Service Animals, Emotional Support Animals, and Guide Dogs6160626

Sadly, some people are asking whether "service animal" laws are being abused by people who want to scam the device.

There have been news stories, articles, opinion pieces and other editorials where people rant and complain about people they believe to be abusing the machine. You hear some complain that they had to sit near your pet dog at a restaurant which they don't believe is really a "real" service dog, or others complain their neighbors use a pet in the "no pet" building since they claimed the animal is esa doctors.

A few of the commentary comes with an indignant tone, plus some people are downright angry.

So how exactly does this affect those that legitimately own and employ a service animal to better their lives? In many ways.

For one, it can it more difficult to navigate bureaucracy around the globe when your claim of a disability as well as your service or emotional support animal's status is questioned. If a landlord or company owner has heard negative stories claiming that many people are abusing the system, it can cause them to look suspiciously in any way claimants.

Some landlord and business owners have begun asking for proof of status, even though asking for written or another evidence might not be legal, and although many people who just love legitimate service animals and emotional support animals have not taken advantage of registering them, and thus have no such documentation to create.

It is the suspicious attitude and illegal demands of some landlords and business people that make registrations services such as the Service Animal Registry of California so vital to legitimate owners.

Although registration is optional, it will also help shortcut the housing rental and business access issues once the owner can produce a simple document that may often satisfy the owner or landlord. Also, when utilizing public spaces, it is usually easier to give a document with a simple sentence stating, "This is a service animal" and letting the other party see the information, instead of having a long-winded protracted conversation (or worse, argument) in public, with onlookers listening in and gathering across the discussion.

So, carry out some people scam the machine, or game what the law states? Sadly, the answer then is "probably yes." In life, there is always room for abuse and people can attempt to take advantage of many systems that we as a society set up to protect the rights of people who need such protection. For instance, many drivers falsely display disabled parking placards to benefit from free and convenient parking. As well as the number of people who lie on their own tax returns, claim improper tax deductions, abuse shop return policies, or do other bad acts.

However that percentage of abuse, which in service animal laws is hopefully small, is arguably a very small price to pay when compared to the higher goal of promoting access and equality for many.

In the end, you cannot control any system making it 100% abuse proof. So tolerating the few individuals who scam service animal laws may be the price we gladly pay to ensure that the disabled in the great condition of California have equal access under law.