Fake service animals becoming pet hates

Laws designed to protect people with disabilities instead open door to fraud

People who falsely pass off their pets as service animals - think of a woman in Wisconsin last year who claimed the right to bring her kangaroo into McDonald's - have frustrated people with legitimate needs to such an extent that legislators in several states are considering laws to restore the animals' credibility.

Legislatures in Maine, Virginia, Arizona, Hawaii, New York, and Puerto Rico are considering bills that would either establish such a program or penalize people who fraudulently claim to have service dogs.