New law tightens the leash on service animal impersonators
A new Texas law is working to tighten the leash on service animal impersonators through fines of up to $1,000 and 30 hours of community service.
House Bill 4164 went into effect Sept. 1, and it targets those who represent their pets as service animals, or a “canine that is specifically trained to help a person with a disability,” as defined by the law.
The law comes after an increase in reports of people purposefully misrepresenting their dogs to get around breed restrictions or pet deposit fees at apartments or bring their animals inside restaurants, according to the bill’s statement of intent.
Service dogs can perform a variety of tasks, including alerting someone with diabetes that their blood sugar gets too high or too low.
Others may detect the onset of a seizure and help keep the owner safe, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Emotional support animals are different from service animals and don’t offer the same rights or privileges to their owners.
Business owners will be required to provide a written notice to customers if they offer items for pets or emotional support animals.
Emotional support animals may provide comfort, but that does not qualify them as service animals under the ADA. Some local or state governments still allow emotional support animals into public places.
“Business owners and employees have become increasingly distrustful that an animal represented as a service dog is, in fact, a legitimate service animal.
Consequently, people with disabilities who legitimately need a service animal have been aggressively questioned or kicked out of establishments by employees and business owners,” legislators wrote.