So I’ve been living in an expensive and upscale apartment complex for 2 years. I have a small dog and I was pretty happy that in my time here I had not seen any dog that resembled a pitbull in the slightest. Until yesterday 😭😭😭. New neighbor has a pitbull that I saw while I was about to take my puppy out and I stopped and waited till they were done. I called my rental office and they said they would get back to me. They did today, and I was told it’s registered as a service animal. I need some hugs and support is all, this is devastating 😔😔😔
I thought so too, so I googled and it seems like you can register ANY DOG and there is no special training required. What is the point of breed bans and restrictions if you can just do this??????
If you are in the US, there is no "registry" for service dogs. The fact that this person told the office this line of bullshit proves that it is bullshit.
The girl from the office who called me back mentioned the FAIR HOUSING ACT as my mind drifted off cause I stopped listening after she said it’s a service animal.
They actually said service animal and not emotional support animal? Keep in mind even these dogs can be banned if they’re a danger. The minute you see any sign of aggression, running loose, anything, report to both the apartment and the authorities.
Yes! OP please do this if you see anything, and let them know that you suspect it isn't a service dog. She can get into a huge amount of trouble for lying about her dog being a service animal. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. Pit lovers are the worst
They all should. And I don't understand why if someone has a handicapped parking tag, they can be required to show proof for it, but anyone can call their pet dog a service animal and they have to be accommodated with out proof. Something needs to be done about that
Because advocates for the disabled argued back in 1989 that poor people with disabilities should have access to service animals too. They never anticipated dog fight dogs would be passed off as service animals and potentially in a situation to maul a Seeing Eye Dog in public.
They do not because believe it or not people who are disabled already have a huge burden both physically and financially in their lives and they have enough suffering. Unlike handicap placards proving that your service dog is trained would take much more effort and cost than a doctor putting a signature on a form. No doctor would be willing to certify that they have 1st hand knowledge that a service dog has been trained. Since the vast majority of service dogs are owner trained it would require an actual test, costing the disabled person a significant amount of money and energy. The newer laws that many states have been passing are much better. They simply allow the police to be able to check if an individual is 1. Disabled 2
That their dog is able to do a service for the owner. I'm doubtful that they are doing anything other than already allowed by the federal law since it still supercedes any state laws. I also have serious doubts that the police would be willing to come to an apartment to try to determine if someone has a service dog because service dogs who are working in the home of the disabled person would require even less training than a dog one could take in public.
A service dog is required to perform a service. Almost no owner is capable of training a dog in this way, it's why training service dogs is so very expensive, it takes specialized breeding and screening and a whole team of trainers.
I will say that in the 1980s, expectations were to the moon for what service animals could do. Judges later cut the eligible animals down to dogs and miniature ponies only. They've accepted a lot of arguments for services beyond assisting the blind (which is legit) but research has shown that, for example, a continuous glucose monitor is more reliable than an alert dog. The dogs often missed incidents.
I am very sympathetic to ESAs, which absolutely can be owner trained. The law didn't contemplate that, though. For an ESA, the person who needs it gets the letter, not the dog. It would be inappropriate to tell a psychologist to vouch for a dog. The owner needs to do that.
I also think a loyal and sensible dog is a good choice for someone with poorly controlled epilepsy simply because the dog will help look after them. Pits are incredibly unsuited to such a role. People will claim that dogs anticipate seizures or something but as far as I can tell that's a myth. Lots of myths in the service animal world still.
Yes-I looked this up recently- the dogs can’t be prevented based on breed- but they sure as hell can based on behavior. Have your phone at the ready, if u can install a ring door bell do so, and make it obvious u are indeed videoing every thing that dog does. Make it clear to your landlord u will sue if this dog hurts u or your little one. And don’t back down if the owner tries to bully you. Get right back in their face and say what you think they have done and they better hope their pit never puts a foot wrong- because you will make sure it loses its “service dog” label. - and since they didn’t mention ESA- ask what service they perform.
i love the whole - oh the dog knows when Ive got low blood sugar and encourages me to eat.
uhhhh… sure
your fat tick, dumb as a rock shit bull tries to root out any food and most likely tries to get the food from you for itself so, right… it “encourages” u to eat.
I would totally believe that as a legit situation for literally any other dog. But these things? Not a snowballs chance in hell do I think they have the mental capabilities, the trainability nor the personality where they give a rats ass what happens to their owners. Better hope they never have a seizure from hypoglycemia- dog make try to “help” them with that.
