Ask a Muni Security Guy

I thought you could take any dog on MUNI as long as it was muzzled and you bought it a ticket ... am I making this up?

Does the person have to show some kind of credential that they are actually service dogs? What's to stop someone from bringing a dog on MUNI claiming it's a service dog? That's what is happining all over the city. I heard a homeless guy talking about it with his dog on the F line about a month ago. He just went down to Animal Care and Control, got a dog, and called it a service dog.

How is MUNI regulating this?????

A pitbull is an excellent service dog for those afflicted with wimpyness.

I would like to be able to TXT message MUNI when we want to notify MUNI of crime, vandals, unmuzzled un-service dogs, 911-alerts, etc. I have ridden buses where: the dog and the owner appear threatening (IE: the dog is not behaving, the owner is yelling at it, the bus-riders are smushing each other to get away from the scene), or the kids vandalizing the bus are volatile and dangerous (IE: hollering at each other and in the faces of passive riders, spray painting/marking the insides of the bus as they run up and down the aisle), or there are menacing fare-jumpers shoving their way onto the backs of the bus... and it does not seem safe to try to call and vocally report an incident. (Remember that guy who was beaten by kids when he attempted to phone police for help on a bus?) It would be a lot easier (and safer) to TXT a number at MUNI with the bus, time, situation information, don't you think? Would this be possible? Ever? (Thanks in advance, MUNI Security Guy.)

as to the question of homeless people having "service dogs," actually my understanding as a dog owner is that it is fairly easy to get a service dog...er, registration or whatever it'd be called. i don't know what the medical term is, but there's a category of service dogs for comfort for people with mental health issues. from what i've heard, much like medical marijuana Rx's, you can hunt around for a doctor to diagnose you as in need of a comfort dog and give you an Rx for it.

then you file that wherever that gets filed and you get whatever official paperwork they give out. lots of homeless and semi-homeless do it apparently to be able to get their dogs in the SRO motels and other people do it to get around landlord restrictions on pets.

Supervisor Sandoval co-sponsored the other bill with McGoldrick.

As for the 911 messages, I've called every time I see one and each time the 911 operator didn't seem to be taking it very seriously. One time the operator hung up without asking what direction the bus was going.

Another time when I called on a 9X bus the 911 operator said she would call Muni and let them know. How is this supposed to be handled because if there really is an emergency situation where it's unsafe for the driver to call Central Control, wouldn't they just call the SFPD? Is there a way for them to checkin with the bus without putting the driver at risk?

True Jessica,
I think the point is that in reality any dog can ride unmuzzled. I have seen several pit bulls on MUNI, and they are not muzzled. I refuse to believe that a pit bull is a service dog. This is an increasingly dangerous problem. It's pretty clear that MUNI is not dealing with the problem and is claiming that the dogs riding unmuzzled are service dogs. They're not. They're just dangerous. I've never seen anyone show any kind of credential or the dogs wearing any tags. It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt and THEN they will deal with the problem because they will have to.

You're comparing kids to dogs....only in San Francisco. *eyeroll*

I'm glad to read that the rules are enforced at least sometimes for people with dogs. Please get a proper muzzle for your dog. I know, I know, "she's friendly."

I don't know you or your dog, and have no reason to trust either one of you.

Yeah, you're right. My elderly, nearly comatose, 8 pound, sickly emaciated dog sleeping on my lap on the way to the vet could really rip your face off if she had a mind to. And here's an eye roll of my own right back at you.

They don't MAKE a muzzle to fit Italian greyhounds. Their noses are too pointy.

YOU sound far less worthy of trust than any dog toter I've seen on Muni.

Most dogs have better manners the the kids I seem to run into on MUNI. Especially rude are the tweens and teens, many of whom act as if they grew up on a pig farm.

Contrary to what security guy says, you don't need an ID for a service animal. Animal care and control will get you a tag, but there is nothing "official" about their designation. The tag or vest is helpful for folks who won't get served in restaurants, or who have a tough time finding housing that will accommodate their necessary service animal, but it is definitely not mandatory.

