Your dog is not a service dog

Vent

I'm so damn tired of seeing dogs that are CLEARLY not service dogs in the airport and on airplanes. You disrespect the entire service dog industry and those that need them every time you bring them. You let them take a crap in the hallways, bark at people, and let them have a taught leads. You disrespect every other person you are forcing this situation on.

I write this as we pull back from the gate and I'm listening once again to a lap dog freaking the f out because, "I just couldn't leave my baby. It's easy if you just say he's a service dog." We all love our dogs. You and yours are NOT special.

Due to the misinformation regarding emotional support animals, service dogs, and therapy dogs, we have provided a brief summary of the role and rights afforded to each type of animal.

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

ESAs are animals prescribed by a medical professional to support a patient with a disability. They are only recognized in the United States.

• ESAs are only granted rights through the Fair Housing Act. ESAs are no longer allowed in-cabin on planes. ESAs are NOT granted access to public buildings, restaurants, stores, etc.

• ESAs are prescribed by a therapist, psychiatrist, psychologist, or doctor as part of an ongoing plan to treat or manage a federally recognized disability. Online registration options for ESAs are scams and not legally recognized.

• An ESA must be requested as part of a reasonable accommodation for a disability with a letter from the prescribing medical professional demonstrating the need for the accommodation to be granted housing rights. These housing rights do not exist in the case of the The “Mrs. Murphy” Exception. Landlords cannot legally require you to pay a 'pet deposit' or charge 'pet rent' for your ESA because they are not considered pets. However, they can require that you pay for repairs if your ESA causes damage to the property.

• ESAs can be any animal it is legal to own, for example: dogs, cats, guinea pigs and miniature horses. They are most commonly dogs.

• Calling your pet an ESA to get around no-pet accommodation, breed bans, or airline restrictions is immoral and illegal. It makes it much harder for legitimate ESA teams to be taken seriously.

Service Dogs (SDs)

SDs are a worldwide, legally protected medical aid which provide a range of tasks or work to help disabled people. The following discusses information specific to the US. Please check your country’s laws if you live outside of the US.

• SDs are not used solely by the blind. SDs can assist those with a wide range of disabilities including physical (eg. fibromyalgia), sensory (eg. deafness), psychiatric (eg. PTSD), developmental (eg. autism) and neurological (eg. brain injury).

• SDs can be trained by programs or by their owners (owner-trained).

• SDs must perform at least one task to mitigate their owner's disability/ies. Things which do not count as work or tasks include: emotional support, being calmed by the animal's presence, or giving 'kisses' on command. Some examples of tasks can be found here.

• SDs can legally enter almost any no-pet place. Exceptions include sterile environments, places where it would be dangerous to the SD or others for them to be there (such as some exhibits in zoos), and food preparation areas.

• Any SD can be legally asked to leave an establishment if their behavior is disruptive. For example, if they bark at customers, damage goods, or eliminate on the floor.

• There are no nationwide or statewide registries for SDs. None. Some SDs are provided by programs, but the programs themselves are not official registries as SDs come from a variety of places. SDs are also not required to wear a vest or harness.

• The only questions legally allowed to be asked of a service dog handler when entering an establishment are: 1) "Is that animal required because of a disability?" 2) "What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?" If the handler does not answer these questions appropriately, the animal may be restricted from entering or asked to leave.

• In order to rent/own a dwelling that has a 'no-pets' clause with an SD, a reasonable accommodation must be requested from the landlord. If your disability and/or your disability-related need for the SD is not evident, information must be provided to the landlord detailing this (for example, a letter from a medical professional). Landlords cannot legally require you to pay a 'pet deposit' or charge 'pet rent' for your SD because they are not considered pets. However, they can require that you pay for repairs if your SD causes damage to the property.

• Many states do not protect the rights of service dogs in training.

• Service animals also do not have to be dogs. Federally, miniature horses are also granted rights as a service animal. Some state laws grant rights to even more animals.

• In 19 states (and counting) it is illegal to present your pet as a service dog when it is just a pet or an ESA. Faking a SD to get around no-pet housing, take your pet to the store, or bring your pet to college makes it much harder for legitimate SD teams to live their lives and poses a serious danger to the public.

Therapy animals

Therapy animals are animals (primarily dogs) trained by their owner to provide therapeutic support to others. They go to places such as schools, nursing homes, and hospitals to relieve stress, build people’s confidence, and promote emotional health. They do not provide support or assistance to their owner.

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If you require emotional support through the presence of an animal, you should look into ESAs. If you require ways to alleviate your disability, you should look into service dogs. If you wish to volunteer with your dog to help others, you should look into therapy dogs. Further information can be found here, here and here.