Is That a Fake Service Dog?
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Note: the information here pertains to dogs in the USA - the rules/laws where you live might be different.
I’m fairly active on some social media platforms - especially in groups that focus on topics I like (things such as animal behavior, of course, but also tropical plants, gardening in my state, amusement parks, and snakes or frogs). It’s surprising to me how often those interests overlap. For instance, gardening groups often have posts about snakes. Or when a gardening group talks about which plants are more likely to attract beloved native species of toads or frogs. Or when an amusement park or wildlife preserve group talks about dogs - especially service dogs.
And that’s when things sometimes get heated.
I often see posts describing how an “obviously fake” service dog was spotted at a grocery store, theater, or amusement park. People complain because the dog wasn’t leashed. Or because the dog was in a stroller. Or because the dog was tiny and “obviously” couldn’t be service dog, right?
So, I thought I’d point out that a service dog could be any size, any breed, and nearly any age. They may walk/stand right next to their owners - or they might not. They may even be lying on the other side of the room keeping an eye on their owner/handler. They might be in a stroller or shopping cart (depending on the store’s rules about that). They might or might not be wearing a vest that identifies them as a service dog. The person with the service dog might have an obvious disability or may look as if they have none at all.
See, the thing is, you can’t tell if a service dog is a service dog simply by looking at them.
A photo was recently posted of two adults pausing to look over the railing at a wildlife preserve I sometimes visit. They had a leashed dog with them. People were UP IN ARMS! You see, pets aren’t allowed there. As much as I’d like to take my own dogs there, I don’t. Firstly, it’s against the rules. And the no-pet policy is in place for two good reasons: the location is home to many nesting birds or migrating birds who might be disturbed by pets chasing, staring, barking, etc. And the preserve is also home to bobcats, bear, an occasional Florida Panther (think mountain lion), and more than 1,500 alligators - so pets aren’t necessarily safe there.
But the couple with the dog was on a raised walkway over a very large pond. The walkway has gates on either end that you pull open to gain access and to prevent a random encounter with an alligator who might otherwise mistakenly turn onto the human’s pathway over the water. The dog was safe. And there were no reports of the dog barking, lunging, chasing animals, etc.
Was it a service dog or a pet? I have no clue. And neither did anyone commenting on the post. But people were convinced it couldn’t be a service dog since it wasn’t wearing a vest (that’s nonsense). Much discussion happened about service dog registrations (there’s no such thing - any such company offering you a registration is simply trying to sell you a worthless piece of paper). People were speculating what sort of service task the dog could possibly perform - even though it appeared to be an adult Labrador Retrieve - exactly the sort of dog many legit service dog organizations routinely recommend and use.
To set the record straight, here are some facts about service dogs:
Service dogs can be any breed or size as long as they can do their jobs.
Service dogs can be trained by professionals or by their owners or the friend next door.
The service dog has to be able to mitigate a person’s disability. Exactly what they must do varies widely from case to case.
Service dogs are not allowed to interrupt the normal business of a private company - so, a dog barking repeatedly at a movie theater or a dog eating the fruit off the shelves at a grocery store can be asked to leave.
Stores may not ask for “proof” that a dog is a service dog. They ARE allowed to ask two questions:
Is this dog a service dog that is required because of a disability?
What work or task has the dog been trained to do?
No state in the USA requires a service dog to be registered. Service dogs don’t have to wear anything that identifies them as a Service Dog.
The only two types of animals that qualify as service animals in the USA are dogs and miniature horses. So, the person claiming that their peacock was their service animal in order to fly on a commercial jet had no legal support for the claim.
Service dogs have access rights where pets don’t: including in stores, clubs, libraries, movie theaters, amusement parks, wildlife sanctuaries, zoos, hotels, apartments that don’t accept pets, hospitals, airplanes, and more. There may be restrictions even for service dogs in some cases (such as certain parts of the hospital, certain rides they can’t ride at an amusement park, or certain areas where unsafe interactions with other animals are more likely to occur like a petting zoo).
Therapy Dogs and Emotional Support Animals are not the same as service dogs and they don’t have the same access rights as service dogs.
Do I ever suspect that a dog is a fake service dog? Yes, I sometimes do. But I never KNOW that that’s the case. And, really, neither do you. Unless it’s your job to determine that so you can grant or deny entry into a company’s facility or unless you are being negatively impacted by a dog’s behavior (not just their mere presence), it’s frankly none of your business. Nor mine.
My obligation is, however, not to make the life of a disabled person more difficult with unwanted, and typically, unwarranted opinions about their dogs. If you have a concern about safety or the dog’s behavior, go talk to the manager. But know that, most of the time, if the dog isn’t misbehaving, you’ll not likely get a lot of support.