PTSD dogs aren't just for petting, they are trained to recognize and protect an individual from potential triggers, and further, how to calm a person down during an episode should they be triggered. As the OP said, service dogs are trained well and beyond the stereotypical seeing-eye-dog, and can assist with cardiovascular, psychological, and physical ailments. If you think it's bullshit coyoteGrin, then you can bury yourself in the basement you're dwelling in, for modern civilization, we've acknowledged the good they can bring and made it law. But I guess all of the people involved in that are wrong right?

To the op, fuck them. I just hope you can build the courage to say piss off and make them feel like shit in public.

I'm not entirely skeptical that small dogs can be of service, but unless that little fucker can dial 911, its earsplitting yap won't signal shit to the average person in public other than "I'm a chihuahua with PTSD and this is my service human."

It's time to have a certification for these animals. Just like your disabled plate, you go in you justify the need and you get an ID card stating you have a legitimate need. Nowhere will it say what the need is, just like the license plates. Too many people buying pet vests that say "service" dog so they can take their pet everywhere they go.

The fakes do a great disservice to real service animals. I know they train seeing eye dogs out in boring. And I have been at PDX when a recipient comes to town to get their new dog. They meet them at the airport with the dog. I was so touched to see the beginning of what would be a lifelong relationship of love and service. And I get sickened when people piggy back on that true service to save on airfare.

Hey, Mercury, sorry if you don't like my tone of voice, but taking down my comment...really? That's very autocratic of you. Nice job.

I would never read this and assume this dog is actually a service dog, sounds like another entitled Portlander taking advantage of the system.

@ForrestHump; Apparently they are. Essentially it's, " You don't agree with me and I don't like your tone of voice, so you don't have the right speak to me."

Its not that, CoyoteGrin, its that they thought you were an actual coyote and they have a strict policy of not letting service animals weigh in on this particular topic.

Service dogs can do all of that stuff, I/A, but a fucking Chihuahua? Are you fucking kidding us wit this shit? Chihuahuas rank very low on both intelligence and obedience according to most every breed ranking. Some sub-breeds of Chihuahua can learn quickly, but they are known for not being able to retain information or instructions for very long, making them a really poor choice of dog breed for something as critical as medical alerts.

Temperamentally they are also not particularly civil to people who aren't their owners, potentially causing a major issue if/when you suffered an episode and needed emergency human response to intervene. Finally, they are a breed known for suffering eyesight issues, compounding the above problems.

So if you really "need" a service dog as you claim, you stupidly picked the wrong fucking dog. Probably because you don't actually need a service dog and just thought having a tiny yap machine you could carry like an accessory in your purse was cute.

An invisible disability? PTSD? Were you fighting a war? Think of all the Vets who have been to hell & back...then tell me about your disability.