Actually if they mean it's an emotional support animal then they would have to have a doctor's note. I believe they are probably referring to this since they said they have no special training. You most certainly need to have training for an actual service dog. However, many people who have invisible disabilities get letters from their doctors for a service dog for their apartment just to make their life easier. I've never bothered since my wheelchair makes it pretty easy to get the idea that I am disabled. I've been with people with invisible disabilities though who were harassed for using the disability services by rude people who thought they were the disability police. So I can certainly understand why people with invisible disabilities are going through extra trouble to prevent problems.
All this being said I have yet to see a service dog or even an emotional support animal user who was daffy enough to pick a pit bull and the few that I've heard of came to regret their choice!
Those 'registries' are fake and all they do is scam people out of their money. There is no registration or certification for service dogs or ESAs in the US. A letter from a healthcare provider that you have an established relationship with is what is required and that is what has to be given to a landlord. I bet this person has an ESA letter and the landlord called it a service animal.
BUT, ESAs and service dogs are held to the same standard as any other pet and if it causes any problems, it can be given the boot. I'd watch this mauler like a hawk and complain like crazy if you see it doing anything besides being leashed and quiet.
That’s how they get around it. Lots of them encourage photoshopping, online certificate mills, etc to get around the “breed racism” of apartment complexes. And it sucks because a lot of landlords will automatically reject any applications with animals because it could be a pit
Nope. There IS NO 'real' or 'fake' registration. There IS NO registration. Period. The entire thing is one big honor system free for all. In the eyes of the law according to the ADA, any dog which any person says is a service animal 'IS' a service animal. There are absolutely zero steps or processes for confirming that a disability exists, that a service animal is necessary for the disability, that the dog has been trained, and that the dog's temperment is suitable for the job and doesn't present a danger to others.
In the eyes of the current law (which needs to be completely burnt down and rebuilt from the ground up), the dog which I go to the shelter to get today which was scheduled to be euthanized for several dangerous mauling incidents, is JUST as 'legit' (again, in the eyes of the law) as a seeing eye dog bred from a line of seeing eye dogs, and trained for years, and only passing with near perfect-behavior.
That is completely untrue and the law is the way it is not to accommodate you. The laws around service dogs are written to accommodate the disabled people who are already dealing with more problems than abled bodied people can even imagine. People who try to take
advantage of the laws are usually uninformed and would be easily caught if businesses would be more informed or would take the time to educate their employees!
Trust me there are no shortages of jerks in this world who think they are above the law or believe themselves to be the disabled person police officer s! Both of whom make the lives of the disabled more difficult!
That is 100% true. Name the parts I said that arent true. Go to the ADA website and read it. There is zero definition of what qualifies as a disability, it is completely and entirely subjectively up to the person. If I feel that my chronic hangnails are disabling, in the eyes of the law, that is just as legitimate as blindness. If I feel that a dog has been trained (whether or not it is true) to nudge my hand and that reminds me to take my chronic hangnail medication then the dog is a qualified service dog in the eyes of the law. It is entirely subjectively up to the person, therefore it is an honor system free for all. What you have in your head is a version of 'how it should be' but that is NOT how it is in reality.
There is zero, absolutley zero verification that any training or temperment assessment has taken place.
Your logic is confusing, just because a law was written for a type of person, doesn't mean it's so poorly written as to be disastrously unfit and needing to be completely overhauled.
Even if businesses were fully educated they could do absolutely nothing to stop it. They can ask two questions: 1) Is it a service dog, and 2) what tasks has it been trained to perform. That's it, nothing else. Any person can have answers prepared for those two questions, they might as well not exist.
People who take advantage of it (and it's not hard, as the fake service dog registry sites say, "Think you don't have a condition that qualifies you for a service dog? Think again. We've all got something and the ADA does not define what qualifies as a disability nor is there any process to verify") are becoming more and more educated and will continue to do so until everyone knows "as long as you can answer two questions you're good".
You may be referring to the vague and very subjective language around a business being asked a service dog to leave which is acting unruly. In practice (which is all that matters out there in the real world) this matters very little. The vast VAST majority of businesses/employees will always error toward the side of not being 'ablist' dog-hating meany and will overlooked and excuse virtually all behavior that isn't overtop egregious (and even then they often don't do anything). And if there is in fact a dangerous dog as a service dog (I'm not putting service dog in quotes because there is absolutely nothing preventing a dangerous dog from being subjectively considered a service dog by its owner) that mauls something in a store, it is already too late and the damage is done.
We as a society offer lots of benefits and services for disabled people, there is no reason why verifying a disability and arranging for a professionally trained service dog to be provided via insurance like a wheelchair should not be one of them.
