[NAGDU] In-depth: KRON4 shows you how easy it is to get your dog labeled an emotional support animal

Ricky Joe Cook rickyjoecook at comcast.net
Mon Apr 30 21:28:21 UTC 2018


This has smoke coming out my ears.

Ricky Joe


-----Original Message----- 
From: Ginger Kutsch via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2018 9:56 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Ginger Kutsch
Subject: [NAGDU] In-depth: KRON4 shows you how easy it is to get your dog 
labeled an emotional support animal

In-depth: KRON4 shows you how easy it is to get your dog labeled an
emotional support animal

By: Michelle Kingston

April 27, 2018







(KRON) - Want to bring your dog on a plane? Or do you live in an apartment
complex that doesn't allow pets?



Anyone claiming an emotional need can go online, and for a relatively small
fee, they can register their dog as an emotional support animal.



Some say that this is fraud, especially when you can jump on Amazon, and in
a matter of hours, have a "service dog" vest shipped to your front door.



On Friday night, KRON4's Michelle Kingston and her puppy dasher show just
how easy the process really is.



Dasher is a 2-year-old pit bull puppy mix. He's big, but he's cute and
cuddly and an absolute love.



But he isn't fully trained, and sometimes, other dogs and people make him
nervous.



He is definitely not qualified to be an emotional support animal, not yet
anyway, but Michelle went online to register him to see if he'd pass the
test.



But once she got on usdogregistry.org, she realized there wasn't a test at
all.



All Michelle had to do was type in her name, Dasher's name, and give her
credit card information.



She didn't have to say why she needs an emotional support animal or provide
proof of a doctor's note of any mental condition.



Dasher's $79 emotional support animal certification will arrive in the mail
in about a week, with free shipping.



"No, I feel like everybody's entitled to their own, you know, if that's
their business, then you know, if that's why they need them, then that's why
they need them," Valladares said.



On Thursday night, KRON4 met Dana Valladares.



She used the same website as she did to register her dog.



Unlike Michelle, Dana says she suffers from depression and certified her dog
to help her anxiety. She registered her dog Dasher just to see how easy the
process really is.



She was even able to buy a service dog vest on Amazon without any
explanation.



"It makes me feel just very disappointed," said Theresa Stern, who is
visually impaired. "I guess in society that people are comfortable about
lying about something as personal to them as whether or not they have a
disability simply to have their pet dog accompany them in public, and that
is really infringing on my rights and has become a real challenge to other
people who really do have a disability and really need the assistance of a
service animal."



Usdogregistry.org is just one of many websites you can use to certify your
dog.



KRON4 reached out to them to ask why they certify dogs without even knowing
why their owners need that emotional support--or if the dog is properly
trained. They said they provide identification kits 'to be used to
communicate to others that the dogs service a medical need or are assisting
their handlers and that they are not pets.



The handlers are still responsible for ensuring that their dogs meet the
appropriate training requirements and do not behave inappropriately in
public places.



The handlers are also responsible for ensuring that they have qualifying
disabilities and documentation, if applicable.



And as far as Dasher's registration, Michelle will be throwing it out as
soon as it arrives in the mail.





Source:

http://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/in-depth-kron4-shows-you-how-easy-it-is-t
o-get-your-dog-labeled-an-emotional-support-animal/1148068049

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