Can I ask an honest question? What exactly is the difference between an emotional support dog and a service animal?
We see no indication this veteran was physically disabled and in need of a service animal, but every indication that he was mentally and emotionally disabled and in dire need of an emotional support dog.
So why do you say this was not an emotional support dog?
Sigh. I am physically disabled, and I have a service dog. A service dog is simply a dog trained to perform a service that helps with a person’s disability. In order to have a service dog you must be disabled. Disabilities may be physical and/or mental.
An emotional support animal is not necessarily trained in any special way. They help people who have emotional difficulties.
The ADA is very specific about service animals, thank God.
I don’t care what this poor guy was doing. Separating him from his service animal and not giving her back is not only cruel, it violates the ADA. This is a disgrace.
Let me find the military’s definition of service dog provided for vets. I know for one thing the dog must be trained to provide a specific service that directly mitigates the disability. From what I can gather PTSD was only recently recognized as a disability that made a veteran eligible to receive a service dog. The VA is tasked with providing such dogs so either Sunshine was recently given to Rohr or he had other problems making him eligible. (I may have gotten his name wrong.)
An emotional support animal does not have to perform specific tasks which mitigate a disability. They are just there for support. Like whisky on legs.