No emotional support animals are not service animals. Ipad is misbehaving so cant post the link to an explanation of the differences but similar links have been posted upthread.
I was wondering if the new law will affect the abuse of the law by owners of ESAs. By abuse, I mean people with ESAs who treat their NON-service animals (and expect others to do so, too) as if they are actual service animals (and go everywhere with them). Will business owners be able to approach the owners of these sham service animals (ESAs) and tell them to leave? Will the ESA vest on animals mean nothing anymore?
An ESA vest has never meant anything other than to identify the pet as providing emotional support which provides access only to airplanes and housing. An ESA has never been guaranteed the right to enter any other facility. Seems this new law permits the organizations to ask for documentation that the animal is a service animal (they are not considered pets per se, they are sometimes compared to wheelchairs). I happen to be in FL at the moment with someone who used to have a dog that was certified as a therapy dog (not an ESA). She took this very well behaved dog everywhere, but most restaurants required her to sit outside, and many stores did not permit her to enter with the dog.
I think there is a lot of confusion. Restaurants and shops don’t understand the law, and think they have to allow ESAs. The fact that there is an allowance for ESAs in housing and airlines may cause the confusion. And people are more than willing to exploit that confusion.
I think the issue is that people confuse emotional support animals with service dogs. And it’s probably seen as insensitive or poor form to ask for proof that it’s a service dog. And maybe some owners of emotional support pets are under the incorrect belief that that are permitted automatically to take their pet into stores or restaurants at will. Or they are being dishonest.
You all know Bloom County is back, right?
ETA: Huh, I guess links to that site aren’t allowed. Berkeley Breathed is posting new strips on Facebook, so you can search there. Today’s strip is very germane to this topic.