‘Fake Dogs Hurt Real Dogs’: boundary work and discrimination in the Service Dog Community

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between the use of “fake” Service Dogs and the discrimination of Service Dog handlers using interview data from 25 adult Service Dog handlers in the United States. Most Service Dog handlers interviewed reported the use of “fake” or inadequately trained Service Dogs is the main cause for the discrimination they experience. This research finds many Service Dog handlers engage in boundary work, the ongoing process of creating and maintaining a division between those with a shared sense of identity as a “good” legitimate handler from “bad” or “fake” handlers to reduce discrimination. However, this boundary work ultimately supports internalized ableism with the main aim of keeping disability hidden. Changes in the current civil rights of people with disabilities to use a Service Dog should be based on the everyday lived experiences of Service Dog handlers.

Points of interest

• All Service Dog handlers interviewed participate in an online Service Dog Community as a means of creating a sense of community and collective identity surrounding their shared use of assistive technology.

• The majority, 84%, of Service Dog handlers believe the main reason for the discrimination they experience is due to the use of ‘fake’ or inadequately trained Service Dogs.

• Members of the Service Dog Community engage in boundary work, the ongoing process of creating and maintaining a division between those with a shared sense of identity as a legitimate Service Dog handler from ‘fake’ Service Dog handlers.

• The use of boundary work ultimately supports internalized ableism and the goal of keeping disability hidden by ‘good’ Service Dog Handlers.

• Individuals with disabilities fear having their current civil rights to use a Service Dog restricted or eliminated; changes in policy should be based on the everyday lived experiences of Service Dog handlers.

Keywords:

• Service dog
• disability
• boundary work
• ableism
• discrimination
• Americans with disabilities act

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.