By Norm Lanier
Wow, is there a lot of information on the web about how to go about doing this. Some of it is even quite amusing-that is, if you know what you're doing first.
It's always best to start out with taking a look at the federal civil rights laws (under the Americans with Disabilities Act) and the civil rights laws in your own state. These are the ultimate authorities and really all you need to make a determination. By the way, if there seems to be any disagreement or conflict between the federal laws and your state's laws, it's important for you to know that the federal laws trump your state's laws.
In just about all cases, NO certification is needed for a service dog in order for it to have that designation. All you need is to have a disability as defined under disability law (check that if you're unclear about it), and for your service animal to assist you with tasks that are specific to your disability. The only questions you are ever required to answer are, "Is this a service dog?" and "What tasks does it do for you?"
However, having some kind of visible identification will make your life and that of your dog's infinitely easier, and there is more than one reason for obtaining some ID. For example, I have an acquaintance who took her service dog with her on a plane flight at the end of last year. She had gotten a service dog license from her local licensing bureau by asking for one and submitting a doctor's note along with her application for the license. As she passed through security at the airport, she showed the special license (as well as the dog's health record), and was told by one of the security agents that if she didn't have the license she would have been turned away. Security these days can be quite complicated as well as a pain, and having the identification made things go smoothly. [She had also been given a special service dog license tag for the dog's collar, and was informed by the licensing bureau that the special tag insured that if the dog was lost and identified as a service dog through the tag, extra care would be taken to locate the dog than would be if it was simply a pet.]
To sum up, having some kind of visible identification for your service dog, while not required by law, can make your life so much easier than you might imagine. So it's most highly recommended for both of you!
| Spot is the owner of http://www.ServiceDogTags.com and is a prolific writer on matters concerning service dogs and the disabled. Spot lets his owner help him put the web site together and write articles as it's hard as heck to type with paws. Besides it's good to throw his owner a bone every once in a while so he feels useful. |
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