02/12/2023
Let’s talk about fake service dogs. 🫣🚨(this is a long one!!! But important so stick around!)
I am not the original owner of this image if anyone knows the original owner please let me know so I can credit them! 💜
Fake service dogs do more harm than you think. Putting a vest on your pet to take them everywhere may seem harmless… but really, it is far from that.
Most people love their dogs, and usually, when someone says to a service dog team they meet in public that they’d like to know how to make their dog a service dog, likely their intent isn’t meant to be hurtful.
Service dog owners MUST be disabled. Service Dogs perform tasks that their disabled owners would otherwise have difficulty completing on their own.
If you DO NOT have a disability, then you do not qualify for a service dog. 🦮
Service dogs take hundreds of hours of training and socialization for their dogs to perform their job. Most service dogs take 2 years + to train. Service dogs have countless hours of training that teach them to remain calm and focus on the task and handler while ignoring all distractions. Fake service dogs, do not.
There is already confusion for business owners and others in the community about the rights service animals and their handlers are granted and they fear breaking laws when it comes to service dog access. Trying to pass off your pet as a service dog only causes more confusion!
In Canada there are only 3 provinces with OPTIONAL government testing.
Nova Scotia, BC, and Alberta. Other than that, certification is not mandatory. You are covered under the human rights act. You do need to be disabled and you do need a doctors note.
You can look up each provinces service dog regulations online via your provincial government website.
Let’s get back to the real topic, why is it such a big deal to fake a service dog? 🚨
Most people may not realize that using a fake service dog is dangerous to the service dog community.
Misrepresented service dogs are most likely not properly trained to be in a non pet friendly business. They'll behave in ways that will frustrate business owners and others. Inappropriate sniffing, barking, eating off tables or floors, jumping or lunging at others or even pottying in indoor spaces are all unacceptable behaviors and happen when a pet dog is in a public place disguised as a service dog, putting a bad name on legitimate service dogs.
With a legitimate, trained service dog, a fake service dog has already given a negative impression. In other words, fake service dogs can give real service dogs a bad rap.
Unfortunately this can cause people with disabilities with well-trained service dogs to suffer the consequences of all of this. This results in added struggle and discrimination against handlers and their service animals. It can even lead to being denied access to public places that do not allow pets.
Fake service dogs may distract a real service dog from their job, by barking, lunging, growling or even just trying to play! they may throw the legitimate service dog off their game. While these dogs are well trained to do their best at ignoring these distractions, you can imagine how hard that is to ignore!
Aggressive or reactive fake service dogs may attack or injure a real one. Any reputable service dog organization will not allow a reactive dog to be a working service dog.
Service dogs are not cheap! Some cost upwards of 30 thousand dollars! (If from an organization) All it takes is one wrong interaction for someone to be out their lifesaving companion.
I hope reading this, that some people may understand how serious this can be. Think twice before bringing fluffy into public.
Navy saves my life in so many ways, I cannot imagine having to go about life without him because someone just really wanted to bring their dog along shopping.
// Sam & Navy
