S/O of dogs on a plane. Service dogs

In the US there is no required paper work. THere is no one that has any authority to issue such paperwork. There are companies that will issue paperwork/id cards for a fee but they have no more rights to do it than you do. eta: the dog is not required to wear anything that identifies it as a service dog either. But, even if you wanted to make a pet look like a service dog you'll find you can easily order the vests, harness and patches online without proof of anything. Just have a credit card ready.

A business can ask 2 questions. Is the dog a service dog? and What task (singular) does the dog do to help your disability. The conversation ENDS at that point. A business can require a dog be removed if the dog is mis-behaving (barking, growling, licking customers, urinating in the store etc)

Volt has it right. A service dog is considered medical equipment. No different from a cane or a wheel chair. And not to be confused with a therapy dog, which is for comfort only and is not considered medically necessary.

voltagain beat me to it.

I know the rule is that they cannot be questioned, but honestly I think there does need to be a licensing system. Too many people are claiming that dogs are service dogs who are not - they are not trained and they are not providing a service other than comfort.

Word. There's no way that chihuahua in the mall being carried by the lady in leopard print stilettos was a service dog.

A therapy dog is meant to give comfort to OTHERS, not the owner. They are not covered under the ADA and do not act as medical equipment. Our lab is currently undergoing training now to be certified as a therapy dog.

A service dog is covered under the ADA and is considered medical equipment. It provides service(s) to the OWNER that help a person live more independently. PTSD is certainly under that umbrella, as well as other anxiety disorders.

Exactly. Mental illnesses count just as much as physical disabilities and it saddens me to hear so many say they don't.

Info on psychiatric service dogs.

www.servicedogcentral.org/content/psd

Thanks for posting that link. It is a confusing distinction. Unless someone in your life has PTSD or other psychiatric issues, you may not realize that for some, the use of a service dog (psychiatric) is the only way they are able to get out in public and function. 
I found this to be helpful in explaining the differences. 

The Difference Between a Psychiatric Service Dog and an Emotional Support Dog
It is not always clear—to staff at public places, and even to some people with disabilities—whether an animal accompanying an individual with a psychiatric disability or impairment is performing a psychiatric service or “merely” providing emotional support. Confusion may result in unlawful and discriminatory treatment of people with disabilities.
The key distinction to remember is that a psychiatric service animal is actually trained to perform certain tasks that are directly related to an individual’s psychiatric disability. The dog’s primary role is not to provide emotional support. It is to assist the owner with the accomplishment of vital tasks they otherwise would not be able to perform independently. In addition, a psychiatric service dog must not only respond to an owner’s need for help, the dog must also be trained to recognize the need for help in the first place. A dog must be able to respond and recognize to be a service dog.
By contrast, an emotional support dog is a pet that is not trained to perform specific acts directly related to an individual’s psychiatric disability. Instead, the pet's owner simply derives a sense of well-being, safety, or calm from the dog’s companionship and physical presence.
The animal companionship of an emotional support dog can have genuine therapeutic benefits for individuals with psychiatric disabilities and less severe mental impairments. But unless the dog is also trained to work—to independently recognize and respond to its owner’s psychiatric disability—the dog does not qualify as a psychiatric service dog and does not receive the protections of the ADA.
For example, people with social phobia might only feel safe enough to leave their home for food or medication if their dog accompanies them. Such a dog would be considered an emotional support animal.
If, however, the same person is prone to dissociative episodes when they leave home, and their dog is trained to recognize and respond to the onset of such an episode by nudging, barking, or removing the individual to a safe location, then the dog would be considered a psychiatric service dog.

I have learned quite a bit from this thread. The service dogs I have been around, have been amazing to see in action. I used to work at a university, and saw them assisting vision impaired students. I have been on crowded trains with them. I have never heard one bark, bite, lick or even make a whimper.

I thing that emotional support dogs are a wonderful thing to people in need of one. I know they have assisted children with autism, and veterans suffering with PTSD. Unfortunately, a few people taking advantage of any loopholes of using an emotional support dog, are making all owners of service dogs look bad. It's a shame.

True service dogs are amazing.

The problem is the abuse of therapy dogs. I recall reading on a board (and for some reason I thought it was 2Peas, but am probably mistaken about that) where someone was telling people if they want to bring their dog everywhere, just have to send their $60 in to some place and they could get their dog labelled a therapy dog and it would allow them to bring their dog everywhere with them.

Now, I love my dog, who is just a regular old dog, but he doesn't belong in restaurants, stores, etc. just because I don't want to leave him at home.

Yes, people are going to abuse this just like they do every other program that some legitimately need. Just like food stamps, welfare, etc.
Next time you see a dog being used as a service dog, give them the benefit of the doubt, and consider that they may have an invisible illness if that makes you feel better.
Because those that really do need them don't really deserve to be questioned and judged by strangers.

These dogs would/should not be allowed in any of these places.