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?

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

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

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

An airline denied a blind woman and her seeing-eye dog accommodation

Posted on April 3, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Photo courtesy: Bangor Daily News

Sue Martin, 61, is a blind woman who was accompanied by her 3-year old service dog named Quan (a German Shepherd) and her husband on her flight from Bangor. The three of them were able to fly from Bangor to Washington, DC but had trouble doing so during the second leg of their flight.

What happened was that they had trouble finding a seating in American Airlines that was big enough for Quan to lay down. The AA flight attendant refused to offer a larger seating after Martin made a request. Martin also suggested if she could get a first-class ticket and the attendant replied that dogs are prohibited in first class. A passenger in first class offered his seat. After Martin accepted, an American Airline supervisor came and directed Martin, Quan, and her husband off the flight.

Martin asked why she has been removed and the supervisor responded that the crew decided that their presence on the plane was unsafe and that they had to leave. After returning home by taking another airline flight, Martin filed a complaint against American Airlines for the incident. The company made an apology and stated that Martin’s allegations would be investigated.

According to Robert Mann of R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, N.Y., there probably has been a confusion with the recognition of Quan as a legitimate service dog. The U.S. Department of Transportation accepted Martin’s complaint. The investigation is still going on. Martin would also like to be reimbursed for the $80 cab fare she spent while traveling with Quan and her husband to a different airport.

Article source: Bangor Daily News

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

Can a cat be called a service animal?

Posted on April 3, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Cats are cute, amazing, and helpful in some ways, but disabled people cannot rely on cats to help them cross the street, detect dangerously low blood sugar levels, and bring them medication.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal can be either a dog or miniature horse. No other animals qualify under the ADA as service animals. However, cats can be included in the list of emotional support animals and therapy animals.

An emotional support cat offers real mental and emotional benefits to people with anxiety and depression. In fact, the mere experience of watching adorable cat videos seems to have a positive impact on people. Emotional support cat owners can request for the accommodation of their animal provided that they show a physician’s prescription for the use of the emotional support cat.

On the other hand, therapy cats visit people in facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers who can benefit from their mere presence. While cats do not fit under the category of a service animal, they can be emotional support animals or therapy animals to people who need them.

Article source: Catster.com

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

More people are abusing the use of service dogs

Posted on April 3, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Photo courtesy: Charleston Gazette-Mail

It seems that more people nowadays are using vests and other gear on their dogs to imply that they’re service animals even when they’re not. Unfortunately, vests and other credentials are not a valid proof of a real service animal. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has no government certification for service animals so that disabled individuals would not have to go through the hassle of acquiring it.

The sad part is that because of this lack of government-issued certification, people with no disabilities are taking advantage of this situation. This has negatively affected the privilege of disabled individuals to use their rights, especially in public places. If you plan to use a fake service dog for your own benefit, think again. It’s considered illegal.

The accommodation of real service dogs can be jeopardized in several ways because of impersonators. For example, most airlines limit the number of animals for each flight. United Airlines accommodates up to 3 service animals. If there are 3 fake animals on the flight, that would place undue harm to a fourth person with a real disability.

18 states, including California and Virginia, have laws that address the misrepresentation of service animals. Businesses should be more careful in accepting service animals. To identify if a person needs the animal with him/her because of a disability, establishments are allowed to ask only 2 questions – if a dog is required due to a disability and the task/s that the dog is trained to do to assist the disabled person.

Article source: Charleston Gazette-Mail

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

Misrepresenting pets as service animals could soon be a civil offense

Posted on March 27, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

A lot of people now claim their pets to be service animals in order to enjoy public accommodations such as shopping, dining out, or flying. What they these people usually do is they purchase a service vest or claim a service dog ID kit online.

According to disability advocates, this growing trend of misrepresenting pets as service animals would be considered a civil offense soon. In fact, legislators in Massachusetts are considering a bill that would penalize fake service animal owners.

This bill would not only punish owners of fake service animals but also expose operations that sell dogs that aren’t adequately trained to veterans. This places disabled people at risk. The main problem that many are facing is the lack of an official civil dog registry – although there are registries such as the SARC.

If the bill would be approved, disabled people will also be able to enjoy their rights since this reduces suspicion among business owners. Fakers can also get fined up to $500 and be required to render 30 hours of community service.

