LANSING, Mich. — It would be nice if you could safely assume any dog wearing a service-dog vest was actually a service dog. But viewers tell FOX 47 News, you, unfortunately, can't make that assumption.
When you bring a dog inside a business, all they can legally ask is, "is it a service dog?" And "what service is he or she performing?"
However, without the proper training, a dog's behavior can reveal a lie.
Emily Brethauer, has a trained service dog and she told News 10 one of the things she loves about her dog, Lycus, is "his attentiveness, he will never leave me alone."
Lycus helps Emily with her PTSD and abnormal sinus tachycardia. He warns Emily when her heart rate or blood pressure is in the danger zone.
His special training qualifies him as a service dog under the Americans with Disabilities Act. And not just any dog qualifies; there are a lot of rules.
"Service dogs are not allowed to be aggressive or reactive of any sort," said Brethauer.
Emily and Lycus recently ran into people who put the service vest on a dog without that special training.
"The owner tried to get the dog out the way so that the dog wouldn't see him (Lycus), but the dog did. As soon as he saw him (Lycus), he immediately started barking and screaming. While Lycus nicely walked past him and helped me out of the store," said Brethauer.
According to the ADA, a service animal does not have to wear a vest, ID tag, patch or special harness. The animal also does not have to be certified as a service animal. Those non-requirements are where Emily said people are taking advantage of the system.
"It kind of puts anxiety into you because you don't know what that dog does. You don't know if that dog's aggressive or reactive or if it is a nicely trained dog," said Brethauer.
Without training, Emily said it's very easy for someone with a service dog to sniff out an imposter.
"They pull at the end of the leash and they sniff everything and they sniff the people and they jump on people. And it really ruins the credibility for legitimate service dogs," said Brethauer.
Anyone can purchase a vest online, but what they forget is to read the details.
"So they make it sound like it's legal to do and that it's ok to do, but it's all in the fine print that your dog must be trained," said Brethauer.
An emotional support animal is different from a service animal under the ADA. An emotional support animal only provides comfort and is not trained to perform certain disability tasks.
Most businesses have to allow service animals but there are some exceptions. For instance, they are not allowed to go into pools for health reasons.
Airlines, as well as religious institutions and organizations, are exempt from the ADA.
To learn more about service animals and ADA, you can find it here [ada.gov]. You can find more details on service animals and travel here[transportation.gov].
