Matilda II, a five-year-old service dog, stands with her owner, Kyle Walpole, at an intersection near downtown Evergreen in 2014. (Anya Semenoff, YourHub)
Re: Fake service animals would be criminalized under a bill that just passed the Colorado House, March 31 news story.
Fake service animals are another example of dog people gone too far. In particular, procuring a fake dog jacket that indicates your dog is a support animal so you don t have to leave home without it shows a need for you to get a life and psychiatrist and is not indicative of a medical problem. This faking behavior can make life challenging for those who really benefit from support animals, such as our veterans.
Just as we have too many gaining handicap parking permits for questionable reasons, there should be consequences for fake support animals. The law extending privileges to those really needing such a pet should be changed to limit and define such a need and a verification program implemented to weed out the abusers.
Stanley Hrincevich, Littleton This letter was published in the April 2 edition.
I am one of the people the service animal bill, House Bill 1308, would criminalize. The story quoted only people who support the bill. One was an individual who could afford to pay for a professionally trained dog and wait two years. The other was the director of a company that trains service dogs and therefore has a financial interest in the bill s success.
I have a brain injury. I trained my own dog from a pup to serve my specific needs. If I have a human caregiver with me, I do not usually take my dog. In a crowd, however, I often have trouble walking and talking. I use a vest that your article calls fake so that people will not bother me or the dog.
Many people use dogs for invisible disabilities. This bill needs further review.
Lauren Fortmiller, Lakewood
This letter was published in the April 2 edition.