Tuesday Training Byte: Service dog vs. therapy or emotional support dog

For thousands of years, dogs have been companions to people and often do a specific job. I had trained and owned many therapy dogs over the decades, and have trained a couple of service dogs. Recently on a trip to WalMart, I was walking between cars in the parking lot, when a small, mixed breed dog wearing a "Service Dog" vest and patch. He dashed toward me at the end of his leash barking. The woman in the car told me that he is friendly and wants to make friend with everybody. That was the tip off that she had a fake service dog. Many states have caught on to this ruse and have made it a crime to try to pass off a pet as a service animal with penalties that range from fines to prison time. I understand the bond people have and want to take their pooch everywhere with them. However, a service dog is trained to ignore people and other animals- not lunge toward them barking. To be a service dog, the handler must have an ADA recognized disability AND the dog is specifically trained to do a task or tasks to help aid the person with the disability. A true service dog, when out with it's handler is working and must focus on that and not people, dogs, or other distractions. Trying to pass off your dog as a service dog presents a problem for everyone. I also saw a Chihuahua at Walmart in the disabled motorized cart basket and it was jumping and barking aggressively at everyone! A therapy dog is trained and socialized to be very friendly with many people and ignore other pets. This type of animal has likely first earned it's Canine Good Citizen title, as that is the first half of the therapy dog certification test. A therapy dog is not granted access to any restaurant, store, or public transportation. An emotional support dog has access to housing that may be considered no pets and they are trained to provide emotional support to one person. Here is a list of some ways to identify a "fake" service dog:

1. Reactive to other people or animals

2. Being carried or put in a basket or stroller

3. Not walking by the person in a heel position

4. Barking, whining or sniffing everything

5. They are interested in strangers and do not respond to owner redirection The chart below shows a comparison :