IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED! Support the enactment of a National Service Dog Protection Law and Help Stop the Growing Number of Violent Attacks on Service Dog Teams.

The frequency and severity of violent attacks upon and interference with Service Dog Teams in the United States has reached alarming levels. National legislation which would address and identify these often traumatic events as criminal assaults must be enacted to mitigate this disturbing trend.

Pursuant to The Americans with Disabilities Act Title V Anti-Interference provisions (42 U.S.C. § 12203(b)), it is “unlawful to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any individual in the exercise or enjoyment of  . . . any right granted or protected by this chapter.”

Tragically, hundreds of service dog handlers, across the country, are increasingly prevented from exercising constitutionally protected Civil Rights, because of their being subjected to malicious interference and violent attacks.

44% of respondents to a 2011 Dog Attack and Interference survey reported that they had experienced an attack and 83% reported having experienced interference by an aggressive dog. Our data shows 6% of the service dogs required retirement as a result of an attack.

We believe further research must be conducted and data generated in order to adequately document these attacks, which are known to have devastating physical, emotional, and psychological consequences for the dog and its handler.

Guide Dog Users Inc. (GDUI) believes a National Service Dog Team Protection Law must provide local law enforcement agencies across the country with the legal authority to view and treat attacks upon working teams as violent crimes. We further believe, only a uniform enforcement approach will result in the protection of citizens who rely on service animals for their ability to travel and live independently.

Your signing this petition will support legislation that would:

• Explicitly identify the police as being responsible for the enforcement of a service dog protection law thereby eliminating any potential conflicts between animal control and law enforcement officials. The development of penal codes should be enacted for violations involving dogs or persons that attack service dogs. Fines collected from such attacks should be utilized to offset any costs incurred in the enforcement of these laws.

• Make it unlawful for a person to permit any dog that is owned, harbored, or controlled to cause injury to, or the death of, a service dog while in discharge of its duties, regardless of the intent of the offending dog's owner/keeper/handler. Criminal penalties for this type of offense should be significant enough to alter the behavior of an irresponsible dog owner, yet differences in punishment should be levied for, willfully vs. recklessly vs. negligently causing damages to the handler, and unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to a service dog team. Incremental increases in punishment should be used to punish - hopefully to prevent - repeat offenses.

• Clearly place the responsibility on the owner/keeper/handler of the attacking dog for all veterinary, medical and other costs resulting from the attack - including pain and suffering and replacing the handler's lost income and the costs for remedial training or replacement of the service dog. 

• Be a deterrence to the owner/keeper/handler of any dog that would otherwise attack or interfere with a Service Dog Team, regardless of the size, breed, shape or form of the offending dog. Reference in the law to any specific breed of dog will be avoided. 

• Treat any person who causes injury to or the death of a Service Dog to be met with severe penalties including long-term imprisonment, harsh fines and the possibly of "hate crimes” prosecution. 

• Bare criminal penalties on any person who intentionally interferes with the use of a Service Dog by obstructing, harassing or otherwise jeopardizing the safety of the working team. 

• Any person who wrongfully obtains or exerts unauthorized control over a Service Dog with the intent to deprive the handler of his or her dog should be guilty of theft in the first degree. Persons committing such crimes should also be ordered to pay full restitution for any damages when applicable.

• Provide protection against any human attack that interferes with the mobility, health or safety of the Service Dog Team - regardless of whether or not the dog is in the discharge of its duties at the time of attack.