Service dogs are canine companions that aid people who have disabilities. They can help people with physical or mental disabilities and can improve someone’s quality of life with the right training. Plus, service dogs can accompany their owners in public spaces, on airlines, and even in private businesses. Unfortunately, many people have started to pass off fake service dogs to bring their dogs with them in public. Most of the time, these are untrained emotional support animals (ESAs), therapy dogs, or even just pets.
That said, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t allow you to outright call out someone for having a service dog, which makes it challenging to spot a fake service dog from a real one. Thankfully, we’re here to help. Read on to learn about how to catch a fake service dog.
What Is a Service Dog?
If you want to catch a fake service dog, you first need to know what a service dog is. Fortunately, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides a simple explanation of what they are: dogs of any breed or size trained to help someone with a disability perform a specific task. Ultimately, this means a service dog is a well-trained dog that can help someone with a disability by doing things like:
- Fetching medications
- Preventing seizures
- Treating or preventing panic attacks
- Guiding the blind
- Pushing wheelchairs through tough terrain
- Getting help in public
- Reminding people when it’s time to take medication
These are only some of the tasks that service dogs can help people with.
The ADA also covers what a service dog is not. Service dogs are not required to be certified or wear a vest or ID, but they can’t be emotional support animals or therapy dogs.
What’s the Difference Between a Service Dog and an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)?
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, an emotional support animal is an animal that’s there to provide comfort. ESAs also can be dogs, cats, mice, or any other pet that provides comfort for their owner. Furthermore, ESAs don’t require formal training; you can get approved for one in a quick phone call with a licensed mental health professional online.
This gives you an ESA letter that can help you live in otherwise pet-friendly housing with an ESA. However, this does not apply to public spaces because ESAs aren’t protected under the ADA like service dogs.
Ultimately, the key difference between service dogs and ESAs is that ESAs don’t require training, while service dogs do. Additionally, service dogs have to be dogs, while ESAs can be any animal, as long as it is friendly.
Where Can Service Dogs Go?
When you’re trying to catch a fake service dog, you might immediately think that you can report them because they’re somewhere they shouldn’t be. While there are some restrictions, service dogs are protected by the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For this reason, they can be in most public settings and live in an apartment, even if it’s not pet-friendly.
What’s more, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) also protects service dogs and allows them to fly in the cabin of most planes if the rules are followed. For these reasons, location won’t help you to determine if a service dog is legitimate.
10 Ways to Catch a Fake Service Dog
According to the ADA, service dogs don’t need any identification, and a vest is not necessary. Unfortunately, this makes it hard to identify a fake service dog based on appearance alone. Thankfully, we have 10 methods that can help you catch a fake service dog.
1. Aggression
The most obvious sign that a service dog is not a real service dog is its aggression level. Service dogs won’t show aggression, even when provoked, unless there is danger to the owner. For this reason, any aggression, like growling or snarling, is a warning sign that you’re not dealing with a service dog. Aggression can also appear as flaring teeth or other intimation tactics that dogs use, such as getting low to the ground in a sprawl-like move.
2. Lack of Discipline
One of the most important parts of a service dog’s training is discipline and not reacting to stimuli or the environment. Therefore, a service dog shouldn’t bark at people, run up to strangers, or enjoy pets from strangers. These dogs are well-behaved and will typically ignore any distractions unless they come from the owner. Service dogs also won’t lash out at people, play with other dogs, or make much noise at all.
3. They’re Being Carried
If you see a dog that’s not walking, there’s a good chance that it’s not a service dog. Service dogs will walk on their own, and you won’t find them in handbags, carriers, or any other tools that people use to carry their dogs. In fact, the only time you should see a service dog in a carrier is if you’re on an airline because some smaller dogs will have to be placed in one. If any dog is in a purse or being transported in other ways than its legs, you should have some suspicions.
4. Not Leash-Trained
Some service dogs don’t walk on a leash, but if you notice a service dog on a leash that doesn’t seem to be properly trained, it’s likely not a service dog. Even if service dogs don’t need a leash, they should be trained to walk on one. This means that they will stop walking when their owner stops, walk beside their owner, and never pull on the leash unless there is danger to the owner. If you see a dog tugging, pulling their owner, or misbehaving on a leash, it’s not a service dog.
5. Barking, Howling, or Whining
Service dogs won’t bark and whine. They’re some of the best-trained dogs and won’t react to crowded spaces or uncomfortable situations. Therefore, you shouldn’t notice any barking, whining, or howling. If you notice a service dog that can’t seem to relax in a public setting, it’s most likely not a service dog. There are rare circumstances where this can happen, like in a dangerous situation, but it’s unlikely during everyday encounters.
6. Sniffing or Exploration
Most dogs are curious and will explore anything they can. They’ll sniff the grass, walk up to strangers and check them out, or sniff just about anything else they come in contact with. While this is natural for a regular pup, it’s not something a trained service dog will do. Trained service dogs are trained to remain with their owners at all times, so you won’t find them wandering, digging holes, or doing anything else.
7. Not Responding to Commands
Fake service dogs won’t respond to commands. Service dogs are trained to follow commands from their owner, and they can follow them well. If you notice that a service dog isn’t responding to its owner, it’s a big red flag that it’s not a real service dog.
While service dogs are trained to respond to commands from their owners, they’re not trained to respond to commands from the public. For this reason, there’s no reason to think they’re a fraud if they’re not responding to your commands.
8. Not the Right Service Dog Breed
This tip is not a sure thing, but it’s a great way to get an idea about whether or not a service dog is real or fake. Some dog breeds are more common for service dog work than others because the training is extensive, time-consuming, and expensive. Therefore, to avoid wasting time and resources, the most responsive dog breeds usually end up as service dogs. These breeds include:
- German shepherds
- Labrador retrievers
- Poodles
- Bernese mountain dogs
That said, some smaller breeds are also common for psychiatric service dog work.
When it comes to breeds to worry about, you’re looking for breeds that lack intelligence or prefer to be more aloof. Some examples include:
- Pitbulls
- Mastiffs
- Rottweilers
- Terriers
- Chow chows
- Bulldogs
- Borzois
If you come across these breeds and they’re acting as service dogs, it should raise some suspicions.
9. You Don’t Notice a Service Dog Vest or Gear
Most people who take service dogs in public will equip them with a vest, unique leash, or anything else that helps with their identification. While service dogs aren’t required to wear this gear, most people do it as a courtesy or to let others know that they shouldn’t interact with the dog. You shouldn’t put too much stock in this one, but seeing a dog without any indications that they’re on the job can be a red flag.
This can also go the other way. If you notice a service dog that has too much gear on, or the wrong kind of gear, it might be a sign that the owner is overcompensating. This gets tricky, but it’s worth noting.
10. Ask the Right Questions
When it comes to asking questions about service dogs, the ADA has many protections in place. Therefore, you can only ask two questions. These questions are:
- Is the service dog required?
- What tasks is the dog trained to help you with?
As a business owner or anyone else in public, you can only ask these two questions to the owner. If the owner has no answers for you, there’s a good chance that they’re not a service dog. Owners that give you answers that don’t line up with what a service dog can actually do are also a sign that you’re dealing with a fake service dog.
Also, there is no formal certificate or universal training program for a service dog, so if someone shows you documents in response to your questions, they might be an ESA or a fake service dog.
How to Deal with Fake Service Dogs
There are a few ways you can deal with fake service dogs. Unfortunately, you can’t ask many questions or ask someone to leave unless the dog is being aggressive or harmful. That said, you do have some rights, and you can report the dog and the owner to the proper authorities.
Contact the Authorities
The first thing you should do is contact the authorities. You can’t ask the person to leave if the dog is well-behaved, but you can call the police, or any service dog organizations in your area, or contact the ADA. From there, you can report the person and the dog and let the authorities handle the matter.
There are fines and penalties for lying about a service dog, so contacting the authorities should be enough to get someone who has a fake service dog to leave. In fact, some of these fines can be upwards of $1,000 in states like Texas or result in jail time in states like Florida.
Ask the Person to Leave
When you notice someone with a fake service dog in your business, you can only ask them to leave if the dog is not behaving. According to the ADA, service dogs that are barking, making noise, being aggressive, or peeing on the property can be removed. While you can have the owner remove the dog, you have to give the person a chance to come back without the dog.
No More Fake Service Dogs
It’s not easy to catch a fake service dog or take action against one. Still, you’re not powerless and do have rights if you encounter a situation where you think someone is lying. Always avoid confronting the owner unless the service dog is misbehaving, and make sure to contact your local authorities to resolve the matter.
If you’re unsure about a service dog’s legitimacy, go through our list of tips to spot the fakes and see if anything stands out to you. From there, use your best judgment.