Service Dogs - A Growth Industry?

I travel on business a great deal and I’ve noticed over the past couple of years a substantial increase in the number of Service or Assistance dogs, you know they wear a colored coat that says “Service Dog”.

I see them walking in airports, in malls, restaurants they seem to be everywhere.

Are more people qualifying for these dogs, are more being trained or is this very valuable service being abused by perfectly able people who either:·        

• Don’t want to be separated from their pet at anytime?·        
• Don’t want to pay for a pet airline ticket; service animals’ travel is free?

I suspect that we’re seeing a general abuse of the service animal program, people simply buying the kit on-line, there are a great many sites that sell a complete kit, including vest, animal ID card, stickers, etc.They are then ‘entitled’ to take their dog with them anywhere they wish.

I’m not an animal hater, but I don’t like people who abuse a very well meaning and helpful program for their selfish needs. The potential end result will be a backlash against service animals in general as airlines get tired of having multiple “service” dogs on too many flights, as restaurants begin to field complaints about the animals inside, etc. hurting those that truly need the assistance of an animal.

Am I correct or am I off my rocker?