Dog News

People Using Fake Service Dog Tags

by ADMIN

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servicedog
Photo Credit. NY Post

Service dogs are amazing animals that help make people’s lives better. We often hear stories of service dogs being denied entry into businesses because people are misinformed on their rights. Unfortunately some people are making things even more difficult for service dogs. The New York Post reported that many New Yorkers have been using fake “service dog” tags on their pets so they can take them wherever they want.

Dog owners in New York have been purchasing fake tags, vests, patches and certificates on the internet. These New Yorkers put these tags on their dogs so they can take them into restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, clubs and other business.

“I was sick of tying my dog outside,” said 33-year-old Brett Davis, who has fake patch on his teacup Yorkie Napoleon. “Sometimes they’ll give me a hassle and say bring the papers next time, but for five bucks, you order [a patch] off eBay, and it works 90 percent of the time.”

To obtain a legal service-dog one must go through the Health Department. Unfortunately once the tags are administered there is no regulation of them. Kate Vlasovskaya has purchased a fake “service dog” ID card for her King Charles spaniel, Lila and says not only is it becoming popular but she doesn’t really worry about being caught because it’s too much of a hassle to verify.

“You’d have to go through all of these links or get someone on the line,” said Vlasovskaya. “With all that effort, they will probably just let you in.”

Not only are these New Yorkers taking advantage of the system, people who have legitimate service dogs say the fake service dogs are causing issues.

“People don’t realize that if the dog misbehaves in any way – if it isn’t clean, barks or is overly friendly and jumps on people – that it aggravates other dogs and disrupts the way they do service,” said Toni Eames, the president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners.

 

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