Maine Considering Legislation to Penalize False Claims about Service Animals

This has been a concern in my life and now there is an effort to set some limites. ShadowDog is not service/therapy or any other trained dog. But he serves a medical need in our family. We have a note from the doctor and when it comes to anything like housing that would involve him, we make it very clear. Guess others are not so considerate.

According to the Associated press, people who falsely pass off their pets as service animals have frustrated people with legitimate needs to such an extent that legislators in several states are considering laws to restore the animals' credibility.

Legislatures in Maine, Virginia, Arizona, Hawaii, New York and Puerto Rico are considering bills that would either establish such a program or penalize people who fraudulently claim to have service dogs.

In Maine, a task force this month issued a report that said well-meaning federal laws designed to protect people with disabilities have instead opened the door to fraud. Some lawmakers want to weed out the fakers by giving people with disabilities the option of obtaining a state-issued card that verifies their animal is a service dog.

Now, those federal laws are kind of strict from what little I know, so it should be interesting to find that balance.