If you have any animal (helping monkey, hearing python, comfort tarantula, etc.) and you say that it is a "service animal" - you are good to go. Unlike most of you rabid bitches, service animals don't need muzzles. Your pet, that drooling yapping piece of obnoxious fuzz needs a muzzle, or needs to be in a bag. Also you gotta pay full fare for your self and fluffy to get on. Better hope that she doesn't eat the transfer.

When people bring animals that may or may not be service animals on board, and the animal wreaks havoc on granny, then the driver can toss the cretins off the bus. Until they wreak havoc, they have a right to ride. If the animal or the owner habitually starts shit, they will be banned.

If someone has an animal that is creating an unsafe sitch, tell the driver and they will kick the animal and owner to the curb. Beleive me, there is nothing a driver likes better than kicking punks off the bus (or calling the cops to deal with said fuckers). They get to take a free smoke break.

Don't like it? Bummer for you, yo. I suggest that you petition the mayor, blow the gov'ner and pass yo mama to pass legislation to create a service animal certification board. Then fight several lawsuits, from people who feel that the board is a violation of federal law and that it is their right to have an unidentified service animal.

Still pissed off? It's time to reserve the URL and stage an anti-service animal riot. Bring your meathead anarchist friends out to the mission and knock over some newspaper racks, that will show 'em. Flash some ironic gang signs and the fun will begin really quick. You may get on the teevee... you may also get ironically fucked in jail - where you'll sit wishing that you had better things to do than get pissy about service animals.

Hence, this brings me back to my original point. We'll wait for someone to get hurt by a "service dog," and then MUNI will act. Another point, let's say that you really need that pit-bull to calm you depression on MUNI. Why is it necessary for it to be unmuzzled?

I found the following article. It's from October 2004, but I think it answers a lot of our questions. Sorry, I just don't buy it. I can understand why someone would want an animal for companionship. Heck, I have a dog and three cats. I don't see any reason why you need it EVERYWHERE you go.

Her's the article from SF GATE 2004:

In this dog-eat-dog world, Frank Jackson finally found solace in a sweet-faced cocker spaniel named Topper.

Jackson, 55 and HIV-positive, had trouble with depression and was feeling isolated, not really wanting to leave home. But two months ago, he adopted Topper from a rescue agency. "It's the best thing I've done in 20 years,'' he said. "He needed love and affection as much as I did.''

One of the first things Jackson did was register Topper with the Animal Care & Control agency in San Francisco as an "assistance dog.''

The official designation gives Jackson the legal right to take his four- legged companion on the bus or in a taxi and into shops, restaurants and public buildings. And, perhaps most importantly, his landlord had to make an exception to the no-dogs policy for the apartment Jackson rents in the city's Upper Market neighborhood.

Topper is not alone. By last week, San Francisco had issued 658 tags for assistance dogs -- a number that reflects a big jump since a 2002 ruling by a state regulatory agency that gave people troubled by psychological and emotional problems the right to keep companion dogs and to exercise the legal benefits that go along with it.

Service dogs traditionally have been paired with the visually and hearing impaired, and people using wheelchairs. Now, however, more are helping people who are depressed or anxious and who rely on canine companionship to help them cope.

San Francisco began issuing assistance dog tags in 1998. In 1999, the first full year of the program, 60 tags were given out. The number issued last year ballooned to nearly 160, and the applications keep coming.

"The bottom line is that we're seeing a lot of people come down here with notes from their doctors saying they need a companion dog to improve their quality of life,'' said Carl Friedman, director of the city animal control agency. "Now we're seeing a lot of people applying for the tags who have psychological issues.''

Just about all it takes to get an assistance tag in California is a note from a doctor and a signed statement from the owner that the dog has been specially trained. That training, however, can be done by the owner and can be as simple as teaching the dog to wag a tail and lick a face if that's what it takes to make someone with a diagnosed depression feel better.

"Most dogs do that -- lift your day,'' Friedman said. "The difference between lifting someone's day and helping them get through the day is a fine line.''

