Many people in today’s society still neglect to treat legitimate service dogs and their handlers with the respect they deserve. Every time I hear about yet another attack or confrontation, my blood begins to boil. Every time I hear the bark or growl of a pet in a store or restaurant, both of which are only open to service dogs, I cringe, prepared to protect my guide dog at all costs, and fight the urge to tell their owner off. The average person sees a cute dog who is a little feisty. A service dog handler sees an unwarranted challenge to their safety and well-being as part of a working team. In order to understand this ongoing issue, you need to look at it as a multifaceted problem. The problem of fake service dogs is a culmination of ignorance, lack of education surrounding the disabled community, and selfishness. In this article, I will break down exactly why irresponsible and careless pet owners pose such a threat to people with disabilities and their service dogs.

Service dogs undergo months of rigorous training from the time they are born to the time they are placed with their handlers. The breeds are strategically selected, the temperaments are closely monitored, and their ability to perform specific tasks is repeatedly tested. They are taught impeccable obedience skills, unique commands, life-saving maneuvers, and so much more. They are constantly socialized so as to make sure that they are friendly and approachable by other dogs and people when need-be. Service dogs are driven to work, dedicated to watching out for their handlers. They are each trained for a specific type of disability. Some service dogs alert their handlers of oncoming seizures, help those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through anxiety attacks, provide assistance to those with auditory or learning disabilities, support individuals with balance or mobility issues, and/or serve as a pair of eyes for blind and visually impaired handlers. This is only a small, compiled list of the tasks that service dogs can perform. While each service dog may be trained to assist someone with a particular disability, the overarching theme is that every service dog is extremely well-trained, whether that be through a large organization or owner-training methods by a disabled individual.

From a legal standpoint, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, legitimate service animals are those who are individually trained to perform tasks for disabled individuals. Service animals are the only animals that have unlimited access to stores, restaurants, hotels, and other such facilities that do not typically allow pets. Emotional Support Animals and all other pets do not have these rights because they do not have any of the stringent training that is required for public appearances, nor are they certified to assist those with disabilities. It is also important to note that Service Dogs in Training are also not allowed access to facilities until they are fully trained.

Pets may have basic obedience training and social skills, but the variability of pet owners’ methods and lifestyles guarantees that their behavior is unpredictable. Untrained and aggressive pets can disrupt, or even unravel, the precise training of service dogs in a matter of several seconds. When service dogs are on duty, their sole job is to keep their handlers safe. As soon as a pet disrupts that routine, either by attempting to play with the service dog or attacking it, the handler is left vulnerable to the worst side-effects of their disability. An irresponsible pet owner can mean the difference between life and death. Even if the pet owner is unaffected, the service dog itself can be traumatized by this experience. They may become anxious by the presence of an unfamiliar dog, and associate them with the fear of another attack. These stress-induced reactions usually require even more training to reverse. This training could entail a lot of patience, effort, time, and money. In extreme cases, service dogs will no longer be able to perform their jobs, and be forced to retire early, thus leaving the dogs and their handlers in the midst of a very unstable and emotionally taxing situation.

While the pets cause the literal damage, the owners are the ones who truly inflict harm. They selfishly bring their pets into stores because they do not want to leave them home. They place them in their carriages or keep them on long leashes as they shop. They purchase service dog vests off of Amazon. No, you cannot simply trust a vest for confirmation that a dog is a service animal. Pet owners are even beginning to place vests on their Emotional Support animals, which only serves to blur the line of legitimacy even more. A lot of pet owners have no regard for how their dog’s behavior may impact those around them. They refuse to respect, or at least acknowledge, the existence of service dogs and the laws that attempt to protect individuals with disabilities. There are many people who believe that the disabled community is making a big fuss over nothing.

I, for one, believe that it should be a crime for pet owners to disguise their dogs. I am tired of always being on constant alert. I am disgusted with the pet owner who brought their tiny dog into Walmart on a retractable leash and proceeded to allow it to run between my guide dog’s legs. I am furious about the pet owner who allowed his German Shepard to jump on my guide dog’s back, while he just stood by and did nothing. I am horrified by the pet owners in Ben and Jerry’s, who held the leashes of two dogs in fake service dog vests as they growled and barked at people that passed by. I am fed up with the women who carry their dogs into restaurants in large purses. I am livid about the people who brought their dogs into a Halloween costume store. I am extremely annoyed with the misuse of service dog language in regards to Emotional Support animals. These pet owners and animals prevent legitimate service dog teams from achieving a sense of security and respect in their surroundings.

Not only do fake service dogs threaten the safety of legitimate service dog teams, but they also ruin their reputation. The public suddenly believes that all service dogs are misbehaved. This is evident by the amount of compliments that actual service dog teams receive on a daily basis. The public often believes that there are no fundamental differences between service dogs and pets, and this is where the confusion originates. All of a sudden, it is perfectly acceptable to dress your dog in a vest to give it special privileges. It is an exciting trend. It becomes more and more difficult to distinguish real service dogs from all of the pretenders. It is sad that we have to live in a society in which we question whether or not a service animal is legitimate.

Ableism and ignorance continue to plague the minds of countless individuals. If you want to combat this problem, there are only a few things that you need to remember at the end of the day. Pets and Emotional Support animals are not service dogs, and any dogs who are extremely misbehaved are probably not service animals. If you know of someone who frequently brings their pets into stores or restaurants, educate them. If you are unfamiliar with the Americans with Disabilities Act, educate yourself. If you see a pet in a store that is causing trouble, report it to the store manager. The disabled community should not be the only group of individuals fighting for our rights to safety and security.