[nagdu] Some pet owners try to skirt rules with fakeservice dogs

Mon Apr 11 01:04:46 UTC 2011

Go Girl! Sorry you missed what otherwise might have been good company and a 
nice lunch. Did your friend get the message?

Lisa and Bernie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sheila Leigland" <sleigland at bresnan.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 8:47 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Some pet owners try to skirt rules with fakeservice 
dogs

>I AGREE i'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN. I HAVE A RELATIVE THAT LIKES TO CARRY HER 
>LITTLE DOG IN A STROLLER OR CART. hE  ISN'T A SERVICE DOG AND DOESNN'T 
>PRETEND THAT HE IS BUT DIDN'T SEE WHY i SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MY GUIDE DOG 
>ANYWHERE. SHE THOUGHT i SHOULD LEAVE HIM IN THE CAR AND i TURNED DOWN LUNCH 
>WITH HER FOR THAT VERY REASON.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lyn Gwizdak <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
> Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 11:19 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Some pet owners try to skirt rules with fake service 
> dogs
>
> Great article!
> I see these dogs around all the time!  At a local Farmers Market, there 
> are
> these HUGE signs - yeah, I can even read them - that state, "NO LIVE 
> ANIMALS
> ALLOWED Except for Guide and Service Dogs".  These signs are large
> sandwich-board style signs posted all over the Market area. The all caps 
> are
> in a huge font on the signs. Still, I come across TONS of these little 
> dogs
> there.  Some of them carry on when they see Landon.  Nobody questions 
> these
> dogs' owners.
>
> Another popular place I see these dogs is on the bus.  Many times people
> bring the dogs on and the driver says nothing.  Sometimes the driver will
> ask if it is a service dog and the person says it is. Most of the time 
> these
> dogs behave pretty well but some have tried to attack our guide dogs or 
> act
> aggressive when they see my dog or another person's guide dog.
>
> It seems that all people hear is "Service Dog" and they automaticly assume
> it is legitimate and never question the people with these dogs.  I think
> some of these people are fake and are pawning off their pets as service
> dogs.  I think the majority really do have mental health issues and the 
> dogs
> keep them calm - comfort dog which isn't covered under ADA.
>
> The public has grown used to seeing dogs for the disabled and say nothing.
> They tend to be afraid to question people because they are afraid of
> offending a person or they think the ADA says they have to admit the dog
> just because someone says it is a service dog.  Then you still see the 
> folks
> who say "No dog in here" when I walk in with my clean, well behaved guide
> dog.  Go figure!
>
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ginger Kutsch" <gingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 5:18 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] Some pet owners try to skirt rules with fake service dogs
>
>
>> Some pet owners try to skirt rules with fake service dogs
>> They get look-alike certifications and vests off the Internet
>> By Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel
>> April 7, 2011
>> http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-hk-fake-service-dogs-20110405,0,70
>> 59372.story?page=2
>>
>> Legitimate service dog owners and trainers in South Florida say
>> they are increasingly frustrated by loopholes and gray areas in
>> state and federal law that allow some pet owners to pass off
>> their pooches as certified service dogs.
>>
>> The deception allows their pets to live in restricted housing,
>> accompany them inside restaurants and hotels or fly for free in
>> airplane cabins rather than in cargo holds.
>>
>> "I don't want to say it's a scam, but it is a scam," according to
>> Nick Kutsukos, 72, who runs the Elite K9 Academy in Jupiter and
>> has trained service dogs for 40 years.
>>
>> All a person has to do is log onto one of many service dog
>> certification websites, fill out the form online and send a
>> check, money order, or credit card number and perhaps a
>> photograph of their dog.
>>
>> For between $20 and $300, the pet owner will get a specially
>> marked vest or collar for their pet to wear, special
>> identification tags or ID cards, a certificate suitable for
>> framing, training DVDs, information CDs and other official
>> looking items not required by law.
>>
>> One website recommends annual certification, while another offers
>> increasingly expensive bronze, silver, gold, and platinum
>> packages. Still another site features misspelled words and poor
