Pets on campus may be a dream come true for animal lovers, but for the owners of service dogs it is rapidly turning into a nightmare.

The national epidemic of fake service dogs is growing as the market for fake disability vests and certificates becomes Internet-accessible, according to the Huffington Post. It’s a federal crime to misrepresent service dogs, yet people still buy fake credentials to use as an all-access card for their pet.

Unfortunately, ill-behaved dogs passed off as service animals hurt those with disabilities and their canine companions. Individuals who pass their pets off as legitimate service dogs need to become aware of the gravity of their actions.

According to NBC, service dogs are required to go through thousands of hours of training. Training depends on the type of service the animal is providing, but regardless all service animals are taught to never shake, growl, bite, or go to the bathroom in public.

The average pet will find difficulty complying with those requirements. Service dogs must be able to pick up fallen objects, carry groceries, fetch a telephone or accomplish any other task their owner requires in order to be effective at their job.

Without such training, most non-service dogs will exhibit ill behavior when taken to high-traffic, high-energy areas like restaurants, businesses and stores, according to the Huffington Post. Even mellow and good-mannered pets are generally unable to represent the restraint service animals exhibit every day. The temptation of food and play is often overpowering for untrained pets.

Poor behavior by pets posing as service animals alienates business and restaurant owners who are concerned about financial repercussions from damage done by these imposters, according to CBS News. Disabled individuals are being prohibited from entering businesses because of physical damage and customer fallout done by ill-behaved pets masquerading as service animals. 

The problem has even infected the WSU campus. There are certainly students with legitimate and well-trained service dogs, but they are balanced with a student population using service dog vests as an excuse to take their pets to class with them.

When these pets misbehave, it puts professors in a horrible situation. If the dog is barking during class, an instructor is torn between two possibilities: a service dog having a bad day or an untrained pet posing as a service dog. Regardless, it serves as a distraction for other students and undermines the value of real service dogs.

Pet owners can purchase vests and certificates to misrepresent their animals because vendors do not require any proof of a medical need to purchase these items, according to KOLO News out of Reno, Nev. Although regulation that requires proof in order to purchase a vest for a service animal might be the quickest fix to the problem, it is not necessarily the right one.

As more service animals are used to treat problems like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, many individuals with disabilities feel uncomfortable about disclosing their reasons for needing a service dog. According to KOLO News, the Americans with Disabilities Act restrict the questions business owners can ask to whether or not the dog is a service animal and what tasks the animal has been trained to perform.

Without any sort of credentials, it is very easy for pet owners to lie and businesses to be duped when fake service animals destroy property or exhibit aggressive behavior toward other customers.

However, the benefit of service dog credentials is outweighed by the potential invasion of privacy individuals with disabilities will be subjected to if required to disclose personal health information to attain a service dog license.

One of the best solutions is to educate pet owners about the problems they may cause if using fake service dogs and hope that these individuals will change their actions accordingly.

People who need a service dog often do not have a choice about bringing their animal with them everywhere. Individuals who think a fake service dog vest is the best way to glue their pet to them need to remember that it is not worth hurting disabled people.

-Corrine Harris is a senior animal science major from Edmonds. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.