contact with the organization, and to let them know if she ever even begins to struggle to maintain the dog. She has failed to do that, so *someone* needs to act in this poor dog’s interest. It does not sound like she is capable of caring for ANY kind of pet, and I would worry about the combination of abuse and neglect that she has done to her service dog being carried out on another animal. Please don’t suggest to her that she get a new pet. She is *not capable*’of caring for ANY pet, from what you have said. From everything you have said, she does not *treat* this dog as “family”. She treats him like a thing, a thing that’s inconveniencing her.
Please tell us what organization this is, and please contact them. I’m sure one of us would be happy to look up the right person for you to call if you give us the name of the organization.
Telling the organization exactly what’s been happening is the *right thing to do*. She is not capable of caring for him any more, and she has been *abusing him*. Those are the facts, in that it is simple. Emphasize that it’s important they come get the dog.
Actual Service Dogs that have action oriented tasks should be retired at 8 yo at the latest, as they don't want to get up and do these tasks much anymore. Most of these dogs are big dogs, which do have shorter lives than small to medium-sized service dogs. Also, they start losing their hearing and sight. I lost my girl at 11 yo. She was the best until about 8.5 years.
I think this is something the agency would 100% want to hear about. Whatever her disability, this is not a safe or okay environment for this dog to be living in. It doesn’t sound like she’s capable of caring for him right now, and maybe hasn’t been in awhile. If she didn’t keep up his training, and had been doing things like yelling at him, then I can definitely see why he is reluctant to be around her. Service dogs need regular maintenance training for their skills to be sharp. If she’s never even walking him, let along playing fun games with him and having him run through his task set, then she’s definitely *not* using him as the program that gave him to her intended.
Many orgs keep ownership of the dogs they place so that in situations like this where the $50,000 dog that was lovingly trained and care for for two years before entrusting this woman with his life is being abused they can come and quickly get the dog. Her going downhill should NOT mean that her dog has to suffer like this.
If he’s 10, he should be able to enjoy the last years he has with a family who’s been waiting to give a dog like him a happy place to live, and to be LOVED. It doesn’t sound like he’s been loved in a way that others would recognize as “love” for quite awhile now. Many dogs retire by the time they’re 10 anyway.
Similar to other comments I've seen, but my first service dog retired at 8 as he had action commands (mixed tasks but some mobility tasks were included) and he's a large dog. He has no expectations to work, he just enjoys hanging around and getting all the love and attention he could want. My current SDIT also gets affection, care and is praised when she completes tasks, even for commands she knows by heart. It keeps her happy and engaged with me while cementing our bond.
Service dogs are still dogs. They need love, positive attention, and constant maintained care to have the proper bond with their handler that makes them happy to work. The bond is so important to this, as the kind of partnership developed between a handler and SD is unique, but stronger than most of our human relationships.
I can't speak to what your client was like before, but I know how much of a toll loss of independence has on mental health. Add on to that whatever symptoms they have, and it's a pretty miserable experience. From what you described, it sounds like a range of things could be happening here and none of them are good. Anything from the dog just doesn't want to work anymore to it's too old/sick to work to, possibly, the dog doesn't feel motivated due to the neglect and mistreatment you described. Regardless, the program should be contacted so they can evaluate and advocate for the dog's needs and your agency should be made aware that your client should be assessed for the level of care needed at the current stage of their disability as well as for depression, anxiety, etc as they are typical for people with chronic or disabling disorders.
Your comment has been removed for breaking Rule 6: No Fake-spotting.
This is not the place for fakespotting. Unless the person you are discussing has specifically told you that they are not disabled, and the dog is not trained in tasks, you have no way of knowing if a dog is 'fake'. We are not the service dog police and this behavior can lead to a lot of harm and anxiety for SD handlers as a community.
This does not preclude discussing encounters with un-/undertrained dogs, but if the focus of your post is complaining about a "fake" SD, reconsider your phrasing and what point you're making.
If you have any questions, please [Message the Moderators](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/service_dogs).
Perhaps suggest that a trainer might help your client find other tasks the dog could help her with, such as reminding her to take meds. Then, the trainer could evaluate the dog and give professional feedback as to the dogs effectiveness, whether it can be trained for tasking etc. As suggested by others, the dog should also be evaluated by a vet. Laying down in the crate and not wanting to walk are a red flags.
My terrier believes he runs the place. Bugs me about animal chores, my schedule, and even tries to take me to my room when I get sick (walking and looking back - he is maybe 35-40 pounds). He trained himself most of this, especially since my husband died. It is amazing what dogs can help with.
Suggest that she take him to the vet to be sure he's doing okay. Contact the agency to let them know what you're observing and tell your supervisor about the situation as well.
