‘I was hurt’: Woman with prescribed emotional support dog kicked out of area medical center
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November 22, 2025

8News found while emotional support animals have some federal protections, they’re not the same as a service animal.

A service animal is defined as animal trained to do work or perform a task for someone with a disability and under federal law can enter almost anywhere.

Emotional support animals may provide medical therapy, but have no special training.

While federal law protects emotional support animals when it comes to housing businesses like restaurants, hotels and malls have a right to say no to these animals.
Recently, the airline industry has started to say no to some emotional support animals. They are now banning peacocks, hamsters other unusual support pets from boarding the plane.

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Fake service animals, real problems
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November 22, 2025

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.

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Are people abusing the system to get free flights for pets?
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November 22, 2025

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.

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United Airlines bans dozens of dogs and cat breeds from cargo hold under new pet travel policy
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November 22, 2025

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.

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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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New Jersey family fighting to keep service dog, home of 14 years
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November 22, 2025

American Disability Rights is re-posting this ABC7NY news story for educational purposes.

Service dogs should always be under the control of their handler.  Service dogs do not bark frantically without reason.

The Epilepsy Foundation has cautioned consumers to be very wary of any claims or programs that offer to train or provide “seizure predicting” service animals.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated that any online registration service documentation (U.S.A. Service Dog Registration) is no proof the animal is a service dog.

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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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Georgia moves towards penalizing people with “fake service dogs”
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November 22, 2025

“Dog owners who falsely claim a dog is a service dog so they can take it in a store, on a plane or in a restaurant don’t often understand that people with real disabilities struggled for decades to have public access for the legitimate service dogs they need to help them be more independent,” she said.

Unterman wants a Senate study committee to look into the potential need for a uniform, statewide certification process, whether Georgia should criminalize the use of what she called “fake” service animals, and if trainers need more guidelines for the therapy pets.

Nineteen states have passed laws to prevent people from passing off their pets as service animals with training or certification.

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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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New service dog policy at Publix
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November 22, 2025

Publix is taking a stance against dogs. You can still shop with service dogs but they can’t go everywhere.

A manager at Publix says people are using these carts not only for food, but for animals. But new signs inside are hoping to change that.

A new sign now greets customers when they enter Publix.

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