Ka Leo O Nā Koa
Volume XIII
Issue 2
May 12, 2017
A1
Fake service dogs on rise, cause concern By BRIANNE REFORMINA staff writer
Many of us have pets like goldfish, chameleons, chickens and, especially, dogs. These pets are meant to make us feel better, relieve our stress and love us. But some people can’t handle being far from their pets and want to take them everywhere. This turns into a problem when people cheat the law by simply slapping a service vest onto a dog and ordering a $20 service pet certificate on eBay so that their pets can accompany them on planes and in stores and businesses. It becomes easy for people to bring their pets wherever they go as long as they have a vest on. The advantages of owning a true service pet are that owners are able to bring their pets wherever they go and can count on their animals for physical, emotional or mental help. Many dog breeds from Labrador retrievers to Shih Tzus can aid people with everyday tasks. People have service dogs to help them perform daily tasks
Creative Commons license on flickr, image by GIDEON
These long-haired daschunds are just chilling, but more people are abusing service dog vests and using them to take their dogs everywhere, making things difficult for people who really need them.
that they can’t do themselves. For children and adults with autism, service dogs provide emotional support in situations that are overwhelming to them. The most common service dogs are guide dogs for those who are visually impaired but need to get around and complete daily tasks. The increasing use of officially uncertified service dogs
People go as far as to buy fake “IN TRAINING” service dog vests on eBay.
SUMMER JOBS..........B11
13 REASONS...............B2
Screenshot from eBay.com
in Hawaiʻi since 2009, has left the government in a quandary. Maui Representative Angus McKelvey proposed House Judiciary Committee Bill 1420 in 2013 asking that anyone falsely identifying a pet as a service dog be fined $1,000 and/or serve six months in jail. The bill was deferred in March 2014, and Representa-
FAKE
continued on A2
INDEX NEWS.................... FEATURES.............. SPORTS................. EDITORIAL.............
A1 B1 C1 D1
CHEER........................C4