Who regulates ESA, then?
For starters, only a dog or a miniature horse can be an ADA service animal. See a cat or a rat - that is a clue that ADA does not apply. 
Now, with dogs, it is also not as wishy-washy as it seems. The problem is when the folks like that Target employee roll overā¦
Weāre repeating stuff that has been in this thread multiple times already - the difference between ESA and service dogs/ADA. If you are new to this thread, may I kindly suggest you read through it?
Some stuff is worth repeating.
Kindly noted.
Sorry for bringing up old news. Carry on
That registry is a fake! 
There is no registration required of any kind for ESAs or service animals.
If I was a cashier in target I wouldnāt know it was fake.
If you were a Target cashier (or ideally an employee/greeter like Walmart had at the door and could address the animals as they entered) and had been given any training in Service animals regulations (which should, IMO, be part of training) youād probably know what @twoinanddone said in post #635: That ADA applies ONLY to service animals who are trained to provide a service for people with disabilities. The organizations who provide the service animals are careful to train them/make them available only to people who qualify, so the general public should feel pretty confident that someone with a true service animal is qualified to have it. That said, ADA does IIRC, say that a person can train their own service dog, but it would have to be highly trained to perform a specific service. I believe most are trained by organizations.
And yes, one canāt ask what the disability is, but they CAN ask what service the animal (dog, miniature horse) is trained to do, and is the animal required because of a disability https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html
Also, the ADA requires the animal to be under the control of the handler by a tether, leash or harness, unless the personās disability prevents them from being able to hold one, at which time it should be be under voice control or similar- not in a shopping cart or purse.
As has been mentioned several times, ESAās are not ADA animals and are ONLY covered for housing and airlines. Not busses, not trains, not stores, restaurants, etc.as I mentioned earlier, I loved the sign at a restaurant out west that invited service animals but not fakes and I made it my avatar.
Maybe the woman who flushed her pet hamster at the airport was being treated for narcissism. Because being so special you need a hamster as a service animal, but caring so little for the animal that you would flush it rather than miss your flight seems like it might be just a teeny bit narcissistic. But it would take a trained therapist to know for sure.
@BunsenBurner - Iām curious about that Costco lawsuit. I know I saw fake service animals in Costco about a year or so ago, riding in the front seat of shopping carts. Not my local Costco, but one in Arizona. They all had little vests but were clearly not true service animals.
We have become a nation of snowflakes and wimps.
Latest news: the student who flushed her hamster has acquired a āreplacement rodent.ā
The question is, will she keep it until it is time to fly home and then kill it, too?
a āreplacement rodent.ā
Interesting way to put it. My D had a pet rat and I donāt think anybody in cyber land wouldāve blinked twice if she disposed of it.
Really? So she got another hamster after she got home.
Hate to think about how many gold fish didnāt make it home from the fair. Or got swallowed in the '50ās.
(As an asideāpeople need to stay off facebook and keep their problems to themselves.)
Iām about to re-purpose āThe Wizard of OzāāStay off facebook and āyour little dog too!ā
Iām surprised that the woman who flushed her hamster wasnāt cited for cruelty to animals. Iām sure if you drowned a cat or dog you would be.
Iām surprised she passed the homestudy to adopt a new pet.
What an upsetting story. I know Spirit gave her bad information, but still! She should have left the hamster with them.
Snopes is saying the story is unproven. I hope itās not really true.
My d came home for a doctorās appointment. We decided to send one of the cats back to school with her. We called Delta and registered it, bought a soft carrier. She had to check luggage (some litter and food amongst other things). They did charge the $125 for the cat, but nothing for the checked luggage. Not sure if the conversation with her about us being the only ones to not declare a pet a āsupport animalā helped. We sedated him so he just went under the seat and chilled out the whole time. She said the attendants and everyone around her commented how well the cat behaved - not a meow. I did see online they only allow a certain amount of pets per plane - for her flight it was 4.
A girl my family knows is trying to get her family pet declared an ESA so she can take it to college with her. The girl is legit crazy, but not mentally ill, but so is this particular dog. Itās poorly trained, runs away and nips. The girl is afraid that her single parent, who is a substance abuser, will neglect the dog when she is away. Probably true, but still. This is also a racket to get a single room without paying the upgrade. Her brother is my tenant. I refused to allow him to bring the dog to live in my rental home.
All I know is that the next time I travel, I am hoping that my emotional support Madasgascar roach will help me get a seat in a row by myself. I would be heartbroken if I had to flush poor Maddie down the toiletā¦