YORK COUNTY, S.C. -- South Carolina lawmakers want to make it a crime to misrepresent your pet as a service animal.
Several house representatives recently filed a bill that would make it a misdemeanor, carrying a $1,000 fine. It’s the latest attempt to crack down on what experts are calling an "epidemic."
“We are all in favor of that,” said Debbie Lange, who trains service dogs at The Dog Knowledge in Charlotte. “We’d love for there to be stiff penalties.”
Lange said it’s far too easy to pass your pet off as a service animal.
Several websites have been known to sell legitimate-looking vests, or offer free printable "certificates."
And under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), no one can question you or ask for documentation.
“Then you can fly with your dog you can take your dog to restaurants you can take your dog anywhere,” Lange said. “It’s not fair to business owners, it’s not fair to people like us, and it dilutes the meeting of having a service dog for somebody who really needs it.”
North Carolina is one of about a dozen states where it’s already illegal to misrepresent your pet as a service animal.
The sponsors of the South Carolina proposal say they want to follow suit, saying they filed the bill after several airports and business reported being inundated with animals.
“It truly is an epidemic, the must-have accessory of the 21st century,” Lange said.
Since owners don’t have to show proof that their pet is a service animal -- and because in states like South Carolina, where it’s not even illegal to lie about it -- everyone’s just taking their untrained pets anywhere without consequence, Lange said.
“We’ve been advocating for years of the government tighten up on this,” she added.