Blind man reveals the struggle of using a service dog after rise in ‘fake’ service animals
“This isn’t my first rodeo.”
Blind man reveals struggle using service dog due to 'fake' ones
There are people that rely on service dogs for their everyday functioning. In the past they were mostly associated with blind people, known as seeing eye dogs or guide dogs. But service dogs are trained to do all sorts of things, recognize when someone is about to have a seizure, a diabetic emergency and more. They're truly highly trained life saving animals that need to go where their humans go so they can do their job–alert them so they can be safe.
This vital role service dogs play is the reason their existence in public spaces is protected by federal law, even if that establishment doesn't allow dogs. But there has been an uptick in people attempting to treat their Emotional Support Animals (ESA) as service animals or acquiring fake paperwork. ESAs are not trained professionally to be in public spaces and just about any animal can become an ESA with some paperwork usually completed by a mental health professional.
Service dogs are typically trained professionally for 1-2 years before they're released to their new family full time. The process of getting a service dog can cost anywhere from $15k-$50k according to GoodRX. But the rise of imposter service dogs is causing real life issues. One man took to social media to explain how he was asked to leave a business due to his seeing eye dog.
Paul is blind and uses a seeing eye dog in public spaces, he shared a video to his social media page, Matthew and Paul explaining the ordeal and why he thinks it happened. "I'm blind and I just got kicked out of a restaurant in Seattle. I walked in with my guide dog Mister Maple and immediately somebody walked up to me and said 'no pets allowed only service dogs.'"
Paul says he confirmed that Mister Maple was indeed a service dog before the man asked if he was an emotional support dog. After showing the man his dog's guide dog harness which was attached to the dog, the man accused him of lying about his blindness.
"A lot of people in the blind community still have functional vision," Paul recalls saying. "But it's like I have a pinhole of vision, it's all I can see."
The man supposedly tells Paul, "it's not my first rodeo," after hearing the explanation of why he has a guide dog. But when the bewildered blind man offers to come back with Mister Maples paperwork the man threatens to call the police.
In the caption of Paul's video he writes, "this is just a reminder that if you or someone you know has purchased a fake service dog vest or fake papers, it may be contributing to a larger problem that impacts those who really need these amazing dogs!"
You can watch the entire shocking story below:
- Service dog who inspired PAWS Act takes one last flight in touching video ›
- Hero medical alert dog tells her owners to check on their diabetic daughter just in time ›
- Service dog flunks out of training school in spectacular fashion ›
- Service dog meets Pluto on Disney cruise and goes bananas - Upworthy ›
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
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Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."