“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.”
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.