Savanah Overtruf, a Loveland woman, is a regular customer of a restaurant. She visits the place weekly with her mother and her service dog, Liea, who alerts Overtruf before she experiences seizure attacks. Overtruf has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression, migraines, and Tourette syndrome.

Overtruf was surprised because one Tuesday night, the restaurant owner, Khai Tran, suddenly asked her to show proof that Liea was a real service dog. Tran told Overtruf that he can service her for that night but next time, she must show him proof of her service dog. When interviewed by CBS4’s Jeff Todd, Overtruf said,  “When something like this happens it makes me feel lesser in my community.”

It’s common for business owners to misunderstand assistance animal laws. While Khan was only concerned about people bringing fake service animals to his restaurant, experts state that asking for proof of a service animal is against the ADA and Colorado Anti-Discrimination laws. Restaurants are allowed to ask assistance animal owners only 2 questions: 1) “Is the animal required because of your disability?” and 2) “What task does it perform?”

Overtruf said that adherence to the law is important for her and other service animal owners. She would love to go back to the restaurant and simply wants the owner to know that what he did was against the law.

Article source: CBS Denver

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the text or image below.

ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS

Army veteran Matthew Kopcsak has been paralyzed by a roadside bomb blast in Iraq in 2004. He claims that his landlord named Roger Dale Register violated his right to have a service dog accompany him in his rented home. Kopcsak filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court after waiting for more than 18 months for the other civil lawsuit he filed in Santa Rosa County Court to be resolved.

However, Register said that he is exempted from the federal Fair Housing Act since he only owns one rental property. He adds that the act only applies to those who own three or more properties. At the time that Kopcsak was to sign the rental agreement, Register made it clear that he wouldn’t allow any dogs.

The federal lawsuit states that Kopcsak has experienced shame and embarrassment, as well as psychological distress, emotional and economic damages as a result of being deprived of his right to have a service animal in his home.

Register also happens to be a war veteran. He said that the dispute has also aggravated his physical disabilities and gave his family heartache and sleepless nights.

Article source: Pnj.com

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the text or image below.

ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS

Service dogs are invaluable to people with real disabilities, but a lot of people who are not entitled to the use of service dogs have already abused the system. Christine Slavin, a service animal owner who had a snowboarding accident in 2007, told CBS News that this growing incidence has hurt the image of real service animals and their owners.

Slavin shares what her service dog, Earle, a labrador, can do for her: “Earle does a lot of retrieving for me. When I lose my phone he’s actually very good about finding it.” Earle got his training from NEADS, an organization that provides service and hearing dogs for over 40 years.

Slavin has seen people misrepresenting service dogs every day. Some of these dogs have bitten people in stores while others were generally disruptive. CBS News correspondent Don Dahler said that one time, within 24 hours of logging on to one website, he was able to purchase a fake certificate and ID for his pet. The gear arrived and he was not asked to show proof of a disability.

Dahler reports that in 12 states, misrepresenting a service animal is already considered a violation of the law. Massachusetts would soon join these 12 states. In California, anyone caught using a fake service animal could be fined up to $1,000 and imprisoned for six months.

Article source: Cbs58.com

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the text or image below.

ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS

For a lot of students, college can be a very stressful time in life. The idea of having a support animal can be appealing especially to those who suffer from anxiety or depression. Several studies have demonstrated the capacity of support animals to balance a person’s emotions.

But before you rush into getting yourself one, you need to know that owning a support animal is a lot of responsibility. Audra Peterson, an education major at USAO and owner of a support animal, says, “You have to be ready to take care of it. She needs a lot of attention and has to go outside often, even if it is raining or cold.” Peterson also adds that noise can also be a major concern.

The presence of support animals can be good news for other students in campus who happen to be animal lovers. But what about those students who fear dogs and are allergic to cats? Catelyn Perry, director of counseling, disability & career services at USAO, says that service animals should strictly follow guidelines provided by the ADA and that the animal should be prescribed by a physician or mental health professional.

If you think you need a support animal, you have to do your own research. Look for a breed that can live in your apartment or college dormitory. Ask your roommates if they are okay with a support animal around. Most of all, make sure that you are capable of meeting all your animal’s needs and that includes time and attention.

Article source: Trend.usao.edu

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the text or image below.

ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS