Why would anyone want a fake service dog? For some, it is as simple as wanting to have the companionship of their dog on trips to stores or restaurants, which normally do not permit dogs. By law, in the U.S. service dogs must be allowed on public transportation. hotels, bars, and other public spaces, even if they are normally prohibited. They are even allowed in the passenger compartments of most airplanes. These dogs are basically classified as "medical equipment," and to bar them would be to discriminate against disabled people.
One woman said she was having trouble finding an apartment that would accept her since she had a Labrador Retriever, and almost all apartments had a no-pets policy. A friend recommended that she buy an appropriate vest and identification card so that she could claim that her pet was a "service dog." That enabled her to point out to any potential landlords that it would be against the law to deny her accommodation.
Therapy dogs and emotional support dogs are sometimes granted the same rights of access that service dogs are; however, their status varies from state to state. There is no formally accepted set of identifiers for these dogs; however, a dog wearing a brightly colored harness with a label stating "Therapy Dog" or "Emotional Support Dog" will usually go unchallenged.
It doesn't appear to be all that difficult to obtain medical documentation saying that your own personal pet is a service animal.The penalties for passing a dog off as a service dog are spotty, varying state by state; only 23 states have any penalty at all. New York, the consequences are quite small (a $25 fine for the first offense).
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