Pet owners in the US have been caught out dressing their animals up as service dogs so they would be allowed into restaurants and hotels.

At least a dozen US states have proposed legislation to ban the act of dressing up pets as service animals after a spate of incidents.

"Any pet owner can go online and buy a vest for a dog to pass it off as a service animal to gain access to restaurants, hotels and places of business,” Massachusetts State Representative Kimberly Ferguson told USA Today.

View photos Some people have been caught dressing up their pets as service animals. Source: AAP More

“Their animals aren’t trained and end up misbehaving in these public places, which gives real service dogs a bad name.”

Any person caught using a fake service animal in the US city of Michigan could face up to 90 days in jail or a fine after a law was recently passed.

The main issue is there is no national database on service dogs which makes it difficult for businesses to verify an animal's authenticity.

The American with Disabilities Act requires all places open to the public, such as businesses, government agencies and entertainment venues, to give access to service dogs and their owners.

Owners and managers of these places are only allowed to ask two questions: whether the dog is required because of a disability and what tasks the dog is trained to perform.



View photos Coats like this one are easy to buy on the internet. Source: AAP More

It's illegal to request documentation for the dog or to ask the nature of the owner’s disability.

In one incident, Chris Slavin, who has a severe spinal injury which requires the use of a wheelchair, was in an elevator with her labrador service dog sitting calmly beside her when a woman walked in holding a purse with poodle inside.

The poodle spotted her dog just as the doors closed and in an instant leapt from the purse and clamped his teeth into the service dog's snout, leaving the dog bleeding.

View photos There is no service dog registry in the US. Source: AAP More

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