Missouri lawmakers take step to criminalize owners of fake service dogs

A proposal to criminalize falsely passing off dogs as service animals passed the Missouri House this past week.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Chrissy Sommer, a St. Charles Republican, was passed with just one vote in opposition, cast by Rep. Jeff Pogue, a Salem Republican.

Sommer's proposal would make falsely representing a dog as a service dog a misdemeanor crime in Missouri.

Under federal law, merchants who may be suspicious of a service dog cannot ask for proof of an animal's training.

There is no official national registry for service dogs, so enforcing laws that criminalize fake service dogs is difficult, PBS reported late last year, as 19 states made similar efforts to enact laws against the practice.

Sommer tweeted that the "push is on" as her bill headed to the Missouri Senate for consideration.

This story was originally published April 7, 2018 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Missouri lawmakers take step to criminalize owners of fake service dogs."