Do I have To pick up My service Dog’s Poop?

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Over the years lots of people have asked me “Do I have to pick up my service Dog’s poop?” What if I’m physically unable to pick up after my service Dog?
I think this question arises every so typically because a while back I wrote a post about who picks up guide pet dog poop?
In our post about guide pet dog poop we were specifically referring to the blind or visually impaired and how they were able to pick up after their guide Dogs.
Do I have To Pickup My service Dog’s Poop?However, what happens if a service pet dog handler is physically unable to pick up poop. Are they governed by the same laws as every other pet dog owner and required to pick up their dog’s poop?
Do I have To pick Up My service Dog’s Poop?
So, let’s get to today’s question:

Question: Do I have to pick up my service Dog’s Poop?
Answer: Yes. A service pet dog handler is required to pick up after their service Dog.
Okay, that’s the quick and easy answer, but like we pointed out earlier, what if the service pet dog handler is physically unable to pick up the poop?
Answer: The handler is still required to pick up the service pet dog poop.
The FAQ about service animals and the ADA uses some clarification.
Q9: who is responsible for the care and supervision of a service animal?
A: The handler is responsible for caring for and supervising the service animal, which includes toileting, feeding, and grooming and veterinary care. covered entities are not obligated to supervise or otherwise care for a service animal.
Frequently Asked questions about service animals and the ADAI’m assuming “caring” for the “toileting” of your service pet dog also includes picking up the poop.

That brings us to our next question:
How Does A service pet dog Handler pick up service pet dog Poop?
While I was driving to the grocery store I saw a woman in her automatic wheelchair with a black Labrador Retriever wearing a service pet dog vest walking by her side.
Her black lab was very well behaved and did a terrific heel alongside the wheelchair. then I observed he started to slow down and the leash got taut.
I knew what was coming next as the black lab got into the squat position and began pooping on the sidewalk.
Based on my observation this woman was physically unable to pick up after her pet dog and was left in a precarious situation. What choice did she have, but to leave her dog’s defecation in the middle of the sidewalk?
Service pet dog puppy about to go poop. who is responsible for picking it up?

Over the years I’ve worked with and trained both guide and service pet dog puppies. One thing we learned is how to take care of their pee and poop needs.
Here are some of the ways service pet dog handlers pick up after their service Dogs:
1. keep your service pet dog on a potty schedule.Keeping track of when a pet dog eats, drinks, sleep, pees, and poops will give you a very good idea of when your pet dog will pee and poop next.
When we start working with our puppies we keep a puppy potty schedule to help us figure out when our pups will potty next.
2. show your service pet dog to potty on command.When we bring our service pet dog puppies home at 8 weeks old we right away start working with their potty command. At the guide pet dog school, we used the words “Get Busy” and at the service pet dog school we used “Better Go Now”.
I always considered this a life saver when bringing my pet dog to the shopping mall or into grocery stores. knowing that you’re pet dog has just relieved before going into a public store gave me comfort that there wouldn’t be an embarrassing accident in the store.

3. Ask others for help if your service pet dog poops.Not everyone is a pet dog lover, but there are lots of who would help pick up your service Dog’s poop, especially for someone who is physically unable to pick up the poop.
Friends and family members are typically ready to help with poopie situations. We’ve even had kind strangers who were great enough to help pick up the poop.
4. Hands-Free pet dog Poop Collector ProductYou’ll probably laugh at this one. You could attach a hands-free pet dog poop collector product to your pet dog and not worry about leaving a mess.
Oh-kay, here’s the situation. We invited a guide pet dog user from Australia to our group meeting a few years back. It’s always terrific to hear new guide pet dog stories, especially from other schools, and as a special bonus, from down under!

We learned a few different commands they used with Australian guide Dogs, how their dogs are trained, and where their names come from. It was very similar to what we show our guide Dogs here in the states.
Towards the end of our meeting, our Aussie guest wanted to show us how he took care of his guide Dog’s poop. He used this little device attached to his guide Dog’s tail that caught the poop before it hit the ground.
I sh*null