Category: Stop Disability Fraud
-
Are people abusing the system to get free flights for pets?
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…
-
Virginia AG files suit against Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers
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…
-
Georgia moves towards penalizing people with “fake service dogs”
“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…
-
American Airlines tightens rules for support animals in-cabin
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…
-
When a ‘service dog’ gives birth at Tampa airport, controversy takes flight
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…
-
JetBlue’s new emotional support animal rules: only dogs, cats and mini horses, and more documenation
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.
-
These 19 states are cracking down on fake service dogs
“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,…
-
There’s been a spike in university ‘enrollments’ of emotional support animals
University enrollment is on the rise, especially if you have four legs.
-
New service dog policy at Publix
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.
-
Woman registers pit bull as service animal after city citations
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…