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It is an abuse of the mental health accommodation laws.

They found that autistic kids often did better with service dogs akin to a seeing eye dog. Let the kid have a trained service animal so they can stay within behavioral norms ... if nervous, pet the dog.

It was quickly adopted for those with PTSD and high anxiety. Take the pet and use it as a distraction and source of emotional support on an airplane.

Now it is readily abused. Buy vests for “service animals” online with a doctor’s note bought for $30 from a doc in another state who signs off on all requests.

You can now take Fifi the Poodle and Fido the 50 pound mastiff into the store and claim you must have it as a disability accommodation. The actual law says “must be allowed to have it live with you in a dorm, public housing or a federal housing program paid unit” ... but the fake mentally ill will threaten the ADA lawsuits if you don’t let them take 3 poodles into the store in the shopping cart because she - needs - it.

Then you get the more egregious abuses. Big aggressive dogs, untrained pets that nip at trained service animals for the actual disabled.