The bill, which was sent to the governor’s desk on a 46-2 vote, follows a federal guideline that says service animals can only be dogs or miniature horses that have been trained to assist a person’s sensory, mental or physical disability. They would be allowed at public accommodations and commercial facilities.
A new Washington law that allows businesses to question whether the animal accompanying a customer is a true service animal may provide some clarity and keep some people from trying to pass off their untrained pet, Womble and others said.
Service dogs like Mo are allowed to go into places that regular pets can’t. They can go into restaurants, grocery stores, schools and any business where the service dog’s owner goes – all to keep an eye on his owner’s well-being.
The booming business of fake service dog gear – like vests and credentials – can make life more difficult for people like Walt who rely on a real service dog. Bogus businesses will sell the “service dog” gear to anyone who will send them money. And that can make having a true service dog difficult for people like Walt.
So, how easy is it to fake it?
KDKA’s Amy Wadas decided to see how the process works, so she logged onto a website for a company called Certapet in hopes that she could get her 5-year-old cat, Simba, certified to become an ESA animal.
The site is one of several where a licensed medical professional will write an ESA letter for you if you pay a fee. Wadas had to answer a bunch of questions involving her mental health, like whether she felt down or had anxiety in the past week.
Up until this point there has been limited research on the how and why service dogs are believed to help PTSD symptoms.
“It’s not a cure. I think some people come into this thinking that the dog is magic and that PTSD will be gone once they have the dog but our data shows that it’s certainly not a cure but that it will substantially reduce symptoms for individuals,” said Assistant Professor of Human-Animal Interaction Maggie O’Haire.
The study was led by O’Haire. She said prior to the study there was a lot of anecdotal info and great stories but no science behind it.
Among the pets the new policy bans from transporting in the cargo hold are dozens of breeds of dogs and cats, including Boston Terriers, boxers, pugs and Pekingese dogs, and Persian and Himalayan cats. The program will accept only dogs and cats; no other animal will be allowed in the cargo hold area.
United also said it would stop transporting animals between May 1 and Sept. 30 for travel to and from Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Phoenix and Tuscon because of the extreme heat in those destinations during summer months.
This bill requires the Department of Transportation to establish a standard of service animal behavior training that an individual with a disability shall adhere to in seeking accommodation involving a service animal from an air carrier, including any foreign air carrier, providing air transportation. Any individual who knowingly and willfully makes a false statement to obtain an accommodation involving a service animal from an air carrier is subject to specified criminal penalties.
Last month, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, signed into law a bill making it illegal for people to misrepresent their pets as service animals, under which pet-loving perps are subject to a $100 fine and a misdemeanor charge. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, signed a nearly identical bill, under which those “fraudulently misrepresent” service animal can be fined $250.
David Favre, a law professor at Michigan State University and editor in chief of its Animal Legal and Historical Center, said fraudulent cases eroded trust about service animals.
“There are many thoughtless, ignorant or arrogant people out there who only think of themselves,” he said. “Abuse is everywhere.”