humjewharmony's dashboard

I was very upset by something I saw on the bus today. A man got on the bus with female companion and toddler. Before he got on the bus, he stuffed his small dog into his jacket and held the stroller up to block the view. The driver did not see the dog so the man was not asked if it was a service dog. The man got off in Eureka taking stroller and child with him. He handed the dog off to his female companion who then put it on the seat!
This makes me mad! If it was a service dog, why did he hide it? Even it was a SD, it shouldn't have been on the seat. If it's his SD, why did he leave it with someone else? I'm wondering if the driver saw the dog after I got off the bus and questioned her. I'm tired of people sneaking their dogs onto the bus by pushing it into their jacket or stuffing the dog into a backpack with no air. This isn't good for the dog and it's against the law!

The HTA only allows service animals, not Emotional Support Animals (ESA) or companion animals outside of a kennel on the bus. ESA's are not individually task-trained to mitigate a disability, they only provide comfort. They are allowed to ask you if the animal is a service animal and what task(s) it has be trained to do to mitigate your disability. And if you can't or won't tell the driver what task your dog does (you don't have to reveal your disability to them) then they don't have to allow you on the bus. Vests, ID cards, and doctor's note to not make a dog a service dog. They must be task-trained to mitigate your disability. Service dogs in training are allowed on the bus in California but CA law requires them to have a special tag from animal control or you local city hall. Passing off your pet as a service animal is against the law and is subject to jail time and/or a $1000 fine.
You may bring your pet aboard the bus if it is safely confined within a kennel or carrier. If it can get it's limbs out, that is not safely confined. If it is a large kennel, you would probably have to put in the wheelchair's spot so it's out of the way. But if the bus needs to load two wheelchairs, you would have to find another out of the way spot or get off the bus. The wheelchair has priority.
If your pet or service animal barks a lot without correction or is threatening to other passengers, the driver has every right to ask you to get off the bus. The ADA gives them the right to do this.

There are people that bring dogs on the bus just on leashes that are not service dogs. I have a service dog and notice that this is a growing problem. Since I got my dog I have become keenly aware of what to look for in a service dog and many dogs I see on the bus do not fit this description. I would love to educate the drivers more on properly identifying service dogs. But if you need to bring your dog, cat or bunny to the vet or anywhere for that matter, put them in a carrier, not a purse, and you are good to go.