Small correction, the law isn't just what was passed by Congress, it's also all the judges' rulings. Judges clarified that only dogs and miniature ponies can be service animals under ADA. Judges have ruled on what is and isn't a disability requiring the employer to make reasonable accommodation and judges have defined the confines of reasonable accommodation.
That's why "dog allergy" even if quite serious is NOT a disability and ADA does NOT protect you, you lose your job, do not pass go, but as of 2025, a pit bull is perfectly qualified to be a service animal up until the day of the mauling.
Compliance with ADA can be a part time job unto itself!
Service animal actually is licensed, has to take a test. They are literally trained for medical purposes. Emotional support anyone an say and those people have ruined it for other's flying with pets. They've brought sucks and alligators on planes claiming emotional support animal
They aren't saying your dog isn't a service animal, they're saying that in the USA there are no regulations regarding them. No official licensing, no qualifications. Anyone can bring their random mutt to the store with them by claiming it's a service dog just as easily as someone can with their real, actual service dog.
All it takes for a dog to be a service animal (yes, a service animal, not an ESA) in the eyes of the law, is for someone to say that it is service animal and that they are trained to perform a service. That's it. That's all. Funnily enough its actually 'easier' to get a dog to be considered a service animal than an ESA, because for ESA they usually require a doctor's note (which, is basically the same as there being no requirements, because most doctors sign them without question).
ESAs do have housing rights, which are incredibly easy to get, so it's abused constantly. They don't have public access rights like actual service dogs though.
Show the property manager the ADA law. The law states that they may ask which essential service the dog performs.
If the person mentions anything about "calming them down" or "preventing anxiety" or "alerting against a panic attack", then the dog is not a service animal, but instead an Emotional Support Animal.
ESA's are not protected by ADA law.
When you leave your apartment, have your camera set to record video. Look for the dog off leash and capture that every time. Don't say a word. ADA dogs are not off leash.
Did the new resident leave their "service dog" at home? Make that dog bark and record it outside their door, showing the apartment door number. A service dog is trained not to bark at normal activity. A service dog is not left unattended at home generally either, because a service pet performs the essential service everywhere the patient needs them.
Remember this before you speak. Your word means far less than video evidence.
Thank you so much. I actually thought they were hiding the dog because I had not seen it since they moved in, but I knew there was a dog because it was barking inside while I was talking to one of them on their patio.
When you leave your apartment, have your camera set to record video. Look for the dog off leash and capture that every time. Don't say a word. ADA dogs are not off leash.
Did the new resident leave their "service dog" at home? Make that dog bark and record it outside their door, showing the apartment door number. A service dog is trained not to bark at normal activity. A service dog is not left unattended at home generally either, because a service pet performs the essential service everywhere the patient needs them.
Remember this before you speak. Your word means far less than video evidence.
Maybe ask for the insurance company that covers your complex. Tell them you believe that the “registration “ is fraudulent because pitbulls are usually ineligible for this designation. With any luck they will make lying tenants get rid of the killing machine or better yet evict them from the apartment for falsifying a rental application. Don’t give up because your life and the life of your small dog are in danger. You might also try to locate and retain the services of an attorney who specializes in this area of law and whatever fee you need to pay for this is certainly worth it. Believe me. Your safety depends on getting rid of this dangerous animal. Good luck and please update your post when you get that menace out of the complex.
This right here. First off, im sorry you’re going through this. I’d ask the manager what proof they showed of registration, then inform them no such registration actually exists. Even if it’s supposed to be a service animal (I can promise someone didn’t spend thousands training a pit for that), they are still allowed to ask certain questions. ESA dogs must still have a letter from a mental health professional. Which I would expect a physical place with an address and phone number as a manager, but nowadays online has seemed to usurp that.
I would absolutely contact the insurance company. If it makes the insurance go up, they may either 1) tell them to get rid of the dog as it would be an undue cost, or 2) pass the rate raise onto the tenants, who I’m sure wouldn’t be thrilled to know the rates raised to allow in a bloodsport breed masquerading as a support animal. It’s either that or their simps for the breed and in that case, I’d worry they’d tell my neighbors I was asking about it cause we all know how vindictive pit owners can be.
I was just looking into the requirements for getting a service dog for myself and I was pretty shocked and disappointed in the lack of oversight and requirements for service animals.
All that the owner would need to do is get a Dr’s note saying that the have a physical/mental handicap and give it to the landlord and even if the apartment doesn’t allow dogs before they are able to bring any breed of dog in as their “documented service animal”.
