Fake service animals, including dogs, ducks, miniature horses, taken on planes

More people are claiming their pets are emotional support animals so they can fly free, including dogs, ducks and even miniature horses.

But experts said not only is the practice unethical, it can put other passengers at risk.

Channel 9 anchor Allison Latos investigated the problem and found out what a local dog trainer is doing to clear up confusion.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said too many flights have been disrupted by animals that are not real service animals.

"We've gotten reports on animals on board, anything from a pig to a rooster to a goose,” she said. "And those animals have gotten loose, they have been racing all over the cabin.

"Every time you fake a service animal, you're injuring a real veteran or non-veteran," said Florida state Rep. Jimmie T. Smith.

Smith has championed the issue after learning how service animals help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

He said real service animals change lives.

Such is the case for 4-year-old Alex Martin, who has autism and mitochondrial disease.

Blue is trained to alert his family when Alex is about to have a seizure.

“I love Blue. He is my best friend,” Alex said.

Charlie Petrizzo, who trains dogs at At Project 2 Heal in Waxhaw, to work with people with disabilities, said there's genuine confusion about where service dogs must be allowed.

“Business owners certainly aren't asking the right questions because of this fear that they can't ask,” Petrizzo said.

To counter the misinformation, Petrizzo created a Facebook post comparing actual service dogs with therapy dogs and emotional support dogs.

He said it was prompted by the owner of a local restaurant.

“He said a woman came in with a dog in her arms, and she was carrying it, and she said it was an emotional support animal. Emotional support animals are not granted public access. Again, only service dogs are,” Petrizzo said.

That access, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, includes “all areas of a facility where the public is normally allowed to go.”

The Act defines a service animal as a “dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.”

Revisions in the last few years added miniature horses to that category.

No matter the animal, the flight attendants' union wants to make sure that passengers who need them have them while keeping untrained animals off of planes.

"And anyone who isn't playing by the rules should be held accountable," Nelson said.

"When you let any dog on and don't ask the proper questions, what you’re doing sometimes is denigrating or hurting those soldiers or people with special needs who truly do need the dog,” Petrizzo said.

Experts said some people fake disabilities and pretend that their pets are service animals to avoid paying pet deposits at apartments or rental homes.

Florida passed a law last year cracking down on fake service animals. North Carolina has no such law.

RESOURCES: 

• Americans with Disabilities Act – Regulations regarding service animals
• Project 2 Heal
• Information for North Carolina business owners about service animals
• Information from Project 2 Heal founder Charlie Petrizzo about business owners' responsibilities regarding service animals
• State of Florida makes it illegal to "fake" a service animal

Cox Media Group