Service dogs are not meant to be exploited for personal gain
- Nov 26, 2017
- 1 min read
You see a dog enter a business with a vest that says “service dog,” but how do you, or the business, know if the dog is actually a trained service dog? Sometimes a dog isn’t even wearing a vest.
This opinion article was originally featured in PantherNOW and addresses some issues behind people trying to pass off their pets as service animals.
Check out the article’s excerpt below and click the link if you want to read the full story!
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Maytinee Kramer/Opinion Director
You see a dog enter a business with a vest that says “service dog,” but how do you, or the business, know if the dog is actually a trained service dog? Sometimes a dog isn’t even wearing a vest.
It happens all the time — people are trying to pass off their pet as a service animal.
The American with Disabilities Act requires all places open to the public to allow access to service dogs and their owners. However, the act only allows business operators to ask two questions: whether the dog is required because of a disability and what tasks the dog is trained to perform.
It’s illegal to request documentation for the dog or to ask the nature of the owner’s disability. This makes it very difficult for businesses to verify whether the animal in question is truly a service dog, giving people the opportunity to pass off their pet as a fake.
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Photo Credit: Alvan Nee on Unsplash.
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