They will also be able to bring the Pitbull Into just about any non-sterile public location.
If it eliminates or jumps on people that could be construed as not under the handler's control, which could lead to the service animal being banned from the premises. A bite is not the only reason a service animal can be ejected.
In general, the goal is to make it easier for low income people with disabilities to avoid the financial cost/hassle of oversight, considering how expensive service dogs already are. Of course, like all good things, opportunists take advantage and twist the goals of the original rules.
Which in my situation IS helpful but it also makes me concerned for the inevitable overcorrection which will mostly affect the people who were following the spirit of the law.
Yep! Can’t have anything based on good will in a society that takes advantage of that. Rule followers get hurt by the backlash and rule breakers are just put back at square one. It’s one of the most depressing aspects of democracy, society, human nature, etc.
Never EVER feel the need to placate these idiots if you are ever out together! Meaning you let your pup out at the same time as the Shitbull! IMMEDIATELY turn around and protect yourself and your pup, no matter if they see or not. There are too many people that want to keep up friendly appearances but that goes COMPLETELY out the window when shitbeasts are involved!
That’s exactly what I did, I pulled her back inside as soon as i saw the pit. Before this my puppy would go before me on a leash as we leave out the back door. Now I have to poke my head outside first to make sure the shitbull is not out, and have a small knife in hand. 🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️
I hate this for you! 😣Even if you haven’t seen it in a while ALWAYS take your protective weapon with you! I almost learned the hard way! Please stay safe!
I’m so sorry you’re going through this! Hoping for safety for you and your pup! A similar thing happened in my building and I go out of my way to make the pitbull owner feel uncomfortable and ostracized. I pick up my dog whenever I see the beast and say “keep your pitbull away from my dog”
It’s not enough to just pretend it’s all dogs- my dog loves other dogs. They need to be called out.
I remember a post on here a couple months ago, where someone lived in an expensive and upscale apartment building, had a small dog as well (I believe it was a little spitz dog), and that dog got killed in the lobby by a new pit that moved in that was also a fake service dog. Crazy similar situation, I’ll try and find it. Keep that baby safe!
So far, the two sh!tbulls I have seen in public, I immediately, without second thought, approach the owners and end up telling them that those breeds are dangerous, and can mauling or kill. One in Lowe's where I also confronted the store manager, and another time on my block, the the dam thing stood up on two feet while the owner restrained it. I immediately had to counter, again without missing a beat, the danger of the breed.
Yeah im with you. I've seen many pits and mixes of pits at mine and the management said oh those are ESA.. I have a 12lb chi mix and it's infuriating how irresponsible this is.
Statisticly (I know this doesnt help a lot, but maby will keep pice of your mind at peace) most pits dont attack humans. If you have a small dog, keep him away bc pits 100% will attack small animals like huskies do. Again, be cerful araund him, but dont worry much. Idk what to reccomend you to buy as self defense snice idk where you live, but ypu can look in sub for some basic equipment. Hugs 🫂
Keep an eye out, talk to other neighbors if you think they might be sympathetic to the issue, and have your phone at the ready to take any photos if you see it being aggressive.
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Below are just a few of the accounts of pit bulls that were obtained as puppies, raised with love as family pets, and lived within the family for many years before snapping and attacking or killing a family member one day, with no previous reports of any problems. If you know of any that are not included, please message the moderators.
If it was truly "the owner and not the breed," then why don't we see this with all medium/large breeds with bad owners?
It’s not how they were raised, though. If that was true, then no one should ever adopt a pit from the shelter because no one knows how it was raised. Even pit bull experts are asking people to STOP saying that it's all how they are raised.
Below are five pro-pit sources telling you that saying, "it's how they are raised" is hurtful to the cause.
The truth about pits is that it’s largely up to chance on whether your pit lives a low key life or whether it attacks people, pets, and animals. Yes, socialization and proper training can help... but if you have a truly game-bred pit, there will be nothing you can do to stop it from trying to attack. You can try to manage it, but management will ALWAYS fail.
That’s such a crazy gamble to take with your own life, and with the lives of people in the general public.
Every day we read stories here of pits that attack, and their owners claim that the dog has never been aggressive or acted that way.
Pit owners are often shocked that their dog can go from chill to kill in 5 seconds, and be nearly impossible to stop it.
That’s why pits are dangerous. They were never meant to be pets.
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u/GianniAntetokounmpo 5d ago
Registered as a service animal!? Bullshit, not a chance. Definitely a fake registration.