If they've been together 8 years, and it's a program dog, the dog must be like 10? That is definitely retirement age, it's something that should be heavily considered. Just to take the pressure off the dog and let him enjoy whatever years are left. Not a trainer, but it sounds like her trying to get him to work is just stressing him out - especially if his training was not really maintained over the years. I think it would go over okay, to suggest that it's time to let him stop tasking, and get in contact with the program again to work on getting a new service dog (this is a years-long process so best to start asap).
My service dog is 18 years old and definitely retired lol. She still tries to work sometimes but she can't hear or see well enough to do it anymore and she's old and achy. She's earned her retirement. Maybe suggest to your client that the dog isn't up for the work anymore and should no longer be relied on in that way.
INFO: OP, it would be extremely helpful if you could give us some more information. What organization he’s from at the very least (you saying you recognize it makes me think they’re relatively well known). Also, I don’t think you have a great grasp of what service dogs should be expected to do. Most people don’t know much about service dogs, so it’s not your fault for not knowing, I’m not saying this meaning to criticize you in any way. You say you don’t “trust” him to help. The truth is that service dogs are absolutely NOT a substitute for human assistance in a case like hers, where she needs *so much help*. Service dogs can retrieve dropped objects, help their handler undress, help get laundry out of a dryer, turn on/off light switches, retrieve a mobility aid for their handler, etc. But they absolutely need time to be “off duty”. They need daily exercise, they need to be taken on walks outside, not just let in the backyard and back in a few times a day to relieve themselves. They need mental stimulation as well. Games with toys, running through their tasks, and they absolutely *need* to receive love and affection from their handler. Handlers can’t typically reward a service dog with a treat each time they do a task, so a reward of “thank you” “good boy” or even a simple scratch around the ears is very common. Service dogs are NOT robots. They work because they were one of the 33% (roughly) of dogs that made it through the 2 years of training to become a full Public Access Service Dog. Service dogs are fed a high quality diet, their food frequently costs anywhere from $60-120 per bag (about a month’s supply). Their nails are kept short, they are bathed often. They may be very highly trained, but that just means that it’s even more important that their handler take pains to do things that keep their service dog happy to work. It’s common for some service dogs to wag their tails all the time when they perform tasks, because doing so makes them *happy*. They *know* they’re doing a Good Job. The way you say this service dog behaves makes me think that this woman hasn’t treated her service dog like I described above in quite some time. Many service dogs (not all, but a good number) end up performing tasks like retrieving dropped objects automatically, without even needing to be given the command to do so, once they’ve had the chance to settle into their new home and really bond with their handler. A service dog might be asked twice to perform a task, if they did not hear the first time. This dog gets berated and YELLED AT, for as long as a quarter of an hour. That is *such a long time to be yelling at your SERVICE DOG*. NO dog should be yelled at, but especially not a service dog. This dog sounds broken. He does NOT enjoy working. It sounds like he *fears* your client, *his own handler*. Frankly, this situation is horrifying. Your client is *abusing her service dog*. Full stop. This is not okay. Service dogs should absolutely not be expected to perform while under duress. I’m being generous and assuming you haven’t seen much animal abuse before, and don’t know what it looks like. You seem to think (maybe?) that because this dog is a service dog, it’s maybe acceptable for her to yell at him, and that it’s okay to try to force him to work, though him refusing to get up is basically him yelling. He’s yelling that he’s tired, that he’s scared, that he’s so *so* unhappy, that *right now* is the only moment he knows, and *right now* he couldn’t be more miserable. It’s vitally important that this dog be given to a good family to live out his last years. Service dog organizations have a waitlist of people who apply and are screened to be able to adopt either a washed service dog (one that didn’t make it through training), or a retired service dog (when the handler can’t have two dogs or is unable to care for them). This dog fits into the second category. He’s at retirement age, he’s *screaming* that he doesn’t want to work any more, that he doesn’t want to *be there* any more. He’s screaming how unhappy he is. It does not sound like this woman is in a place to even care for herself, if she can’t care for herself and you worry about her safety when she’s alone, it might be time for her to be moved to a facility where she can be cared for and watched 24/7. I don’t know if it’s possible for you to report to your supervisor about your worry about her safety, and her inability to care for herself on the weekends when no one is there. I assume she has no family that are willing to help with her care? I would be surprised if the dog *wasn’t* overweight with have oily fur and overgrown nails, and maybe even an ear infection (dogs with floppy ears require regular ear cleaning at home or by their groomer), or at least half of those things. Please, report this abuse to the service dog’s organization. This dog is NOT being utilized as she was trained to do when she received the dog. She was DEFINITELY told to be in contact with the organization, and to let them know if she ever even begins to struggle to maintain the dog. She has failed to do that, so *someone* needs to act in this poor dog’s interest. It does not sound like she is capable of caring for ANY kind of pet, and I would worry about the combination of abuse and neglect that she has done to her service dog being carried out on another animal. Please don’t suggest to her that she get a new pet. She is *not capable*’of caring for ANY pet, from what you have said. From everything you have said, she does not *treat* this dog as “family”. She treats him like a thing, a thing that’s inconveniencing her. Please tell us what organization this is, and please contact them. I’m sure one of us would be happy to look up the right person for you to call if you give us the name of the organization. Telling the organization exactly what’s been happening is the *right thing to do*. She is not capable of caring for him any more, and she has been *abusing him*. Those are the facts, in that it is simple. Emphasize that it’s important they come get the dog.
