Yes Ed, it is Very common for people to Falsely "claim" their dogs are Service Dogs. And for those of us who volunteer and work with legitimate Service Dogs, it is beyond frustrating because it makes those we work with that are Real working dogs have larger hurdles to overcome. Always having to "Prove" they are legitimate.
A Service Dog organization I volunteer with had a recent example of this scenario wherein a handler who owned a well known dog of another breed actually forged Service Dog documentation from our organization so they could access places, namely inside the airline for personal appearance trips, they could not normally access with this "star" dog.
The organization wrote them certified letters asking them to return any documentation they had representing their untrained, uncertified dog using the organization's name and they merely ignored the requests and apparently continued using the documentation.
The really sad part is these people are well-known in the celeb dog world and they obviously have no regard for the difficulties they are causing those persons who actually do need and who do benefit from a service dog.
And for those who do not know, according to ADA, the airline (or business) cannot ask the person with the special need what their disability is - they can however ask what "service" the dog performs.
We encourage our clients to have businesses view the websites of a Service Dog organization to confirm credentials when someone presents themselves as being assisted by a Service Dogs. Call the organization and verify the dog is actually one of theirs.
I know most legitimate Service Dog organizations would support some type of standardization within the ADA to protect the legitimate client.
Those are my thoughts: Daphne Hereford Owner/Breeder Rin Tin Tin Line Dogs www.HollywoodDogs.com On 2015-02-09 11:19, edwinx@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
The white German Shepherd service dog I saw at the Denver airport yesterday was on my flight! We flew Southwest and the GSD was in the first row with a woman in her late 20s or early 30s....I saw a TV news report about how easy it was to have a dog certified as a service dog for people who really did NOT need this type of dog! One woman in the report got a service dog due to STRESS!..... Hell... Who doesn't have stress! Any body out there have any info on getting a dog certified as a service dog.... The news report seemed to be comparing using service dogs unnecessarily like some folks use disability placards! And no I do not need a service dog!... Not yet. Ed Sent from Xfinity Connect Mobile App
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