SERVICE DOG RULES

SERVICE DOG LAWS & RULES

BY SELLING YOU SERVICE DOG GEAR THE RASPBERRY FIELD LLC DOES NOT IN ANY WAY REGISTER, OR CERTIFY THAT YOUR DOG IS A SERVICE ANIMAL. MIS-REPRESENTING YOUR DOG AS A SERVICE ANIMAL IS ILLEGAL, AND CAN BRING WITH IT STIFF PENALTIES INCLUDING HEAVY FINES, AND EVEN JAIL TIME.

SERVICE DOG DEFINITION

According to the ADA as of March 15th 2011, only dogs(and in some cases Mini-Horses) are recognized as Service Animals under titles II and III of the ADA. By the ADA definition:

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person's disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

This definition does not affect or limit the broader definition of "assistance animal" under the Fair Housing Act or the broader definition of "service animal" under the Air Carrier Access Act.

Some State and local laws also define service animal more broadly than the ADA does. Information about such laws can be obtained from that State's attorney general's office.

Please be aware there are stiff legal penalties for misrepresenting a dog as a Service Dog including large fines, and jail time.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS

As of March 2010 as per the ADA 2010 Revisions(see link under Service Dog Laws Category on the upper Navigation Bar)A Dog whose SOLE purpose is Emotional Support is no longer considered a Service Animal by the ADA.

SERVICE DOG REGISTRATION

THERE IS NO FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT RUN, OR APPROVED SERVICE DOG REGISTRATION. The US Government, Dept of Justice, and the ADA DO NOT require, or provide any type of Service Dog registery. Many websites provide an "online" registration. Many of these groups will say they work with Government agencies, and this is simply not true. The government does not require anything including the items we sell on this very website. Products can make identifying your dog as a Service Animal, and using public access easier, but there is no law governing this at this time.

SERVICE DOG LAW LINKS

Our first link is to the ADA, this is where you will find the official laws, updates, and current information. You can access their website at ADA.gov

You can use the search engine at the ADA at this link here ADASearch.

To see the most current changes, and definitions go to the PDF file here 2010 ADA Revision pdf.
You can also call the ADA for information at 1-800-514-0301.