Many people have never seen a service dog team before so I am always aware that Morey and I might their "first impression". While some people make comments or give compliments, other people eagerly approach me with questions. A while ago I was approached by a woman who asked if she could ask me a strange question about my service dog. You never know where that is going to lead but I was feeling brave so I said yes. I was somewhat relieved when all she asked me was where I got Morey certified.
It's a very common misconception that service dogs teams have to be certified. In reality, there is no legitimate form of certification because it is not required by law. Some programs, including ICAN, will give teams a public access test and then give teams an ID card indicating the team has passed ICAN's training standards but even that is not required. Some companies will sell "certification" in the form of a card or vest but they are often a scam taking advantage of people who don't know their rights or who are trying to pass their dog off as a service dog even if it doesn't have any training or if they don't have a disability.
In this case the woman explained that she had been working with a trainer to train her dog to assist her but the trainer had disappeared (along with her money) before her dog had gotten certified. She was desperate to get her dog certified so she could bring her dog with her. I eagerly explained that under federal law as long as she had a disability and her dog was trained to do something to minimize the impact of her disability that was all she needed to bring her dog to public places with her. She could hardly believe it and kept asking if I was sure. I gave her several websites to check out so she could verify the information for herself. She was obviously torn between being angry that she had been scammed and excited that she didn't need to jump through any more hoops to get to take her dog with her. She thanked me multiple times before heading on her way.
I was glad she had approached me and glad that I had been able to give her accurate information. There is so much misunderstanding about service dogs and I am happy to clarify and correct myths and misunderstandings whenever I can.
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