I'll admit it. I'm a fraud.
I have no medical or psychological need, but I have an emotional service animal (ESA). His name is Capone, and if anything, he actually adds more to my daily stress and anxiety rather than alleviating any of it.
Registering my furry friend did come slightly out of necessity. I live in a city where his breed is restricted, and under the Fair Housing Act that protects ESAs, Capone can't be turned away by property managers or landlords. Still, the move to register Capone as an ESA did come from a self-serving place, even if I haven't taken full advantage of the ESA benefits. He doesn't wear a special vest or sleep at my feet on plane trips, nor does he go to grocery stores or restaurants where he's unwelcome. He did, however, live rent and deposit free at my past apartment, a point I feel OK about given Denver's current rental market.
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Just because I'm a part of the problem doesn't mean I don't realize that there is, in fact, a problem. The service animal system is broken. A few weeks ago, a local affiliate in D.C. registered a stuffed animal under the same guidelines used for dogs and cats and emotional service pigs that stink up airplanes (more on this later). Denver state senators are pushing forth legislation to criminalize passing pets as service animals because the practice has become rampant. Several mental health professionals have condemned the program.
From what I can tell, fraudulently registering a pet as a service animal happens largely to avoid the costs of living and traveling with a dog or cat. When I registered Capone, I thought about nothing but my monthly savings. Now, I wonder if my decision — and those made by many others — reduces the validity of the companionship and care of true service animals.
Take, for example, veterans suffering from PTSD. K9s for Warriors, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that trains rescue animals for service and pairs them with veterans, says that 92 percent of its graduates reduce or cease medication use completely within six months of completing the three-week pairing program.
While there isn't much research on the benefits of service animals specifically, a study from P.A.W.S. sheds some light on the positive health impacts of animals. Alzheimer's patients show increased calmness and improved social interactions when they are visited by golden retrievers. AIDS patients say their pets resulted in less stress, less depression, and offer "a sense of purpose." Victims of physical and sexual abuse describe their pets as sources of vital emotional support. Families of children with epilepsy say they have seen an improvement in quality of life after introducing a dog that responds to seizures. Heart rates are lowered from just petting a pup or watching fish in an aquarium. Those limited in mobility say they feel "freedom to be capable," as well as a sense of independence after getting an assistance dog.
The results above and so many others that have yet to be documented are all reasons why we, the service animal fraudsters, need to stop exploiting the system. Comforting victims of abuse and those suffering from PTSD, empowering individuals with physical limitations, providing purpose… aren't those things that service animals should be doing instead of pooping on airplanes?
Not everyone with a service animal is like me. Don't let us rent-dodgers ruin the real good that comes from service animals. (That said, please don't report me and Capone to the Denver Police Department. We won't be on any flight of yours, I pinky-promise.)
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