Story Archive

Animal Assistance

How do you turn your pet into a service animal? Pay $130 online, get a certification and a vest, and you’re in business — and in any business in America, because the law requires business owners to admit any animal presented as a service animal. They’re not even allowed to request evidence of the creature’s training, or its owner’s need. Kent Snyder says nearly a third of pet owners to whom he rents apartments claim their cats, birds, ferrets, and whatever else are service animals, which means they can’t be charged pet fees or excluded from no-pet apartments. “I have to take people at their word,” Snyder says. Apartment owners can demand doctor’s notes, he says — but those are also available online. (AC/WDAF Kansas City) ...When you buy the note, does the disability come with it?