Reporter Buys Fake Certification

[ILGHAUS]

From Fox23.com Regular pets passing as service dogs
Published: 11/01 11:11 am

FOX23 Reporter Janna Clark has a yorkshire terrier, named Penny. Janna went online to see if she could get Penny a service dog vest and an identification card. ...

Turns out, Janna didn’t have to give any proof of being disabled or that Penny was a qualified service dog. All Janna had to do was pay $57. And in less than a week, Penny’s service vest and ID card came in the mail.

http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Regular-pets-passing-as-service-dogs/GmViI0kieEyCtt0Hrl-lkw.cspx

[msvette2u]

Gee there's a surprise

And just like everything else, the rotten eggs will spoil it for everyone else who is legit.

[KZoppa]

i've seen several sites that will do that. Though i never saw one that didnt at least require you to get your vet to sign off that the dog is healthy and your doctor to sign off that a service dog would be beneficial...

[angelas]

The article states that there is no law against faking a service dog. I thought that the ADA did include fines for getting caught faking?

[ILGHAUS]

The article states that there is no law against faking a service dog. I thought that the ADA did include fines for getting caught faking?

Contrary to what many think, the ADA doesn't really address the topic of Service Dogs. It is the Dept. of Justice which has authority over Public Access issues (among many other issues) that deals with SDs.

Some states have State Statutes against faking a SD.

In addition you can be taken to court on Fraud and violations of Health Codes.

And there are companies that sell certifications and ID based on an individual just checking off a box "to verify" that they are disabled and their dog is a SD. Oh, and yes -- they also need a check or access info to your credit card.

[Chicagocanine]

These IDs and vest do not make the dog a service dog though. For one thing IDs and vest are not required for service dogs. For another, for a dog to be a service dog the handler must have a disability and the dog must be trained to mitigate it.

[Lin]

For the most part that was a really good article. I was surprised, generally I cringe before reading such an article. I think many actually make the problem worse, stating inaccuracies that can influence the type of people that try to fake.

But the law is not so clear about what a service dog is and what a disability is.

"There's always gray areas with all this, and there's a lot of litigation over what's a disability," Melissa said.

This part bugged me, while I do think there needs to be more law on what is and is not a service animal, there IS a lengthy write up on the definition of disability. This is the type of inaccuracy I was just talking about, we see it frequently where people claim that there is not a definition of disability and therefor just because their dr says they're disabled they are protected under the ADA. Its not true, there is a definition and not every medical problem is legally disabling.
Section 902 Definition of the Term Disability

I'm also bothered by their choices of places to test bringing in the fake dog. They state earlier in the article that health codes are broken with fake service dogs... Then they go break them? And admit it in an article? That seems pretty stupid to me. I think they should have chosen places without food involved.

I also wish they had put more emphasis on what CAN be done, and a little less on what cannot be done. I guess its more dramatic though focusing on "nothing can be done!!" But thats another inaccuracy I find dangerous. We see it constantly on here, those who are not fully familiar with the law think that nothing can be done. But things can be done, and the best protection is being familiar with the law instead of focusing on "woe is me, nothing can be done."

Know the law. Know what can and cannot be asked. Know what consequences are involved. Even an actual service dog can be asked to leave if they are causing a disturbance. If the owner asked the right questions and is in doubt, IMO they should ask the person to leave. If its a valid team they have protected themselves. The business owner can sue the individual faking. The individual can be punished for fraud in some states. They can be in trouble for breaking health codes.

How about some dramatic focus on what CAN be done to scare away those fakers?

[baldemar]

this is disturbing news. So any yahoo dog can become a service dog in the state of ILL.? dangggggggggggggg.

[RogueRed26]

It is very unfortunate. People who abuse the system leave those who need a service dog in an uncomfortable situation. There was even an issue in South Texas as well, where an elderly couple were thrown out of their RV lot.
Winter Texan tangles with park over service pup | service, tangles, texan - TheMonitor.com

[Lin]

Originally Posted by RogueRed26

Winter Texan tangles with park over service pup | service, tangles, texan - TheMonitor.com

There are a lot of red flags in that article. Just registering the dog somewhere doesn't make it a service dog, and there was no mention of the training required but just that the dog noticed blood sugar changes by smelling her breath.

If pets are not allowed at the RV park, she either knowingly got a pet dog anyway or already had the dog when she moved there because she did not acquire the dog as a fully trained service dog. If she knowingly got a dog when they don't allow them, she deserved to be kicked out. If she moved in with a service dog without telling them and arranging things in advance, she deserved to be kicked out. And then of course according to the article the RV park says she sold the mobile home and it had nothing to do with the dog, so who knows whats really going on here.

You can't just move somewhere and then say oh yea and I have a service dog. The law is all about reasonable accommodation. When moving somewhere if you have a service dog you arrange things in advance. If they try to deny your service dog, you write a formal letter requesting accommodation under the law. If you are denied this and believe that what you were requesting is in fact reasonable, then you can sue for discrimination. But having a service dog isn't some magical thing that lets you hide or spring things on your landlord.