The ADA law is frequently misused by owners of fake service animals to take their pets into public places. The ADA law does not allow employees of public places to ask for identification for service animals. Regulation requires identification for a vehicle to park in a handicapped parking stall. Why not require identification for a service animal?
The ADA law must be changed. Allow store employees to ask for identification for service animals. Require government-issued identification for service animals.
The current ADA law prevents restaurants and grocery stores from being able to follow state law and the FDA Food Code, both of which state that a non-service animal is not allowed on the premises of a food establishment. If food establishments can’t ask for identification, then they can’t determine whether an animal is a service animal or not.
In addition, the ADA law prevents enforcing state law against falsely representing an animal as a service animal.
This is a disservice to those with disabilities because it calls into question the legitimacy of true service animals.
When people take nonservice animals into public places, they pose a health and safety risk to the public and to trained service animals.
Leilani Garfield, Provo