San Francisco trumps other jurisdictions in the Bay Area when it comes to the number of tags issued. For instance, county and humane society officials say 199 have been approved in Marin County, 48 in San Mateo County, 19 in Alameda County, 60 in Contra Costa County and only a handful by the Silicon Valley Animal Control agency, which includes Campbell, Monte Sereno and Santa Clara.

When asked why San Francisco -- a city with a dog population estimated at 100,000, or about one for every 7.5 humans -- is so different, Friedman sat back in his chair and laughed. "Boy,'' he said, "I'd need about two hours to explain.''

One reason, he suggested, is that San Francisco started the program before other counties. But on top of that, the city has a large population of people with disabilities and a keen awareness of individual rights.

California law stipulates that county animal control agencies only have to process applications for assistance dogs -- not the miniature horses, monkeys and other critters some disabled people have used to help them out.

"We had one person come in who wanted a tag for a pot-bellied pig, but we rejected the request,'' Friedman said. "I didn't want to get into that. What if a guy comes in asking about his hamster, and wanted to take his hamster to Macy's? Because this is San Francisco, we had to draw the line somewhere.''

San Francisco business owners, building managers and public agencies are starting to get the hang of what's required of them, said Sgt. Michael Sullivan, the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department. He helps mediate disputes between merchants and customers, trains officers on how to enforce the intricacies of access laws and tries to educate Muni drivers and others working with the public.

Patty Hontalas, manager of Louis' restaurant, up the street from the Cliff House in San Francisco, said she had to be educated when a man came into the oceanfront dining spot with his small dog last year. At first she told him that dogs weren't allowed -- the health code generally bars animals from entering eating establishments -- but the customer insisted otherwise, arguing his dog was an official companion animal. With the customer showing no noticeable disability, Hontalas wasn't sure what to do and called the SPCA for a quick lesson on the law.

"Now I just ask if they have a tag for their dog,'' said Hontalas, adding that she doesn't have any problem with well-behaved dogs in the restaurant. "I am seeing a lot more people bringing their dogs into businesses.''

The spike in San Francisco started around the same time the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing issued a ruling in 2002 that sided with a Placer County couple. The husband and wife, both of whom suffered from depression, had been told by their condominium association that they had to abide by the no-dog policy and couldn't keep their wire-haired terrier mix, Pooky, on the premises.

The state civil rights agency ruled that the condo association discriminated against the couple based on their doctor-diagnosed disabilities. This past August, the state Court of Appeal upheld the agency's ruling, saying that the condo association failed to reasonably accommodate the couple.

"For the first time, the California courts have linked fair housing with the companion-animal question. The decision signifies that just as a service animal may assist a person with physical disabilities, the emotional support derived from a companion animal can help a person suffering from depression or other emotional illness,'' the Department of Fair Employment and Housing said in a written statement.

Kristi Kissell has no doubt. She got the special tag from the city for her dog Rocky after she had a hard time renting an apartment in San Francisco. She told her new landlady after she signed the lease that her corgi-Chihuahua mix would be living with her. By that time, there was little the owner could do because of the legal protection afforded Kissell as long as she had the official stamp of approval.

"I'm HIV-positive, and a lot of times it's just me and my dog. He's always there for me and won't leave my side, helps with my loneliness,'' said Kissell, 41, who lives in the Sunset District. "He really is great support and had made a big difference in my life.''

Jackson -- Topper's human companion -- said his life has profoundly improved after securing the special tag from the city's animal control agency, allowing him to keep a dog at home. "The most tangible thing I can point to is I wake up in the morning with a smile on my face now,'' he said. "I can't remember the last time I did that.''

E-mail Rachel Gordon at rgordon@sfchronicle.com.

I agree. These are no more service dogs, than my dog is a service dog to me. The scary thing is that it seems anyone can get any dog declared a service dog. Like I said, it's an accident waiting to happen. It's only a matter of time. The more I read about MUNI the more I'm encouraged to suck it up and buy a car. The whole notion of service dogs for "depression" is so stupid it hurts my brain. As I said before, what a crock of shit.