>> grammar.
>>
>> "There is no certification required, so there's no such thing as
>> a legitimate [document]," said Toni Eames, president of the
>> Michigan-based International Association of Assistance Dog
>> Partners.
>>
>> "Anyone who sells you a certification is a scammer," said Eames,
>> who also is blind and has her own guide dog.
>>
>> Kutsukos, who has a service dog to help with his seizures, said
>> the fake certifications "make it it difficult for people with
>> legitimate service dogs to do things."
>>
>> The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990 to protect
>> the rights of the disabled, including their use of service
>> animals. But confusion ensued when monkeys, cats, ferrets and
>> other critters were utilized to help people with special needs
>> function in public places, such as restaurants and hotels.
>>
>> The U.S. Department of Justice amended guidelines on March 15 to
>> narrow the definition of service animals to dogs that are trained
>> to perform specific tasks related to the owner's proven
>> disability.
>>
>> Guide dogs are the most recognizable, having assisted the blind
>> or visually impaired for more than 50 years, according to Jose
>> Lopez with the Lighthouse of Broward, which serves the sight
>> impaired. He has had a guide dog for five years and is a
>> consultant for guide dog training schools.
>>
>> "It's a heavy gray area," Lopez said. "Basically everybody can
>> print [certifications] from the Internet and say 'that's my
>> assisting dog.'"
>>
>> Legitimate service dogs of almost any size or breed can be taught
>> a variety of tasks that include alerting a deaf person to sirens
>> or alarms, retrieving medication, warning of impending seizures,
>> or stopping autistic children from wandering off.
>>
>> The dogs are also trained to wake up a veteran with Post
>> Traumatic Stress Disorder who's having a nightmare, and help to
>> prevent or interrupt destructive or impulsive behavior by people
>> with a neurological or psychiatric disability, Kutsukos said.
>>
>> Dogs that provide emotional comfort are not considered service
>> animals under the new ADA rules, but dogs, monkeys, ferrets and
>> other support animals still are allowed in airplane cabins under
>> the Air Carrier Access Act and in homes under the Fair Housing
>> Act with appropriate proof from the owner's doctor, according to
>> Eames.
>>
>> Still, not everyone bothers.
>>
>> "People come up to me all the time and ask 'Where do I get one of
>> those harnesses to take my dog with me?'" Eames said. "They don't
>> have any clue [my dog] had two years of training before I was
>> able to take her on a plane with me."
>>
>> There are about 20,000 legitimate service dogs across the country
>> and between 600 and 2,000 in Florida, according to Ken Lyons,
>> director of Orlando-based Service Dogs of Florida.
>>
>> It takes up to two years of training with a three-year waiting
>> list at most training schools and only 2,500 dogs graduate each
>> year. Training guide dogs for the blind can cost up to $40,000,
>> Lyons said.
>>
>> "If you are truly disabled, then it's worth the money," Kutsukos
>> said.
>>
>> However, given the time and money invested in training service
>> dogs, disabled users and trainers are angered by those who buy or
>> sell worthless service dog items online for imposter pets.
>>
>> "I'm condemning the people who are irresponsible and force people
>> into cheating," Eames said.
>>
>> Any certification, ID card, vest, tag and harness should include
>> contact information for the service dog's school and trainer but
>> it's not mandatory, Lopez said.
>>
>> By law there are only two questions that can be asked of a
>> disabled person with a service dog:
>>
>> Is this a service dog for disabilities?
>>
>> What tasks or assistance does the dog provide you with?
>>
>> Barring a disabled person and their service dog from a
>> restaurant, hotel, airplane or other public place is a
>> second-degree misdemeanor in Florida, punishable by up to 60 days
>> in jail and a $500 fine.
>>
>> Or a federal judge can order a change in business policies to
>> allow access by disabled customers and their service dogs.
>> Monetary penalties are rare.
>>
>> If a person tries to fake a disability and pretend their pet is a
>> service animal, they risk a fine at the very least or federal
>> fraud charges in extreme cases, Lyons said.
>>
>> "If you portray yourself as disabled, or your pet as a service
>> animal, the minute you go out in public you're committing a
>> crime," he said. "It's felony fraud."
>>
>> wkroustan at tribune.com or 561-243-6623
>>
>>
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>
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