How Many Sites Sell Fake Service Animal Jackets

Advocates fight against fake service dogs

By Peter Bowes
BBC News, Los Angeles

Service dogs are a familiar sight in shopping malls, restaurants and airports. They wear colourful waistcoats, or vests, cogent their loftier level of preparation to assist people with disabilities. They include guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs, seizure alarm dogs and mental health service dogs.

But increasingly, co-ordinate to qualified handlers, more and more people are falsely claiming their dog is a service brute.

California-based Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit system that provides highly trained assistance dogs for people with disabilities, says "service dog fraud" is making it more and more difficult for genuine owners to exist taken seriously.

"They have seen an increase in encounters with pet dogs, out in public, wearing service domestic dog vests, who have obviously not been trained," says spokeswoman Jeanine Konopelski.

In some cases the fake service dogs are observed behaving badly and there accept been reports of people being bitten by these untrained animals, Konopelski said. She adds that it has resulted in some store and restaurant owners adopting a more suspicious attitude towards anyone claiming their companion is a working dog.

Image source, Getty Images

Canine Companions for Independence say the situation is threatening the ability of genuine owners to practise their rights of access under the Americans with Disabilities Deed.

The organization is compiling a petition - currently with about 30,000 signatures - urging the The states Department of Justice to crack down on the auction of faux service dog products.

It is easy to buy a service dog belong on the net. Numerous websites offer products such as official harnesses and tags. In some cases they are sold with a note stating that it is the owner'south responsibility to ensure their animal is properly trained, but at that place is no arrangement of enforcement.

Erin, who preferred not to give her full proper name, lives with her boyfriend and their dog, Bo, in Los Angeles.

She went online to buy a service vest for her pooch, because she wanted to avoid the fees charged by airlines for not-service animals - in the region of $xc-$150 (£60-£100) to fly, one-style. Different working animals, they must be restrained in a container for the entire flight.

Bo, who has faux credentials equally a service dog, travels everywhere for complimentary

Erin, who is non disabled, travels everywhere with Bo because she says she can not bear to leave him home alone.

"I just beloved him so much, information technology'south crazy," she says.

For $150, she purchased from a website a vest and certificate, stating that Bo is a full service dog.

She says she feels guilty about cheating the organisation, but adds that she has a number of friends who bear in the same way.

"It concerns me when in that location are four dogs on a flight, and I know that mine isn't fully certified," she says. "I know he's fine merely I don't know if some other canis familiaris is going to freak out."

It is a scenario that Jody Ambrose, an creature behaviourist and trainer, has experienced while travelling with a service domestic dog.

"These dogs are not machines and one of the hardest things in the world for them is when they are solicited by another canis familiaris to play or to fight," she says.

"When there are a lot of dogs in an airport or a public place that are not trained properly, it causes a lot of difficulty for the disabled person that is using a working domestic dog."

Randy Dexter, from the San Diego area, is retired from the U.s.a. Army. He suffers from Postal service Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has a traumatic encephalon injury. He is a legitimate owner of a fully trained service dog.

As a combat medic he served ii tours in Iraq. In 2005 his team was hit by an improvised explosive device. Despite Staff Sergeant Dexter's all-time efforts he was unable to salvage the life of an Iraqi civilian who was caught in the nail. That incident, which led to feelings of guilt, resulted in him suffering from severe psychological issues.

Captain is trained to stand in front of his owner in gild to provide space in crowds

"When people get too close it feels similar spiders are crawling on your skin," he explains.

He'south is notwithstanding nervous in public simply since getting his dog, Captain, Dexter'due south life has been transformed.

"Flying is not fun, information technology is a compact place and there's 9/11. It only plays on your mind."

Captain is trained to human activity as a prophylactic bulwark. He will instinctively position himself in forepart of Dexter for protection, or "encompass." The animal provides concrete likewise every bit emotional support.

The overwhelming need for Dexter to travel with his dog puts into perspective the dilemma faced by those who effort to cheat.

The service dog industry is wary of pushing for a wholesale clampdown on the sale of service dog equipment, such every bit vests. It is a valuable resource to those owners who abode-train their animals.

Image source, Getty Images

There is growing business organization that people are abusing a system that allows service animals to fly for gratis

Another area of concern is people flying with animals that they falsely merits they demand for emotional support.

Many travellers are accompanied by their pets because they have special permission, based on a doctors' alphabetic character and an official certificate. Dissimilar service dogs, emotional back up animals (ESAs) are not required to accept any formal training, but are allowed on board without an additional fee.

"An emotional support fauna is an animal that brings comfort and calmness to an individual that has some level of feet in public," says Kelly Gorman Dunbar, a dog trainer from Berkeley in Northern California.

These can include PTSD, social phobia and bipolar disorders.

Nonetheless, she says, "I know more faux emotional support dogs than real ones."

An increasing number of animals are wearing service vests, whether they have been trained or non

Issues with both service dogs and ESAs highlight a disquiet amongst some Americans regarding increasingly strict rules decision-making where animals are allowed.

"I think a lot of this could exist resolved by having unlike legislation about animals being allowed in public transportation and perhaps in cafes and more public places," says Dunbar.

"Unfortunately it is going in the other direction, which is I why I think we are seeing and then much abuse."