Virginia AG files suit against Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers
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November 22, 2025

The suit alleges that Service Dogs and Warren sold so-called “diabetic alert dogs” for tens of thousands of dollars, when they were often delivering poorly-trained puppies with significant behavioral issues and inadequate skills or training to notify a customer of a potentially life-threatening high or low blood sugar situation. Service Dogs and Warren also misled customers and charitable donors about certain aspects of the business’s payment structure, and lied about Warren having served in the armed forces.

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Is that dog (or pig) on your flight really a service animal?
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November 22, 2025

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.”

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Service dogs actually help veterans with PTSD, new study says
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November 22, 2025

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.

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So you want a letter saying you need a support dog on that flight? Here’s why a therapist might balk
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November 22, 2025

“This thing has gotten out of hand,” said Jeff Younggren, a psychologist and clinical professor at the University of New Mexico, who has conducted several studies on the subject of emotional support animals.

The number of passengers flying with emotional support animals on the nation’s airlines has surged. United Airlines, one of the biggest carriers, saw a 75% increase last year compared with 2016. The trend has been accompanied by more incidents of animals urinating, defecating, biting, barking and lunging on planes. A passenger was even mauled by a 50-pound dog on a Delta flight last year.

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Senate bill introduced to strengthen airline service animal procedures, eliminate emotional support animals on planes
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November 22, 2025

Senator Richard Burr introduced legislation to align the definition of a “service animal” under the Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA) with the definition under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), establish a criminal penalty for making misrepresentations about a service animal, and require federal agencies to establish a standard of service animal behavior training for animals who will be working on an aircraft.

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