It's now illegal to misrepresent your pet as a service animal, according to a new Arizona law.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed an amendment to a bill Tuesday making it illegal for pet owners to "fraudulently misrepresent an animal as a service animal" to business owners.
Anyone who violates this law, according to the bill, could be fined up $250.
The law, introduced by Sen. John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills, will prevent people from dressing a non-service animal, a dog or miniature horse in Arizona, in a service animal vest to take them in businesses that do not allow pets.
The new law does not interfere with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits businesses from discriminating against people with disabilities.
Under the law, business owners are not allowed to require people to divulge disability-related information, but they may ask if an animal is a service animal and what tasks the animal has been trained to perform.
The act does not, however, require business owners to ask people to prove their service animal is actually trained, meaning the state law may not make much of a difference — until you get caught.
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