• Home
  • TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS
    • EXERCISES
    • PETS
  • CBD
  • PRODUCTS
  • TRENDING
  • PET NEWS
  • PET TRAVEL
  • Advertise Here
No Result
View All Result
Plugin Install : Cart Icon need WooCommerce plugin to be installed.
  • Home
  • TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS
    • EXERCISES
    • PETS
  • CBD
  • PRODUCTS
  • TRENDING
  • PET NEWS
  • PET TRAVEL
  • Advertise Here
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home PETS

Fake service dogs hurt credibility of real service dogs, harm users

Doggone Well Staff by Doggone Well Staff
April 15, 2025
in PETS
38 1
0
Fake service dogs hurt credibility of real service dogs, harm users
32
SHARES
356
VIEWS
Share on TwitterShare on Facebook
Dog Food topper - Getquelle365


play

PTSD recovery made easier with help of service dog, says one veteran

Anthony Certa is a military veteran living with PTSD. He says his black English Labrador service dog helps his mental health in more ways than one.

Service dogs can be 4-legged lifesavers, alerting to dangerous allergens, assisting with travel and making people with a wide range of disabilities safer.

Dog Food topper - Getquelle365

But fake service dogs are taking a bite out of real service dogs’ credibility, exacerbating the challenges that people with disabilities who rely on service animals already face, advocates say. Fake service dogs are poorly trained or untrained animals falsely passed off by individuals trying to access restricted places or benefits.

Thousands of grocers and shop owners now prohibit any animals, including legitimate service dogs, from entering their stores. That's because of incidents where fraudulent service animals have “urinated on expensive furnishings, contaminated food, bitten staff, and driven away paying customers,” according to Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit service dog organization headquartered in Santa Rosa, California.

About two-thirds of service dog users say the poorly trained or untrained dogs have negatively impacted their independence and quality of life, according to a 2022 survey conducted by the organization.

“Service dog fraud and poorly trained service dogs pose a widespread and serious problem regardless of location and have a powerful negative impact on legitimate service dog teams,” Canine Companions for Independence said in a white paper.

Service dogs aren't required to complete a specific, national certification, according to the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. People may also struggle to acquire the animals: They can come at significant expense and aren't necessarily covered by insurance.

The ADA National Network defines service dogs as those specially trained to perform tasks for people with physical, intellectual or mental disabilities. Such dogs are “more than just a vest,” according to Assistance Dogs International, explaining on its website that such dogs offer “expert training, crucial socialization and years of task-based independence to people with disabilities.”

Fake service dogs undermine freedom and safety, advocates say

Nearly 93% of respondents to the Canine Companions survey said they had encountered “fake, questionable or uncontrolled service dogs,” while 79% reported uncontrolled dogs snapping at, biting or interfering with their service dogs.

The survey was distributed to 60 organizations accredited by Assistance Dogs International throughout North America, Europe and Oceania. More than 1,500 service-dog users responded, making the study of assistance-dog fraud the organization’s largest to date.

Even if a person with a disability hasn't encountered one of the untrained or poorly trained animals in day-to-day life, it can still have a ripple effect. Skepticism about service dogs among business owners and others makes legitimate users less inclined to take service dogs out in public, the group said in its report.

“If a service dog user feels they will be denied access or that there are more poorly trained service dogs in public, they may opt to avoid public places with their service dog,” the organization said. “This ostensibly has an impact on the service dog user’s independence and quality of life if doors are being shut, figuratively, before service dog teams even leave their homes.”

According to NEADS World Class Service Dogs, based in Princeton, Massachusetts, properly trained service dogs can offer clients “life-changing emotional support and enable them to navigate the world more safely and confidently.”

NEADS, formerly known as National Education for Assistance Dog Services, agreed that fraudulent service dogs are a growing problem in the U.S. The Canine Companions survey, the group said in a 2023 statement, shows not only the frequency of fake service dog encounters but also demonstrates “how significantly they are undermining feelings of independence, quality of life and potentially even the safety of clients with legitimate service dogs.”

According to Canine Companions, loopholes in the Americans with Disabilities Act have enabled scammers to exploit the system. The group last year said it hopes to persuade lawmakers to add definitive language to the act that addresses service dog representation, making it “crystal-clear that misrepresentation of a disability for personal gain – including the use of a service dog – is against the law.”

The group sought to gather 2,500 public signatures on an online petition calling for an end to service dog scams. As of April 13, 2025, a little more than 2,600 people had signed the document.

Not just advocates

One of the latest local efforts on legitimate service dogs comes from Massachusetts state Rep. Kimberly Ferguson. She proposed legislation on April 1 that would create a 17-member commission to explore tougher regulation of service animals in the state.

If created, the commission would have until April 2026 to file a report assessing the prevalence of fraudulent service dogs statewide and whether prohibition or penalization of such fraud is necessary. It would also examine the feasibility of requiring service animals to be certified, registered or licensed.

Massachusetts is one of 16 states without a “true ban” on fraudulent representation of pets as service animals, according to the Animal Legal and Historical Center at Michigan State University in East Lansing. A handful of those states still specifically prohibit misrepresentation of service animals in housing situations.

Contributing: Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY



Source link

Dog Food topper - Getquelle365
Tags: CredibilitydogsfakeHarmhurtrealServiceUsers
Tweet8Share13Share3Share
Previous Post

Third of Brits believe cats unable to feel love – as 10 best ways to buy their affection revealed

Next Post

When dogs return to nature – just how domesticated are our pooches really?

Doggone Well Staff

Doggone Well Staff

Next Post
When dogs return to nature – just how domesticated are our pooches really?

When dogs return to nature – just how domesticated are our pooches really?

Youtube Channel

Currently Playing

Jealous Dog Want Attention Compilation NEW

Jealous Dog Want Attention Compilation NEW

00:06:28

Best Of Funny Guilty Dog Compilation 2014

00:05:32

Best Dog Birthday Surprise: DIY Ball Pit for Maymo

00:01:39

How a little microchip changed this dog's life!!! Please share this important video. #dog

00:05:48

Follow Our Page

Popular Post

    Follow Us

    Category

    • CBD
    • EXERCISES
    • Home
    • NEW POSTS
    • PET NEWS
    • PET TRAVEL
    • PETS
    • PRODUCTS
    • TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS
    • TRENDING

    Tag Cloud

    Adoption Animal Animals Attack breeds Care Cat Cats County Day Death dog Dog as Pet Dog Owner dogs Family Fire food health Home house Humane Life Local Love Man Meet news Owners Park people Pets Police Puppy Rescue Safe Shelter Society Stray Tips Top Vet Ways Week Woman

    Recent News

    11 Brave Dog Breeds That Don’t Back Down

    11 Brave Dog Breeds That Don’t Back Down

    May 8, 2025
    Bridport’s damaged stalking dog sculpture removed for repairs

    Bridport’s damaged stalking dog sculpture removed for repairs

    May 8, 2025
    • DMCA
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclaimer
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Privacy Policy

    © 2022 Doggone Well - doggone well.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS
      • EXERCISES
      • PETS
    • CBD
    • PRODUCTS
    • TRENDING
    • PET NEWS
    • PET TRAVEL
    • Advertise Here

    © 2022 Doggone Well - doggone well.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In