War veteran filed a lawsuit against his landlord

Posted on April 16, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

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

Laws aim to deal with the use of fake service animals

Posted on April 16, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

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?

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

Owners must consider their support animals’ welfare

Posted on April 16, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

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?

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

How do you respond to someone who asks for a demo of your assistance animal’s skills?

Posted on April 10, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

If someone asks you to show a demo of your animal’s skills, you can tell the person:

“I’d rather not, and under the ADA I don’t have to put my Service Animal through that. Giving demos would be detrimental to my animal’s training. I’ve already explained what my Service Animal does to assist me with my disability.”

Showing your registration certificate is an easy way to assert your rights and is often easier than trying to educate the person about the law. By handing it over, you can shortcut the conversation.

Registration is very useful for owners because it can shortcut uncomfortable conversations with landlords, employers, airlines, and business owners, but it is not the registration that gives the animal its status.

The only two required elements are that you have a condition that is a disability and that the animal assists you with your disability by performing a specific function. Refer to Chapter 1 for more detail about the assistance animal types and requirements.

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

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

What if a service animal barks or growls at other people, or otherwise acts out of control?

Posted on April 10, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

You may exclude any animal, including a service animal, from your facility when that animal’s behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.

For example, any service animal that displays vicious behavior towards other guests or customers may be excluded. You may not make assumptions, however, about how a particular animal is likely to behave based on your past experience with other animals. Each situation must be considered individually.

Although a public accommodation may exclude any service animal that is out of control, it should give the individual with a disability who uses the service animal the option of continuing to enjoy its goods and without having the service animal on the premises.

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

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

Are there tax benefits to assistance animals?

Posted on April 10, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

You need to let your tax preparer know that you have an assistance animal. For some owners/handlers, the following expenses may be tax deductible as medical expenses:

Purchasing an assistance animal
Veterinary costs related to the assistance animal
Food costs to feed the assistance animal
The cost of any registration, gear such as vests, and educational courses

Every person’s tax situation and income level are unique; you will need to have the conversations with your tax preparer to see if your expenses qualify as a deduction. Not everyone will be able to take advantage of the tax benefits, but if you don’t ask, you’ll never know.

Here are some tips for you to take advantage of any tax benefits:

Save all receipts in a folder you designate for costs related to your assistance animal.
Track all costs for which you do not have a receipt.
Keep a record of how your assistance animal has assisted you in that tax year.

Make sure to keep all records or documents.

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

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

A woman from Tasmania suggests that ferrets could be alternatives to service dogs

Posted on April 10, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Nicole Flint used to work in emergency response. After she was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), she moved to Tasmania and got herself a ferret as a pet. She named him Deamon. Flint never intended for Deamon to be an assistance animal until she realized that Deamon was helping her cope with her PTSD.

Flint says, “Wherever I felt anxious, he would sense that and he would come and sit with me until the anxiety passed.” Because of Deamon’s help, Flint realized that maybe ferrets could be trained to respond to emotional distress. Flint started training several rescued ferrets herself.

Flint knows that there are no service animal accreditations in Tasmania. She looked to the United States so her ferrets could be officially recognized. What she did was that she filmed one of her ferrets doing “service work” to prove the ferret’s abilities.

Although she knows that service or companion animals should be dogs, she believes that ferrets could serve as alternatives. According to her, there are cases in which a person is simply not allowed to have a dog. Flint says, “[Ferrets are] compact, they’re smart, you can have them in flats.”

Article source: Abc.net.au

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

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

Author makes retired service dog the main character of her storybooks

Posted on April 10, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Photo courtesy: The Argus Observer

Fred is a yellow labrador retriever who used to be a service dog. His owner named Janet Morrison often visits a library in Ontario to read stories to children. Guess what her storybooks are about? Fred, of course! Morrison has a series entitled, “Fred the Dog,” which features Fred’s real-life experiences in several places.

Morrison’s purpose of sharing Fred’s stories to kids is to educate them and the public in general about the importance of service animals. In one of Morrison’s stories, she reminds kids that they are not allowed to pet a service animal without asking the animal owner’s permission.

She tells the kids that a service dog always makes sure that he does his job and that petting the dog can serve as a distraction. One time, Morrison asked the kids what a service dog does and one of them gladly raised her hand and said that a service dog helps a person with some kind of a disability.

Since Fred has already retired as a service dog, Morrison allows the kids to pet him while she reads her stories. In the photo above, Morrison reads one of Fred’s stories entitled, “Fred and the Happy Face Spider.”

Article source: The Argus Observer

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

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

Why are assistance animals good for kids and people in general?

Posted on April 10, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Assistance animals have become widely popular in the United States, as more people have seen their benefits for improving their mental and emotional health. For sure, you’ve heard of reports of emotional support animals such as dogs, cats, pigs, miniature horses, and ducks being used to assist patients with PTSD and autism in their day-to-day lives.

Despite assistance animals’ popularity, we can all agree that animals, in general, have helped people in many ways. Whether it’s an emotional support animal or simply a pet, animals help ease feelings of loneliness. You get to take them for a walk which allows you to exercise.

When it comes to children with or without developmental disorders, interaction with assistance animals has been shown to increase learning motivation, social skills, empathy, a sense of responsibility, and self-esteem. Therapy animals also help decrease pain among hospitalized children.

As owners of assistance animals, we need to make sure that our furry companions get all the care and training they need to stay safe and healthy so they can continue keeping us happy.

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

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

What do you do when someone violates your rights?

Posted on April 3, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Not everyone understands assistance animal laws. Even if you are very clear with others and take all the suggested actions to communicate your needs and requests for accommodation, it is possible for your rights to be ignored or violated by other people and businesses such as:

Landlords, Property Managers, or Hotels
Airlines or Public Ground Transit Providers
Staff at Restaurants, Movie Theaters, Parks, and Shops

You have a lot of choices in how you respond to a person violating your rights. Not all people understand their obligations or your rights. Some violations are out of ignorance, not spite or ill will. Other violations might be out of anger or intentional. You can probably guess or sense which it is and can react accordingly.

If the person violating your rights is doing so out of ignorance about the law, brief education can sometimes solve the issue.

If the person violating your rights is doing so out of anger, or harasses you, or repeatedly violates your rights, or is threatening your peace of mind, you can take more serious action such as:

Giving the person a signed Notice of Violation.
Reporting the person to the appropriate agency.
Seeking legal assistance from a free “pro bono” attorney services organization such as Legal Aid.
Hiring a private attorney to help you sue the violator for your damages, such as emotional distress and any loss you suffered.

Are you an owner of an assistance animal?

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

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