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Bryan Flores
Professor Batty
ENGL 113B
April 6, 2016
Service Dogs being Misused by Frauds
Dogs are a domesticated species whose origin is unclear. However, they have come to be
a mans best friend. Dogs are very intellectual creatures that can be taught various occupations
such as sniffing drugs, guarding property, search rescuing, and assisting the disabled. Although
there are many jobs a dog can do, there is a particular one that leaves me in awe which is
assisting the disabled. Dogs that assist the disabled are called service dogs and along with the
many types of disabilities, there are also many types of service dogs. These dogs are permitted to
travel wherever its owner goes due to the American with Disability Act. Service dogs are very
useful for people with disabilities, although there is a problem in which humans without
disabilities take advantage of the title service dog and state that their pet is a service dog to
be able to enter places where a pet doesnt have access to. This problem transitions to actual
disabled people when they have to face accusations of having a fake service dog, therefore
there must be stricter laws to restrict regular people from stating their pet is a service dog..
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act a service dog is defined as a dog that has
been specifically trained to do work, or perform tasks for a person with a disability. (Kupkee)
There are multiple types of service dogs depending on the type of disability they are assisting.
Types of service dogs are guide dogs, signal dogs, medical alert dogs, mobility assistant dogs,
psychiatric dogs, and therapy dogs. Service dogs are not pets but working dogs which are
specially trained to assist their owners disability. They are trained for about one to two years by

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a professional company or the owner themselves. In addition, a great deal of money is invested
into these dogs. Although, service dogs are trained to be professional there are no laws which
state that they need to be certified or wear anything that identifies that the dog itself is a service
dog.
There is a dilemma when identifying a real or fake service dog. The problem about
identifying a legitimate service dog is that the person asking is limited to questions they can ask
the disabled owner of the dog. For example, on a website called Federalwaymirror.com there is
an article called Fake service dogs: Pet owners exploit ADA loophole by Andy Hobbs and he
informs that When dealing with so-called service animals, businesses are only allowed to ask
two questions of dog owners, Is the dog required because of a disability?, and What task or
service has the dog been trained to do?( Hobbs) Talking to a disabled person about their
disability can be a very sensitive subject because under the American with Disability act they are
protected of their privacy and do not need to give further information of their personal disability.
Therefore, people may only ask a limited amount of questions about the service dog. This leads
to regular people with no disability taking advantage of the American with disability act, stating
that thier pet is a service dog and they can do it easily with the help of websites that offer
certification for service dogs.
According to the U.S Department of justice service dogs Some, but not all, are licensed
or certified and have identification papers. (US Department of Justice) with this being said,
there are websites that provide certification and licensing for people with disabilities. On the
websites that sale certification for service dogs there is a defect, which is that anyone can
purchase certification for your service dog with just three mouse clicks. I myself tested this out

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and was disappointed on how easy it was for me to purchase a certification Although, I didnt
buy one. On a website called Nsarco.com they sell you certification as well as a service dog vest
for only $64.95. The main page is focused on telling the consumer how they can take their dog
anywhere with the certification provided and only once did they claim that it helps the disabled
prove they have an animal service dog. Websites like these make it capable of people like me to
claim that my pet is a service dog for example, an article called Service Dog Discrimination not
Uncommon by Bindu Suri, talks about how people are being discriminated for having a service
dog, but also how easy it is to get away with having a real service dog. In this article the author
quotes the CEO of British Columbia Guide Dog Services and he states that it is far too easy to
get fake IDs and harnesses online. They pay anything up to $100 or more, and they receive a
photo ID and jackets and equipment.(Suri) fake websites make it very easy for anyone to
obtain a certification. This problem leads to people with actual disabilities to get discriminated
when in reality their dog is a real service animal.
People that claim that their pet is a service dog insist that they do no harm to anybody, but
in conclusion, they actually impair the vision of what society sees service dogs as and makes
people very judgmental when encountering a service dog in public. People with a disability
owning a service dog can become very uncomfortable when approached by someone who is
asking if their Service dog is real. Many times people approach owners of a service dog because
of past encounters with a fake one. In an article called Fake Service Dog Registration becomes
a Crime in Florida by Stacey Cohen on Consumeraffairs there is a woman who is called Tiffany
Baylor that gives her opinion on fakes classifying their pet as a service dog. In this article she
states People who pass their pets off as service [animals] are making people question and
second guess us,(Cohen) which can lead to harassment or discrimination when people with

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disabilities are trying to enter a public place. For example, Tiffany was harassed by security
guards when trying to bring her service dog into a state museum in Florida. (Cohen). Their has
been many more cases where the disabled with a service dog have either been kicked out or been
discriminated when entering a public place. This happens because of fake service dogs miss
behaving in public and giving a bad name to the title service dog. Although more people without
disabilities are claiming their pet as a service dog, there are now laws that can punish their
frauds.
When breaking the law, there is always going to be a a punishment. Recently in the past
year there have been laws in different states to endorse spotting fake service dogs, this can really
benefit the disabled people who own a real service dog. In an article called Fake service dog
registration becomes a crime in Florida by Stacey Cohen, a law in Florida has been passed for
those who falsify there pet as a service dog The law, which went into effect on July 1, classifies
misrepresenting a dog as a service animal as a second degree misdemeanor. Those who are
caught breaking the law face a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.(Cohen) With this new law
people should be scared for even trying to pass their pet as a service animal. There have also
been cases where businesses are being shut down for selling service dog certification to anyone,
an article called Proposed law would make fake service dogs a crime in Colorado by Heidi
Hemmat, the author informs how businesses as well as a licensed Colorado counselor has been
shut down for giving fake certification The Problem Solvers investigation uncovered dozens of
business selling service animal vests and certifications for a fee, with no proof of disability
required.(Hemmat) and also The investigation also exposed licensed Colorado counselor
Stanford Scott Sutherland for sending letters deeming people he never met, mentally disabled
in order for them to fly with their emotional support animal for free.(Hemmat) with these

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frauds being exposed, it has led to a bill being opposed for people with fake service dogs to be
fined. With all these laws passing to identify and scare off fake service dogs owners it will truly
benefit the disabled people who get discriminated in public, although I believe they should get
stricter.
States are now passing laws that can fine a fraud owner of a service dog, although they
are being passed the consequences arent harsh enough to scare anyone from identifying their pet
as a service dog. The consequences should be extremely frightening, for example instead of a
fine of $500 it should be $2,000 because the frauds in a way are stealing an identity. Just how its
against the law to make up a fake doctors note because you are illegally taking the identity of a
doctor and consequences for such an act are jail sentences. So if a person is seriously punished
for taking the identity of a doctor there should be serious consequences for taking the identity of
a disabled person. Solutions are hire fines and stricter laws that make it challenging to get
certification.
Service dogs are not pets but professionally trained dogs to assist the disabled. Although,
it is easy to pass a pet as a service dog, websites and businesses must get stricter on how you can
get a service dog vest. New laws are passing in states for people claiming that their pet is a
service dog, although they need to make stricter laws for public business owners to have easier
access to identifying a fake one. Although, people claim they are not hurting anyone by stating
their pet as a service dog they are making people discriminate actual service dog owners. As the
years go by and the laws get better itll be easier for service dog owners to walk around
anywhere without being discriminated or asked if its a real or fake service dog.

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Works Cited
Cohen, Stacey. "Fake Service Dog Registration Becomes a Crime in Florida." ConsumerAffairs.
07 July 2015. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
US Department of Justice " Commonly Asked Questions About Service Animals in Places of
Business." Commonly Asked Questions About Service Animals in Places of
Business. 14 Jan. 2008. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Hemmat, Heidi. "Proposed Law Would Make fake Service Dogs a Crime in Colorado." FOX31
Denver. 01 Mar. 2016. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
Hobbs, Andy. "Fake Service Dogs: Pet Owners Exploit ADA Loophole - Federal Way
Mirror."Federal Way Mirror. 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Kupkee, Ian, Dr. "It's National Service Dog Month." NBC 6 South Florida. 11 Sept. 2015. Web.
27 Mar. 2016.
Suri, Bindu. "Service Dog Discrimination Not Uncommon." Global News Service Dog
Discrimination Not Uncommon. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.