Training is critical when it comes to service animals. Service animals are typically kept as pets in many homes. The commonly known one is the dogs. Before being given to the client, they are trained to do specific tasks like identifying objects through their smell, behaviors like being clean all the time, etc. The people who are responsible for doing all these are called the handlers. Although they are trained, some don’t complete the training hence becoming fake service animals that are different from the trained ones. It led to healthy people claiming their pets as service animals causing problems for people that genuinely need service animals.
The problem is these animals are not well trained before they are given to the people who want to purchase the animals. Due to greed some handlers, end up giving the animal to clients without proper training so that they can get more money within a stipulated period. Due to these, some stakeholders end up suffering. The fake service animal’s characteristics are way different compared to the real service animals. The problem is that they seem to be doing better than the latter because they are aggressive (Campbell, 73).
There are specific reasons that fake service animals are seen to be better than real service animals. A phony service animal will tend to be aggressive day in and day out. The irony is that even if it seems offensive, it has some fear in it. It just barks, but it will be hard for it to go on and encounter the problem at hand. People fail to understand this concept. They think the rate of barking is directly proportional to the rate of the courage of the pet. These pets also keep on disturbing other pets at home. They make themselves superior to others. The other pets have no peace because the fake animal occupies even their habitats at times, eats their food, etc.
On the other hand, real service pets are very quiet at times of no danger. They usually react but wait for instructions only from the owner. They have better behaviors regarding cleanliness and respect. They may seem to be fearful on the outside but that is not the case, if given instructions they do it entirely without any doubt. People should judge more wisely not from outward appearance.
Due to the misjudgments, many stakeholders are affected by this act. The stakeholders in the industry include the real service animals, the public, clients, and businesses.
Real service pets are affected in two ways. One is that they are also disturbed by the fake service pets while together. The counterfeit animals lack manners, and as explained they give no peace to their partners. The second way is the lack of market. Due to the poor judgments from the public, the fake pets seem better hence they are more purchased compared to the real pets. When pets are obtained, their new handlers make sure they live in a better environment compared to the training habitats hence a disadvantage to the real pets.
Due to a lack of knowledge, the client and the public is also affected in some ways. If people think that the rate of aggressiveness of a pet is equal to efficiency, they will automatically end up buying the fake pets and later regret it a lot. Purchasing such pets will bring no peace to the client who has purchased them and the other pets. The client will also waste the money used to buy the pet. One of the most crucial parts of the demerits is that the pets lack sufficient knowledge and hence can lead to unintended injuries to the public like biting. If the other friends know that there is such a pet in the homestead, they also try their best to avoid the place especially if they have little children. The fake service pets are not entirely clean hence at the end of the day the habitat will be a mess.
Businesses thrive when there are a market and a reasonable profit. The people who deal with and train pets are in business. So if some parties offer half-trained service animals, this affects the whole market at large. To the people who don’t know how to check and choose a well-trained pet, the probability will be that people will go to dealers who provide fake service animals hence an advantage to the dealers who give fully trained service pets. If the public knows how to choose, the dealers who offer real service animals will, in turn, reap huge profits.
Every problem has its solution which has to be carried out by some specific people. The issue of having fake service animals can be solved by the dealers and the public. If the dealers come to their senses and produce fully trained animals, there would be no single problem in the future. The authorities and or NGOs related to pet services also should organize seminars and workshops to show the public, in reality, the difference between fake and real service animals. After the public has got the knowledge, then the decision-making will be simple, and the phony service animal’s problem will be eliminated within a short period (Herzog, 1).
Solutions are never complete if there is a lack of government policies and procedures. A solution like public education can rarely succeed, and if it does, it will take a lot of time. That’s where the government comes in and gives rules on the service animals industries. There should be consequences in these policies if at one single time the dealers sell a half-trained pet to the public. The trades should be licensed so that they can have a real professional who knows how to deal with the pets and who will give a complete education. The general public should also be issued with a license during the purchase by a representative in the government who can be a professional so that to make sure the pet is thoroughly trained and ready for any service.
If there are a surplus of fake service animals, there can be very many related problems (McNary, 15). One of the common ones is accidental injuries. If a pet like a dog is not well trained, it is aggressive. If there is a new person in the compound who can be a friend and the owner is not around, the guy can suffer from injuries or even death. There can be expenses incurred that are expensive to cater. The relationship between the dog owner and the community reduces because of the losses brought up by the pet most probably the dog. In a house where living things live, hygiene is critical. If the fake service pet brings all kinds of dirt from the outside environment, within no time, the family will start suffering from other diseases which can cause death or misuse of cash.
The fake service pets give a wrong impression to the public. It is one of the related problems. The public tends to think all pets are like that because they lack the knowledge. Some people went ahead and had a sad thoughts and hatred about some pets. The hate, naturally brings about losses to the dealers since the market decreases. On the other hand, the dealers who train their pets entirely suffer injuries due to the wrong impression by the other dealers.
Any problem has initial causes that make it a more significant and substantial problem. The issues with fake pets are due to negligence, ignorance, and greed. The dealers want fast money with less effort. Hence people will be purchasing untrained service pets without them having a clue. The general public is always ignorant. It does not take centuries for one to go out and ask a professional how to get a good service pet but people rarely do it. If the public had questions, it would have been easy to choose the correct pet. In the business industry, there is a lot of competition. Due to this, there are a lot of dirty games played in the service animals industries today. Any business follows the interests of the public, so, if the public wants a wild, aggressive pet that’s what the company will end up providing so that the profit margin can be realistic (Lee, 325).
In conclusion, there are many reasons why there are many fake service animals today. The problems associated with these pets are dangerous at some points, and possible solutions should be looked upon and implemented. Would recommend the public get full knowledge of a service pet before purchase to avoid any irregularities.
Works Cited
Campbell, Kayla. “Supporting Adoption of Legislation Criminalizing Fake Service and Emotional Support Animals.” J. Animal & Envtl. L. 8 (2016): 73.
Herzog, Harold. “8 Misconceptions About Therapy, Service, and Support Animals.” Psychology Today (2016).
Lee, Tiffany. “Criminalizing Fake Service Dogs: Helping or Hurting Legitimate Handlers.” Animal L. 23 (2016): 325.
McNary, Ann L. ” Vetting” Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals.” Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience 15 (2018).
