Originally Posted by
WillCAD
Even as a naturally cynical and skeptical person, I can't go through life automatically assuming that every person I see with an animal is scamming the system. Absent some evidence to the contrary, I have to assume that dogs with those handles are actually working dogs trained to perform specific tasks required by a disability. I can be skeptical about a chihuahuas or pomeranian being carried into a supermarket in a woman's purse, and obviously any animal other than a dog or miniature horse. But those with the handles, or those with the vests that say "Don't pet me, I'm a working dog", I will assume they are Service Animals and not scammers unless I see something to make me suspect otherwise.
The various Internet "registries" do their best to confuse ESAs and Service Animals. They sell vests and other accessories for the animals that mimic the vests used by Service Animals. There is no standard or requirement for these things. Not all legitimate Service Animals require any special equipment like the handles for seeing eye dogs, which are designed to communicate signals to the person the dog is guiding. My original point was that liers are going to continue to lie.