Why Pets Can't (And Shouldn't) Go Where Service Animals Do

Wouldn't it be fun if dogs could go everywhere with us?

There would be tails wagging at work, sweet, slobbery kisses at the grocery store and maybe even impromptu games of fetch during the daily commute. But if our pet pooches never left our sides, there would also be loud barking, accidents in aisle four and traffic troubles thanks to runaway pups. That's only partially why the family dog isn't allowed in most public places, but a service dog is permitted pretty much wherever people can go.

It's also because service dogs aren't just pets with special privileges — they're highly-trained animals that provide potentially lifesaving assistance to their owners. Now we love our dogs, too, but we don't need them to help us know when it's safe to cross the street or alert us if we're about to have a seizure. Sadly, though, there are a growing number of people committing service dog fraud so their pets are able to access public spaces typically closed to animals. It's an unfortunate trend, and it's undermining the system so many real service dog owners rely upon in their everyday lives.

Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, only dogs (and in some cases, miniature horses) can qualify as service animals, and they must be trained to assist an individual with a disability by performing tasks directly related to the individual's disability. When these dogs are joined by pet dogs in areas intended for service dog use only, it's the service dogs and their owners who suffer.

This is because non-service dogs can interfere with a real service dog's ability to assist its owner — either directly, by threatening the service dog, or indirectly, by distracting the assistance animal. Our pets don't typically have extensive training like service dogs do, nor are they anywhere near as well-mannered. For these reasons, it's not uncommon to see a pet dog causing a disturbance to the people around them (by barking, eating food, having accidents, etc.). And even though this is a total faux pas on the part of the pet dog (and more so, on the pet dog's owner), it's often the service dog and its owner who wrongly get the bad rap.

According to Canine Companions for Independence, many service dogs and their owners face increased discrimination from businesses owners and fellow patrons due to prior bad experiences with fraudulent service dogs. Because of negative experiences, some businesses have gone on to deny service dog users entry (even though this is against ADA law).

Truthfully, there's no acceptable reason to throw a fake vest on Fido and jeopardize the important job an actual service dog needs to do.

As the Dogington Post puts it, trying to pass your pet off as a service dog is the equivalent of using your grandmother's handicapped parking tag. It's wrong, plain and simple, and under the ADA, it's a federal crime. That said, only 18 states have written laws pertaining to service dog fraud, so it can be tough to enforce the penalties depending on where you live.

But we ask a lot of our dogs. The least we can do in return is to be good humans, too.

First Photo Credit: smerikal via Flickr