Fake service dogs! This really has made the news

Subject: Article from Matilda Ziegler Feature Writer 2013 09 23

Ann Chiapetta's Dog Guide Extraordinaire Verona - Dogs in the News Are fake service dogs spoiling it for us? I don't know if any of my other canine colleagues are worried about this, but I sure am. I mean, I know my job and I love to do my best for my human partner, Annie. What I'm upset about are the fakers. Yes, you know who I am talking about. They are the dogs who look like us, but don't let them fool you. Let's just say that even though we're all cousins, they haven't made it past elementary school. Service dogs like me have graduated from college. Let me give you an example. One day I was taking Annie to lunch. As we came back from the deli, we passed a vitamin store and this little white thing came running up and he tried to bite me. Well, it sure scared me but I was not going to let him get me or Annie. We stood there, he kept snapping, and I avoided his little teeth. Well, the owner of the store ran out, tried grabbing him and he ran away from her and tried to bite my hind legs. I turned around, Annie following me. Finally the lady got the dog and we left. He is supposed to be a service dog. That, readers, is not how a real service dog behaves. There is more about this concern of people taking fake service dogs into public and how it will make it bad for us in the following article posted on Pawnation:http://www.pawnation.com/2013/09/20/this-falls-hottest-accessory-fake-service-dogs/ The article states, in part, "A growing number of dog owners are trying to pass their untrained companions off as service animals - and they're actually getting away with it. It's not hard to do because service dog gear sold on the internet, like vests, harnesses, and I.D. tags can be purchased without proving the dog is a legitimately trained and certified service dog. The backlash of the public becoming less and less tolerant of service dog teams is what concerns dog guides and dogs trained to help our partners with disabilities. It's already hard enough to be accepted in the public and due to misbehaved frauds like that little dog who tried to hurt us, people will be confused and even less willing to receive us in public places. My partner Annie says it's the bad apples spoiling it for all the good ones. Not sure I get that, but, hey, she's only human. If you have any thoughts on this article, comment in the Reader's Forum