New Virginia Law Regarding Those Fake Service Dogs.

Not a fan of new laws but less a fan of dickwipes abusing a law meant to help people with legitimate needs.

*funny thing, dickwipes apparently is not a recognized word in my spellcheck. Well, it is now.

Oh, I'm sure you are correct. Still tweaks me.

Is this really a thing? I know people have been big on bringing their dogs, but didn't know they were doing it under the guise that it was a service animal - especially to a degree where passing a law would be necessary.

WOW. That IS a little over the top. As one who is used to hanging in groups who have, on occasion, pushed the envelope (we Deadheads would never do that, hehe), that's really pushing the envelope.

Stuff like this creates justification for the busybodies in statehouses and congress to be a bit too busy.

Yes, there are lots of folks bringing pets to Lockn. Since there aren't any pets allowed except service animals, they must be bringing them in under that rubric. It is really a disservice to the dogs and to their fellow festival-goers. So-called emotional support animals are not trained to be in that environment.

I am of two minds about this new law:

1. I hate that people abuse service animal provisions and clearly many people were last year.
2. I really doubt this law is enforceable in any meaningful way. It is not worth the time and energy to police it.

Which leaves me in a bit of a bind. I just think that we all, as a society, need to have more imagination towards socially unacceptable behavior than just criminalizing everything and responding to misbehavior with harsher and harsher punishments.

Well, it is one reason I have no problem with stating loudly that people who are abusing the "service animal" provisions are assholes. I have and will say it loudly and repeatedly.

I have no idea if social disapprobation can lessen this problem, but it is worth a shot.

Right on!!! In case nobody noticed the controll freaks are winning their control freak war and we just give them amunition in the battles by not handling shit like this in house. It works here well, but this is still the wild west.

I'm right now somewhat dreading the fact that tomorrow morning I'm heading to a small fest where dogs are allowed. The last time we went to a fest at this location a Newfoundland made himself at home under our EZ up while his dog mom was not paying attention.

Call me cold but the whole "comfort animal" thing (in public) is pathetic. I'm all over the trained real service animals for the disabled (used to be called "seeing-eye dogs" now expanded). But it's become an excuse for lame-o's to tote around their nasty pets everywhere.

In fact the whole "dog in public" fad annoys me. And I don't mind dogs. I love a well-trained dog, especially border collies and retrievers. Maybe it's because it's wrapped in this new hipster contest of Who Can Find the Mangiest Ugliest Cowering Dog at the pound and call it a "rescue". And their hang-outs have to be "dog friendly" and landmined with water bowls.

Some guy at L3 in VIP had his rank little "comfort" dog with him, which became a distraction then a nuisance as the area got dark and crowded, even though the wretched animal did little more than cower around his wook master's ankles.

It's bad that people have to ruin it for the people, service people that this really helps. But if you know any of these people or read about them, they won't be going to any festivals or gatherings of mass confusion. They avoid that. So the dogs you see there probably are not needed.

Most the people I spoke with last year said they had gone online and filled out forms, then paid a fee to register the dogs as "comfort pets" or whatever the terminology is. No one had to actually accredit the animal or the person in need, they just signed the form. So the law wouldn't apply to them, correct? Or did I miss something?

I try not to make a stink about pets at festivals, since we bring the little dudes ( our children, not pets ha) and some people have the same problem with that. To each their own, until the safety and wellbeing is called into question.