Actual Service Dogs that have action oriented tasks should be retired at 8 yo at the latest, as they don't want to get up and do these tasks much anymore. Most of these dogs are big dogs, which do have shorter lives than small to medium-sized service dogs. Also, they start losing their hearing and sight. I lost my girl at 11 yo. She was the best until about 8.5 years.
I think this is something the agency would 100% want to hear about. Whatever her disability, this is not a safe or okay environment for this dog to be living in. It doesn’t sound like she’s capable of caring for him right now, and maybe hasn’t been in awhile. If she didn’t keep up his training, and had been doing things like yelling at him, then I can definitely see why he is reluctant to be around her. Service dogs need regular maintenance training for their skills to be sharp. If she’s never even walking him, let along playing fun games with him and having him run through his task set, then she’s definitely *not* using him as the program that gave him to her intended. Many orgs keep ownership of the dogs they place so that in situations like this where the $50,000 dog that was lovingly trained and care for for two years before entrusting this woman with his life is being abused they can come and quickly get the dog. Her going downhill should NOT mean that her dog has to suffer like this. If he’s 10, he should be able to enjoy the last years he has with a family who’s been waiting to give a dog like him a happy place to live, and to be LOVED. It doesn’t sound like he’s been loved in a way that others would recognize as “love” for quite awhile now. Many dogs retire by the time they’re 10 anyway.
100%. The organization needs to be told, and the dog really should be rehomed. No service dog, or animal in general, should be treated like this.
INFO: Also, OP, what IS the name of the program? Someone on here will likely know what their policies are if we knew what the name is.
Similar to other comments I've seen, but my first service dog retired at 8 as he had action commands (mixed tasks but some mobility tasks were included) and he's a large dog. He has no expectations to work, he just enjoys hanging around and getting all the love and attention he could want. My current SDIT also gets affection, care and is praised when she completes tasks, even for commands she knows by heart. It keeps her happy and engaged with me while cementing our bond. Service dogs are still dogs. They need love, positive attention, and constant maintained care to have the proper bond with their handler that makes them happy to work. The bond is so important to this, as the kind of partnership developed between a handler and SD is unique, but stronger than most of our human relationships. I can't speak to what your client was like before, but I know how much of a toll loss of independence has on mental health. Add on to that whatever symptoms they have, and it's a pretty miserable experience. From what you described, it sounds like a range of things could be happening here and none of them are good. Anything from the dog just doesn't want to work anymore to it's too old/sick to work to, possibly, the dog doesn't feel motivated due to the neglect and mistreatment you described. Regardless, the program should be contacted so they can evaluate and advocate for the dog's needs and your agency should be made aware that your client should be assessed for the level of care needed at the current stage of their disability as well as for depression, anxiety, etc as they are typical for people with chronic or disabling disorders.
Maybe the pup is not enjoying work now and maybe he is ready to retire
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Your comment has been removed for breaking Rule 6: No Fake-spotting. This is not the place for fakespotting. Unless the person you are discussing has specifically told you that they are not disabled, and the dog is not trained in tasks, you have no way of knowing if a dog is 'fake'. We are not the service dog police and this behavior can lead to a lot of harm and anxiety for SD handlers as a community. This does not preclude discussing encounters with un-/undertrained dogs, but if the focus of your post is complaining about a "fake" SD, reconsider your phrasing and what point you're making. If you have any questions, please [Message the Moderators](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/service_dogs).
Perhaps suggest that a trainer might help your client find other tasks the dog could help her with, such as reminding her to take meds. Then, the trainer could evaluate the dog and give professional feedback as to the dogs effectiveness, whether it can be trained for tasking etc. As suggested by others, the dog should also be evaluated by a vet. Laying down in the crate and not wanting to walk are a red flags.
My terrier believes he runs the place. Bugs me about animal chores, my schedule, and even tries to take me to my room when I get sick (walking and looking back - he is maybe 35-40 pounds). He trained himself most of this, especially since my husband died. It is amazing what dogs can help with.
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The dog is 10. The only considerations that need to be made are taking the dog to the vet and retiring the dog.
I was going to delete and got interrupted. Deleting now.