[pct-l] Thru hiking with dog, Service Animals

[Emma Dusenbury]

I've never had a service animal, but I just googled around, and, as far as I can tell, it is illegal to ask for certification/documentation of service animal training. So please don't do that if you meet a dog owner with no visible disabilities. 

There are many non-visible disabilities (seizure disorders etc.) that entitle one to use of a service animal, and it's entirely up to the owner of the dog, whether they want to share their private medical information with you or not.  

Here's an applicable quotation from the first website I stumbled across (servicedogssavelives.org):

 Many Service Dog users choose to dress their dogs in a vest or other identifying apparel in order to make access easier, as it 
avoids many questions and confrontations. This is a personal choice, and is NOT 
REQUIRED UNDER THE LAW. It is illegal to ask for any special identification 
from Service Dog partners. Some carry ID cards, and may present them voluntarily, 
but this also is not required, and should not be expected. You may NOT ask for 
"proof" or certification of the dog's training as a condition of entry into your 
business. (In this case, I believe the 'business' would be the national park.)

If there's anyone here with more expertise in this area who feels I've gotten this wrong, I hope they speak up. (You mean something I found in a ten second Google search could be inaccurate? Impossible!)

-NoAmp

P.S. My first ever posting to this list. Sorry if I messed it up somehow. :/