Blocked out a couple of hours for showings today following pre-screenings. Of the four top prospects two of them claimed service animals. Funny thing is neither brought their "service dog" with them...hmm.

You may be able to go out for periods of time without your ESA - they aren't really allowed in public places. However, I don't think someone with a true service animal would ever be without it.

This "seems" like it should be a way to catch them in a lie and disqualify. (if not afraid offing a test case)

Hopefully, our contributor who has a service animal will chime in here and offer some clarity to the question:

Use a fine-toothed-comb on those applications! Any little thing they've missed? Next. Can't get hold of their references? Next. You get the idea. A little foot-dragging on your part helps, too.

Yes, I sometimes go without my Service Dog. Everyone I know with one does.

I work on a university campus. Some faculty are severely allergic, others are terrified of dogs. If I plan to meet with one of them, I crate Scooter at home for an hour (home is a block from my office). It is part of the give and take relationship of a professional.

If I am going to the dr, he generally stays home. It all depends on what I’m having done.

You are welcome!

Let me give a little more perspective. This morning, I was on my iPad eating breakfast. Now, I'm at a keyboard.

Having a service dog is kind of like taking a 2 or 3 year old everywhere. You have to load and unload them from a car, just like a small child. You have to watch their feet, just like a small child, all kinds of things.

You also have to deal with the public. Today, I stopped by the bank, and went inside rather than drive through. I had Scooter along. He correctly lay down by my feet and I did my deposits. It took a few minutes. Well, the next thing I know, Scooter has shifted and a new employee I've never seen before is on the floor petting my dog. He didn't ask, just came from behind and was petting my dog. He said he could just not resist my dog's face. Can you imagine? I gave a bit of a lecture about how doing that can put some SD partners at extreme risk, due to the job the dog may be trained to do. This isn't the only time it has happened.

On the other hand, they are generally well trained to do some tasks to hopefully make it worth while. For a guide dog, they can lead you where you hopefully want to go. They are supposed to alert when you are about to encounter something that prevents you from going forward, like a curb, drop off, etc. One person I know who is blind has been trained by her training organization to get from her apartment to the bus stop and back, which includes crossing a busy street with a light in a cross walk. She and the dog know to listen for the audible "Walk" and "Wait" now part of most cross walks. In a number of instances, she has heard the "Walk" and gotten ready to start forward, only for the dog to refuse to move and a car to zoom past (running the red). So, in her case, the dog has saved her from injury/death. The dog knows the way to and from a number of places.

In the case of another SD user I know, her dog is trained to help her monitor her blood sugar. She is a T1 diabetic from childhood, and struggles to control it. The dog signals if she goes high or low. The dog is usually alerting before she has any idea, which signals her to check her digital monitor and adjust from there. She eats the way she is supposed to, she is just that unregulated. That said, it is fairly easy for her to leave the dog at home for an hour or so if desired. She has even left the dog for a weekend when she wanted some time away, but she said that was scary. She was constantly checking the digital monitor.