Article source: Bostonglobe.com

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

Emotional support cat lives with college freshman in dormitory

Posted on March 27, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Taylor Petrizzo, a freshman at the Florida SouthWestern State College, had witnessed the death of her relative and close friend in 2014. Petrizzo decided to get an emotional support animal which she named Junior. Junior now lives with her in the campus dormitory.

According to Petrizzo, she had knowledge on the difference between service animals and emotional support animals since she was in high school after attending a veterinarian technician course. That was the reason why she had Junior certified as an emotional support animal. Petrizzo says that Junior helps calm her anxieties whenever she feels pressured to meet school deadlines. Not only that, Junior has also provided comfort to Petrizzo’s roommates whenever they had to deal with some of their girl issues.

Petrizzo says that Junior helps calm her anxieties whenever she feels pressured to meet school deadlines. Not only that, Junior has also provided comfort to Petrizzo’s roommates whenever they had to deal with some of their girl issues.

More schools are now allowing service animals and emotional support animals in dormitories following the 2013 federal lawsuit against the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The said university denied the request of a student to bring her emotional support animal to the dorm.

Florida SouthWestern State College allows emotional support animals but confines them to dorm facilities. The school also checks on other students living in their dorm to see whether they have any problems living with an emotional support animal. Although schools are having difficulties on implementing emotional support animal policies, they are doing their best to adhere to the law.

Article source: News-press.com

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

Two emotional support dogs help their owners cope in school

Posted on March 27, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

It’s a common thing nowadays to see and hear about university students bringing their emotional support animals to school for the structure and comfort they add to their everyday lives. Two college students in Cabrini University have benefited from the company of their emotional support dogs.

Lexi & Harper, Photo courtesy: Theloquitur.com

Lexi Douglass is currently a sophomore who resides in Sullivan House. Under the ADA, she is diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and anxiety. Having Harper by her side eases her stress at school. She says that Harper is able to recognize her stress by nudging her to play with him or take him outside for a walk.

Breana & Chloe, Photo courtesy: Theloquitur.com

On the other hand, Briana Capone is a junior student who lives in West Residence Hall. She has anxiety problems and Chloe helps her deal with them effectively. Capone says, “When I get home from school and it is a really really stressful day she is always just there and I can snuggle with her and she comforts me.”

Douglass and Capone are thankful that Cabrini University allows qualified students to bring their emotional support animals. Capone hopes that more students would be given the privilege to bring their assistance animals on campus.

Article source: Theloquitur.com

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

Stray cat delights students at Stewart Hall

Posted on March 27, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

Whether an animal is a service dog or stray cat, it provides the same level of comfort to people who need them. Biola University is one of the many schools where you see stray cats roaming around the school campus. One notable stray cat has caught the attention of several students in Stewart Hall. They named the cat Stewart.

Stewart, though not an official emotional support animal, has helped comfort students with his friendly demeanor. Stewart would cuddle with the students and in return, they gave him food and blankets. According to a sophomore named Belen Lopez who also happened to reside in Stewart Hall, Stewart would often wander around the dorm and follow people which were very funny.

Lopez was concerned that Stewart would be left alone during school breaks so she started finding someone who could adopt him. At last, Lopez was able to connect Stewart with Karrah Bakalar, an off-campus student. Stewart now lives with Bakalar and unofficially serves as her emotional support animal to help her deal with college stress. With the help of the Americans with Disabilities Act, more students in Biola University are bringing service animals to assist them in school.

Please note that unlike a service animal, emotional support animals do not need any training. However, landlords and airline personnel may request a copy of a medical practitioner’s note prescribing a person’s need for an emotional support animal.

Article source: Biola University

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

How can you make a request for a landlord/property manager to accommodate your assistance animal?

Posted on March 20, 2017 by SARC Editorial Staff

The first step is to let the landlord, property manager, or hotel operator know that you would like to request that your Assistance Animal live with you as a reasonable accommodation for your disability. It is best to do this in writing so that you have evidence of how and when you made your request.

There is no specific way that the request has to be made; the law does not require that it be in writing or that you use a particular language.

However, if you are also a student in our online course series, we have had an attorney prepare a template you can use for a general request.

Students can download the Template for Requesting Housing Accommodation as a PDF by clicking this link to access the template from the online class.

Are you an owner of an assistance 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

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