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You are absolutely allowed to ask for verification that an animal is a real service animal, but the people who have been conflating emotional support animals wi

You are absolutely allowed to ask for verification that an animal is a real service animal, but the people who have been conflating emotional support animals with service animals want you to believe that you can't. Service animals have to be licensed, trained to perform a task or duty, and be easily identifiable. Misrepresenting an untrained and unlicensed animal as a service animal is fraud and illegal.

CADBOT 6y ago
Actually, they don't need to be licensed. The only thing a business can ask is what tasks is the service dog trained to be formed. I do think it would be better off for everyone if there was a license though. I've known people with legitimate service dogs who have had that opinion even. They wish they had a document to prove their legitimacy, as they are constantly asked for a document that doesn't exist.
- colejohnson66 6y ago
  That requirement always felt weird. I can’t ask what disability a person has, but I can ask what the dog is supposed to do? Because if they say it helps alert to a seizure, I just learned they possibly have chronic seizures without actually asking that.
  - tarboreus 6y ago
    It's fair because it doesn't set a precedent in other areas. But yes, in practice it's odd.
- henrikschroder 6y ago
  Oh, thanks for correcting me, I thought there was a license involved in the US, or at least some kind of certification that the animal actually is trained, and that you didn't just slap a vest on your pet poodle...
kec 6y ago
as CADBOT says, there is no license (or even standards body who could lobby for / issue one). You're allowed to ask what tasks the animal performs, then deny service so long as accommodations are made. The correct solution is for businesses to grow a backbone and do that for all animals all the time until people gaming the system with fake ESAs give up.
llbeansandrice 6y ago
> Service animals have to be licensed In the US this is not true by the ADA as licensing is a pretty prohibitive cost for many people with disabilities.
- henrikschroder 6y ago
  I would assume the cost of a license to be much, much smaller than the actual cost of raising and training a service animal?
  - llbeansandrice 6y ago
    Generally there are charities/non-profit organizations that will do a lot of the training and help with the ongoing costs of care. I personally don't see the argument that a separate license is needed or helpful. It's an extra cost and step that's entirely unnecessary. If you want or need a service animal you obviously have to have some way to train it and care for it, but a license is extra. Also if it is ever lost or anything you could be turned away from any public place until it's resolved. I just see it causing more issues for people than it tends to solve.

CADBOT 6y ago

Actually, they don't need to be licensed. The only thing a business can ask is what tasks is the service dog trained to be formed. I do think it would be better off for everyone if there was a license though. I've known people with legitimate service dogs who have had that opinion even. They wish they had a document to prove their legitimacy, as they are constantly asked for a document that doesn't exist.

colejohnson66 6y ago
That requirement always felt weird. I can’t ask what disability a person has, but I can ask what the dog is supposed to do? Because if they say it helps alert to a seizure, I just learned they possibly have chronic seizures without actually asking that.
- tarboreus 6y ago
  It's fair because it doesn't set a precedent in other areas. But yes, in practice it's odd.
henrikschroder 6y ago
Oh, thanks for correcting me, I thought there was a license involved in the US, or at least some kind of certification that the animal actually is trained, and that you didn't just slap a vest on your pet poodle...

kec 6y ago

as CADBOT says, there is no license (or even standards body who could lobby for / issue one). You're allowed to ask what tasks the animal performs, then deny service so long as accommodations are made. The correct solution is for businesses to grow a backbone and do that for all animals all the time until people gaming the system with fake ESAs give up.

llbeansandrice 6y ago

> Service animals have to be licensed In the US this is not true by the ADA as licensing is a pretty prohibitive cost for many people with disabilities.

henrikschroder 6y ago
I would assume the cost of a license to be much, much smaller than the actual cost of raising and training a service animal?
- llbeansandrice 6y ago
  Generally there are charities/non-profit organizations that will do a lot of the training and help with the ongoing costs of care. I personally don't see the argument that a separate license is needed or helpful. It's an extra cost and step that's entirely unnecessary. If you want or need a service animal you obviously have to have some way to train it and care for it, but a license is extra. Also if it is ever lost or anything you could be turned away from any public place until it's resolved. I just see it causing more issues for people than it tends to solve.