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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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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American Airlines tightens rules for support animals in-cabin
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November 22, 2025

Emotional / psychiatric support and fully-trained service animals can fly in the cabin at no charge if they meet the requirements.

Animals must be able to fit at your feet, under your seat or in your lap (animals to be seated on lap must be smaller than a 2-year old child). For safety reasons, you won’t be able to sit in an exit row when traveling with your service or emotional / psychiatric support animal.

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When a ‘service dog’ gives birth at Tampa airport, controversy takes flight
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November 22, 2025

The eight puppies born at Airside F in Tampa International Airport last week were adorable instantly, internet famous quickly and controversial not long after.
The white golden retriever parents, a male named Golden Nugget and the pregnant Eleanor Rigby, were set to board an American Airlines flight to Philadelphia with owner Karen Van Atter. That’s when “Ellie” went into labor, while Nugget jumped around like a nervous dad-to-be.

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JetBlue’s new emotional support animal rules: only dogs, cats and mini horses, and more documenation
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November 22, 2025

Starting July 1, JetBlue will require passengers traveling with such animals to notify the airline 48 hours in advance and provide a medical or mental health form from the doctor who prescribes the animal and another from a veterinarian stating the animal’s “fitness to fly” and vaccination records.

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These 19 states are cracking down on fake service dogs
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November 22, 2025

“Today, any pet owner can go online and buy a vest for a dog to pass it off as a service animal to gain access to restaurants, hotels and places of business,” said Republican state Rep. Kimberly Ferguson, who introduced the Massachusetts bill. “Their animals aren’t trained and end up misbehaving in these public places, which gives real service dogs a bad name.”

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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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Woman registers pit bull as service animal after city citations
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November 22, 2025

ASHLAND, Miss. — It’s clear Debra St. Charles loves her dog Madison. Now she’s fighting the city to keep her beloved pit bull mix.
“Maddy is just a big, goofy girl. She’s my goofy girl,” St. Charles said.

St. Charles said she’s had one-year-old Maddy since she was a puppy. Maddy was originally was set to be a bait dog, St. Charles said, so she took her in.

“I had all the intentions of just giving her a boost in life and getting rid of her, but Maddy saved me. I can’t let her go. I can’t. I’m fighting for her,” St. Charles said .

But owning a pit bull in the city of Ashland, Mississippi is against a city ordinance. An alderman said the ordinance has been in place for years.

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