My two cents worth

"I am going to buy a service dog vest and put it on my dog so I can take it anywhere I go."

 

Yep I have had some people say this to me while I have my service dog, Cherelle, at my side. Usually at someplace where dogs (as in your pet) are not allowed.

The poster's message is short and to the point but I would like to expand further on why I consider it, might I even be so bold as to say, just plain wrong, to claim your dog is a service animal.

Service dog teams are composed of a specially trained dog and a person with a diagnosed disability. The person with the disability often has undergone some training to learn how to effectively work with her/his service dog to make maneuvering through daily life easier and or safer. Your pet, while providing unconditional love and emotional support, has not been trained for a specific task or tasks that lessens the impact of a disability. Whenever you slap a service dog vest on your dog or claim your pet is a service animal you diminish not only the role of a service dog, but the person with the disability as well. That may not be your intention but to someone like me that is how it feels.

Whenever a fake service dog "acts up", and trust me I've seen it happen, it can create a hostile environment for the legitimate service dog and his or her handler. The business owners, managers and employees will look at future service dog teams, the "real" ones, with suspicion and even hostility. As a person with a disability my life is complicated enough without having to encounter and deal with confusion, hostility or outright challenges about my service dog because the person in a business had an unpleasant experience with someone's pet that the owner was fobbing off as a service dog.

The majority of pets have not undergone even close to the amount of training that service dogs go through. When someone's pet is in a "no pets" setting because that owner is claiming the animal is a service dog and that pet encounters a true service dog, eight times out of ten the pet interferes with the service dog team by barking or growling, or lunging at the service dog or even all three! This can be not only disturbing to the handler with the disability and the service dog but also dangerous. A service dog who feels under attack or becomes overly distracted by an unruly dog cannot focus on its duties. Do you really want to be the cause of an injury to someone with a disability because you wanted to have your pet with you while you were shopping? I hope not. 

Worse case scenario would be if your pet were to bite the service dog and the service dog becomes unable to work due to fear or nervousness as a result of being attacked. In some states interfering with a service dog is against the law. In Oregon it is a class C misdemeanor and "...owner may recover costs and other expenses, including, but not limited to, cost of temporary replacement assistance services incurred as a result of the theft or injury to the animal." There can also be penalties. In Oregon, "...fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or both." (www.leg.state.us/ors). Is having your pet with you at all times worth that risk?

So please, the next time you think about claiming that your beloved pet is a service animal consider those of us who use service dogs because we have a disability not because we don't want to be parted from our dog. And if you hear someone say they are going to claim that their dog is a service animal just so they can take it someplace were dogs are not allowed, please explain to them why it is not a great idea. On behalf of service dog teams everywhere I thank you. Cherelle does too.

Best Wishes to everyone and tail wags from Cherelle, aka Cher.