Veterans need to fight back against fake PTSD service dogs

Up until today I was telling veterans they should show the papers for their service dogs and not be so defensive. The owners do not need to know why veterans have them but they should have some assurance the dog has been highly trained to do a job and not belong to a fraud.

I was wrong.

Today was an eyeopener. I heard someone say they know someone who bought the papers and vest online. All they had to do was come up with the money and bingo, they suddenly had a "service dog" that has no training at all.

Another friend did some digging while I was at work and discovered this.

Service Dog Certification -- Spotting Fake Certification/Registration/ID
Who does it hurt when you pass your pet off as a service dog when it' isn't? Be sure to check out our article On the Consequences of Fake and Undertrained Service Dogs

Certification does not mean an individual dog is a service dog. Neither does registration or an official looking ID. There are several businesses selling fake certification, registration and IDs over the internet. All a person need do to get these products is pay a fee. Their dog is never tested and their disability is never verified. All the product really means is that the person was willing to pay money to get it.

If you question whether ID or certification is legitimate, a quick internet search of the name of the organization will reveal whether it is an agency that actually trains service dogs, or one that merely certifies, registers, or identifies any dog sight-unseen for a fee.

How can you tell a REAL service dog if ID cards and certificates are actually meaningless? The US Department of Justice permits businesses to ask two questions:

1. Is this a service dog required because of disability?
2. What is it trained to do to mitigate the disability?

Remember that "[a]nimals whose sole function is to provide emotional support, comfort, therapy, companionship, therapeutic benefits, or to promote emotional well-being are not service animals..." so a service animal must be specifically trained to DO something.

Additionally, if the animal behaves inappropriately, by disrupting business, behaving aggressively, interfering with other patrons or clients (say by sniffing them or jumping up on them), or toileting inappropriately, then it doesn't matter whether it is a service dog because you can still exclude it on the basis of "fundamental alteration" or "direct threat."

BE WARNED: when you see a fake certification, it is a STRONG indication that the dog is not a legitimate service dog. People with legitimate service dogs tend to be familiar with laws and know that certification is not required so long as the dog meets the legal definition. Those who purchase fake certification do so because they, or those they encounter, doubt their dog's real status and it is easier to purchase a fake document than to actually get their dog properly trained and evaluated by an expert.

What good does it do to have papers of a real service dog when this is going on? It costs thousands of dollars and countless hours to train a dog properly but these jerks are ruining it for everyone.

The intent of a PTSD service dog is to get veterans back out into the world so they stop isolating. All too often veterans end up getting even more upset by situations where they are face to face with an owner or employee of a business refusing to allow the dog in without documentation. All they want to do is make sure it is really a service dog that won't cause a fuss for the rest of the customers. Unfortunately, we've seen that happen all too often.

A dog could very well have graduated at the top of the class in training then again, some fake could walk in with the papers acting like my dog. Mine? Well, he is a breed that was raised to hunt lions and be guard dogs. He's not dangerous as long as no one comes near me. I am a responsible owner so I think about others. Too many just want to be able to travel with their dogs and don't give a damn about anyone but themselves.

Veterans have to fight back. Contact your member of Congress and get them to right a bill to stop the jerks from taking what they want. Tell them you want to make sure anyone with a vest for a dog has earned the right to use what you fought so hard for.