(UPDATED! Now SitStay.com has Ready to Wear Service Dog and Therapy Dog Vests to make your life even easier. We’ve sewn the patches on for you. Please get yours today.)
Scam article starts here:
Don’t get duped. There’s a scam for everything, isn’t there? And there are some scams directed at service dogs and their people. Why is it that there’s always somebody wanting to take advantage of people who already have enough problems?
Beware the web sites that will sell you “certification” papers or will “register” your service dog, then sell you a package with a wallet ID, vest and patches for upwards of $249 for the package plus shipping. Run the other way! Do not give them your money.
There is one guy running a scam like this with what looks like a legitimate service dog site. I believe he still lives in Hawaii. He’s a scammer. Why do I say that? He’s selling “papers” that will say a dog is a service dog, he never sees the dog or it’s training qualifications. How do I know him? He came to me years ago and asked me to be his partner. He said that people with disabilities will pay big bucks, they aren’t smart enough to know a scam when they see one, “We’ll make a ton of money together.” I said no, no, and no. I tried to shame him out of it. It didn’t work, he’s still at it today.
The only real service dog certification is one you can get when you put your dog through a truly certified service dog training school. If your dog completes their training, they can give you a certificate that says that your dog completed their training. There are some real schools who can certify your dog if you want to get your dog certified. The training that you and your dog will receive at a legitimate and very good school can be a benefit to you.
As of today, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, it’s not necessary to have your dog certified or registered to act as your service dog.
Be cautious of some “trainers” and “schools” who will “train” your dog and give you a “certification” saying that your dog is now a service dog. Beware of those who will sell you the “certificate” after you’ve answered a few questions online. Those papers are not real. Anybody with a printer can make one up. These guys are not certified to be certifying anybody. It’s not real.
How do you know when a trainer and school are real? Your guess is as good as mine. Ask lots of question, get references from other schools and trainers. Or if you still want to spend that $250, ask if you can have a copy of their certification to train service dogs to show to your attorney so he can check on it before you start classes.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Americans with Disabilities Act says and I quote:
“The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.”
A vest and patches are very nice to identify your service dog to the public and you’ll probably get a whole lot less hassle if your dog is wearing them. If you choose to identify your service dog, therapy dog, working dog, or search and rescue dog to the public, get the best quality vests and patches that you can.
Get the best quality vests and patches at a fair price from SitStay.com , they’ll last you for years. No fake papers for sale in our Store, only the good stuff that will help you live a better life with your dog.
UPDATED! Now SitStay.com has Ready to Wear Service Dog and Therapy Dog Vests to make your life even easier. We’ve sewn the patches on for you. Please get yours today.
(The ADA info above can change at any time as legal things tend to do. Make sure to search for any new info at www.ada.gov search for ‘service dog’. Stay informed of your state and US laws that apply to service dogs.)
Thanks. Yall just saved me $249.00 (plus S&H)
I agree, vest and I.D.s are helpful in reducing conflicts for service dog owners but to scam people into believing that a made up “certification” with no training is worth $250 is someone just trying to rip-off the disabled.
My younger sister was living with us when we got our bulldog, while she was not professionally trained, she has acted as a signal dog for my sister from the age of 3 months. She alerts her to doorbells, fire alarms, cd skipping ect. She has been certified as a service dog with our county even without the training. We have had (and are about to buy a larger size) a vest and patches from this company (SitStay.com) and it does indeed decrease the hassle with business owners. Thank you.
if only i had read this article earlier i would not have been scamed. After my dog was certified I paid $249 (yes to a guy in hawaii) I barely survive on disability so it was ALOT of money to me. I hope this article saves other people from the same scam that I fell for.
I was fortunate to find a legitament service dog trainer. When my greyhound and
I completed the course; I sent her paperwork in to the AKC . The certification came
from them at no charge I was lucky enough to be told about Sit/Stay; and ordered
a nice reasonably priced vest and patches from you. It sounds as though I was
fortunate to avoid the pitfalls mentioned above. There seem to be many people
in this area who are well versed in the legitament certification process. But I did
do some homework to find a good trainer who was familiar with greyhounds.
It makes me sad to hear the stories of those who have been taken advantage of in
the pursuit of such a worthy cause! Sue Roberts-Dalke Medford, Oregon
I have a service dog who I trained to do the activities I need for her to do. I highly recommend that anybody with a service dog belong to the IAADP – the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. Their phone number is 1-888-544-2237. They have a lot of good information and helpful benefits.
