Being involved in a service dog organization has taught me the dangers of people lying about their pet and calling it a service dog. Here’s a little 101 for you.
How can you tell the fakes from the real working dogs?
1. If the dog is confined or has restricted body movement due to being in a stroller or shopping cart, it is unable to physically preform tasks in order to aid their disabled handler.
2. If the dog exhibits poor behavior and the handler isn’t trying to correct it or isn’t removing the dog.
3. If the dog is ENTIRELY focused on interacting with its environment rather than the handler, it cannot be focused on assisting the person with their disability.
> Certification, ID tags and vests don’t make a service dog. A dog is considered a service dog when it is trained to physically do something (performs a task or work) in relation to the handlers disability. The dog must be doing something for you, that you cannot do for yourself.
> The law does NOT recognize ’emotional support’ or ‘comforting’ to be trained tasks.
> > There is no legitimate legal certification for service dogs or emotional support animals.