Service Dog Training

Morgance Ellis is a “international Association of Canine Professionals” (IACP) certified service dog and pet dog trainer and serves on the service dog committee. IACP Pro #3782, CDT, CDTA, PDTI, CSDT. The “International Association of Canine Professionals” (IACP) is an internationally recognized dog training organization.

Diabetes Alert Service Dogs will also be included on this new WordPress site. Along with the other Service Dog training we offer; mobility, food allergies, seizure response, hearing impaired, PTSD, psychiatric response.

We also train and test Therapy Dogs for the awesome visiting work where they have been pre-approved to visit, to give companionship, comfort and love to many people in many different settings such as; people in their golden years, reading programs for children, children and adults testifying in courtrooms, children hospitals, prison inmates, passengers at airports before a flight who have a fear of flying, and the list goes on.

Misuse, Abuse and Fraudulent Misrepresentation of Service Dogs

Increases such as; fraudulent misrepresentation, misinterpretation, illegal use, entitlement issues, lack of knowledge, lack of proper obedience and task training resulting in ill behaved, aggressive and destructive dogs, has severally abused the rights of people who legitimately need the use of a professionally trained and maintained service dog. Service dog teams are facing a real possibility in the future of being held more accountable with requirements to prove legitimacy. The type of requirements could include more restrictive laws, regulations and policies, certifications, signed affidavits, date sensitive documentation, and more invasive screening and profiling procedures for owner/handlers with both visible and invisible disabilities.

Because there is no official certification process, more and more people with pet dogs have learned how to abuse the laws to get them into places the general public visits. Service dogs that are trained to be out in public are usually the ones people barely notice. They are not the ones sitting at or on restaurant tables, being fed restaurant food or any food in a restaurant, eating off the floors, growling, lunging, barring teeth, continually barking, riding in grocery carts, running around off-leash, on long leashes, or retractable leashes, jumping on people, counters, shelving, sniffing merchandise, disrupting your business or other patrons, urinating or defecating inside you place of business.
The increase of “Fraudulent Misrepresentation” is growing in numbers in many states. Businesses are not longer willing to tolerate the misuse and are fighting back. They want proof the dog is a legitimate service dog. So once again as history has shown, it takes a crisis for change to happen and people to stand up for their rights. But change can’t just be one sided. It must take into consideration the rights, needs and interests of everyone, and put each person on a level of equal value, respectfully.
The service dog community has been facing challenges of fraudulent misrepresentations. Here are some examples.
  • Owners of pet dogs masquerading them as a service dog so their pet can accompany them everywhere the general public goes.
  • Pet dog owners falsely impersonating themselves as having a disability.
  • Puppies masqueraded as a service dog brought into businesses open to the general public that are not potty trained, or obedience trained, this also applies to adult dogs.
  • Misinterpretation and misuse of service dog laws and regulations that is often accompanied by self entitlement issues that is ill-guided and inappropriate.
  • Illegal Public Access Rights of ESA’s (emotional support animals) & Visiting Therapy Dogs: Online service dog registries selling ID badges, vests, patches, doctors letters and certifications that represent ESA’s (emotional support animals) and visiting Therapy dogs with public access rights. This is not legal under the “Americans with Disabilities Act” (ADA).
  • Illegal On-line Service Dog Registries: They are not legal under the “American’s with Disabilities Act” (ADA).
  • Airline passengers impersonating a disability and masquerading their pet dog as a service dog or emotional support animal so they don’t have to pay the $125 or more travel fees each way so their pet can travel in-cabin.
  • Misrepresentation from tenants living in rental properties with a “No Pet” policy masquerading a pet dog as a service dog or emotional support animal (ESA) so they can have a pet dog living with them.
  • Misrepresentation from tenants living in rental with a pet policy masquerading a pet dog as a service dog or emotional support animal (ESA), and impersonating themselves as having a disability, so they don’t have to pay monthly pet fees and pet deposits.
  • Misrepresentation of pet dogs as service dogs in hotels and lodging accommodations to avoid pet fees and denied lodging.
  • Attack & Personal Protection Dogs: Minimum Protection – Its Correct Interpretation. Misrepresentation & Unlawful use. The “minimum protection” wording in the ADA DOJ service dog law has been changed to read; “non violent protection”. Dogs trained in “attack” and/or “personal protection” are not legally allowed under the ADA DOJ SD laws to perform those trained skills when working in public as a service dog, and are excluded on the list of legal tasks and work defined under the ADA DOJ (American with Disabilities Act Department of Justice) Service Dog Laws.
  • Staged scams to get denied access from businesses in order to receive a large financial court settlement.
Everyone’s Rights, Needs & Interests are of Equal Importance
If you are a legitimate service dog owner/handler, service dog trainer, or an owner of a business open to the general public, or private entity, you can make a difference by educating yourself on the proper use of ALL state and federal service dog laws, regulations and policies.

Handlers and trainers of a service dog are responsible for the legal use and the behavior of the dog and themselves. Make sure your service dog is appropriately trained in above and beyond basic obedience training in behavior skills and the trained task(s) they must legally be able to mitigate for your specific disability/disabilities. Handlers and trainers, educate yourselves and understand service dog laws, including state animal control laws where you live and travel. If you and/or your dog are not performing in accordance to those laws, businesses open to the public and private entities that have allowed you and your dog entry/access, also have the right, and are legally allowed, to ask you to remove yourself and your service dog from the premises which by law you are required to do. For more in-depth information, please contact me for consultation.

Business owners open to the public, also have a responsibility to their customers and themselves, to interpret, educate and use service dog laws correctly. Service dog laws have been in place for many years, and now with the growing numbers of pet dog owners masquerading their pet dogs as service dogs, and impersonating themselves as having a disability, those laws are being severely challenged. Businesses should not have to worry about being sued if they uphold their rights of state and federal laws when patrons are abusing them. But many are because businesses who have confronted people coming into their establishment have been sued for denied access. In some states, there are people who are intentionally setting up businesses for a denied access just so they can receive a healthy court settlement, known as scamming. Many states have unscrupulous lawyers that are more then willing, able and ready to take advance of businesses. Patrons with a service dog working and performing in accordance to the current ADA DOJ service dog laws, cannot legally be denied access. Those who are not, can legally be told to leave your establishment, just like anyone who is illegally, disrupting your business. For more in-depth information, please contact me.

You will only find the legal and official, government website links/addresses and documents on state and federal service dog laws, regulations and polices on our “Resources” page on this website and our “K9 Wings” site, that you can print or download onto your digital device for your personal reference and study.

Never go by hearsay or information found on websites that is based on personal opinions, perceptions, and judgements as it will never hold up in a court of law should you find yourself in one. Legally correct interpretation and use of service dog laws, in respectful action and speech, helps to educate others, promotes safety, brings benefits to everyone and allows us to regulate ourselves without more restrictive laws being put in place that further limits our freedom.

Tell us the details of your goals and we’ll respond with accurate, honest and trustworthy, information on how our training and education offerings can help you obtain them. We are absolutely available to answer your questions and concerns.

Use our Contact Us page to talk to us.