It is also important that people not confuse service dogs with therapy dogs. Service dogs are needed by people to perform different services. Therapy dogs are those who help kids with reading or go into nursing homes, etc. Service dogs are allowed into places like grocery stores; therapy dogs are not.
Since my service dog is 12 years old, it is really time for her to retire. I’m just not sure how to get a new dog who can perform the duties that my current one does for mobility assistance. For example, one never knows how a dog will do on an airplane until they actually do it. My current dog is great on planes. She just crawls under the seat in front of me for the flight. Please let me know if you know of a good place to adopt a new service dog and if there are any costs associated since my budget is limited.
Thanks!
Karen
Why not try this Breed as your next Service Dog Labradoodle they are very, very smart. And easy to train. First read as many books as you can on this breed. also get the book The Dog Tricks and Training workbook.
And for riding in the airplane get a new nylon bone for the dog to chew on for the first time the dog riding this will calm the dog down and he/she will be okay on the plane.
Go online to Seattle Labradoodles to get a puppy that you will be self-training.
Its always hard when you get a new service dog to train and your last service dog did what you wanted. just keep in mind if you train the dog right. 96% of the time it well work out! Also another good training book is Train your puppy in 15 minutes.
Let me know how it goes!
Are you looking for a vest and patches for your Service Dog, Then look no more go online to SNIP. They sell in the United States and overseas. Just let her know Pami sent you. Also they have service dog Law cards.
Please let me know what you think of these Patches! Pami
Dear Pami, The link you gave me didn’t work so I couldn’t see what you’re talking about. But really? You’d come here and advertise for someone else when SitStay has the best vests and patches made? Come on, Darling, work with me, not against me. If you like the info at this blog, support it, my store, and me. It will make you feel fabulous. – Darcie
What gives anyone the right to say that a comfort dog is not a service dog… I have a perment disb. for life, not for a short time… I have PTSD I am a per disabled vet and this dog helps me get through the day and night, if that is not a service I don’t know what is. I might not be blind or in a wheel chair but my disability is as real as anyone of those people. What does the law say about haveing a emotional disiblity ???? thank you… a 3 tour Viet-Nam Vet…..
PTSD is a real disability. It is very common with vets and that is why there are a couple very good organizations that help vets with having a dog and using it. Remember, the ADA regulations say that NOBODY can ask you what your personal disability is. Places like business, schools, and such CAN ask you what your dog does. It works best to have an authoritative sounding answer, not a quick one. Make them think about it (evil grin) “Sit in my lap” sounds a like someone trying to pull one off, “provides comfort and reassurance” is more precise. One of my dog’s jobs is to give me the confidence to join the human race other than sit in a dark room with my computer. Another she does is keep me from running away or crying once I am in the real world. So I say she provides stability and redirection.
Darcie and Cliff,
There are none so blind as those who cannot see!
Just when are the sceptics and nay-sayers going to wake up and smell the coffee?
What does it take or will it take for them to see and believe?
For the few a PSD is a great thing, however the many “Just don’t understand do they?”
Let the many walk a mile in someone else’s shoes!
Wolf-Talker
Cliff, you may qualify for a psychiatric service dog. They are pretty much the same as regular service dogs except they are tailored to people with psychiatric disabilities.
It’s disgusting that these scams are allowed to exist. It’s especially disgusting because many people with disabilities may not be able to think very clearly and can easily fall for this crap. Why the government doesn’t crack down on them is beyond me.
I almost fell for this scam, luckily I am on a fixed income and had to wait before I could purchase. It allowed me the chance to find out that by law you do not need to carry ID’s or even proof of a disability with you. I also notice these sites seem to be catering to people without disabilities who want to be able to rent places that do not allow pets or just be able to bring their dog with them everywhere they go. I know two people who payed for letters from “Doctors” diagnoising them with a disability and getting their dogs registered as service animals. This was done over the internet with a questionaire.
With my disease, there is a web site about the use and training of the dogs for it. In it is a check list for each disease and what the most common trained responses are. The site also lists a check list of all the things a service dog (for our conditions) should be able to pass. Stores, people, startles. They also recommend passing the Canine Good Citizen test. Perhaps other conditions have the same thing available online. They recommend an experienced trainer to take you through the check off and of course, many organizations do the CGC.
I still need to train my dog to retrieve and pick up dropped objects. I’m from the old school ear pinch method, even the guide dog school don’t use that any more. Remind for drugs is another one I’m not doing good with – she has remind for cookies down well.
This scam is not for people with real disabilities. This scam is to make your pet a service dog so you can bring your pet anywhere a service dog can go. This guy had a pet maltese in his ice cream shop and this was not a service dog! This dog use run all over the the shop,