[Nyagdu] dogs being passed off as service animals

[cheryl echevarria]

On my way home from State Convention.  When we flew from Buffalo to 
Baltimore before traveling on to Long Island, very tired you might say, 
there was not but 2 people passing there dogs off as service animals, one 
was a small chuwawa sorry can't spell that and one was something my husband 
didn't even know what it was.  Anyway both dogs were in harness and off the 
people from the airport asked me a question at the baltimore airport who by 
the way lives near me and support the GDF foundation.  I think she knows 
that laws or what a service animal is and was annoyed that anyone these days 
pass off there dogs as service animals so there pet gets a free ride sitting 
with there owners on the plane. I can understand sometimes because below the 
plane the dogs can get sick and die, but then the passenger on some airlines 
are allowed to purchase a seat for the dog.

But anyway, this lady that was talking to me asked me with all these new 
service dogs around and she know because she is a Nurse, said, I know we are 
not allowed to ask the disability of the person who used the animal but 
there are so many people out there with them know how does one go without 
pulling ones hair out of there head or not knowing, I said by law you cannot 
ask what the disability is but you can ask what function the dog does, 
meaning our dogs are our eyes they guide us. some other dogs are trained to 
do  other tasks.  Both these people got mad and walked away I guess these 
people were not service animal owners, and the people at the airport as well 
were very happy to hear this.

Cheryl Echevarria
Treasurer
National Federation of the Blind
Greater Long Island Chapter