Our pets are our part of our family and it is understandable
that many of us want our pets by our side just as we want our children by our
side however to diminish the extent of the time, dedication and service that a
true service dog provides to those who truly needs a service dog versus those
who just wants to have their pet by their side or to save a few dollars just
cannot be justified. It is nice to see
that it is now punishable by law, when someone misrepresents their pet as a
service dog. 
It has become more recent that individuals are abusing the
system in order for their pet to fly with them free of charge and out of a
carrier, to go into stores with them and to be with them all the time by
stating they are their service dog. By
law a service dog/pet does not need to wear a vest or have specific
documentation however they do need to be trained for a specific task and be
under the control of the handler at all times.
An establishment by law can ask a handler if the pet provides a service
and what is the pet trained to do? Real
service dogs have stringent guidelines and training, they are no longer a pet
but a medical necessity. A handler’s
life is in the balance of their service dog whether it is a Seeing Eye dog,
hearing dog, diabetic alert dog, seizure alert dog and so on. 
There are specific service dogs that are bred from birth to
be service dogs. There are also dogs
that are rescued and then trained to be service dogs pending what the service
they will be training for is. Either
way, a real service dog usually starts training at the age of two even through
as they are going through their puppy stages and playing there are toys and
games that ultimately assists with eventually will be a task when they become a
certified service dog. Not all pets that
enter the service dog training whether bred from birth or that are rescued
actually become a certified service dog, it takes dedication and discipline
which not all dogs have to become a service dog. Those dogs are not destroyed but are adopted
or sold to become family pets, remember a certified service dog is not a pet
but a medically necessity for the handler.
Once a service dog goes through the training and becomes a
certified service dog, their training does not end there. Each year the service dog team (dog and
handler) are retested to make sure the dog is still performing the tasks they
were trained for, if the dog fails it goes through retraining and if the dog
fails again the dog is no longer a service dog.
The dog will be adopted to another family as a pet while the handler
will be assigned to another certified service dog. A service dog cannot be disruptive or out of
control in any public place because even being a service dog they can be
requested to leave. So even real service
dogs can be requested to leave if they are being bad. 
With the extensive training a real service dog goes through
and the lifesaving service they provide to their handler as well as their
handler counting on them to be there for
them and knowing the handler really cannot go anywhere without them because it
could cost them their life. Individuals
who do not need their pet as a medical necessity should be thankful and not
abuse the system. When they abuse the
system it only makes it harder for those who really need the system. One day it could be you or someone you love
then you will realize the extent of what is takes between the documentation and
training to qualify for a service dog then to be questioned or ridicule due to
the misrepresentation of fake service dog.
I only pray and hope it does not happen to you or someone you love but
think twice before you misrepresent your pet as a service animal. There are many stores that are now pet
friendly, employers that are pet friendly, restaurants with outside eating
areas for those who want to bring their pets and even public transportation who
allow pets. Research your area and try a
different approach then misrepresenting your pet; it only makes it harder for
others who already have it hard enough. @blogpaws #blogpaws #veteranservicedog #servicedog #pug #pugs #pugnation #pugworld #servicepets #servicepet #petfriendly
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