It’s too easy to abuse service dog law

I read with amazement the article “Extraordinary service dogs ease life of Newbury Park woman.” This is such blatant abuse of the ADA. To quote your article, “Just as Pebbles isn’t instantly recognized as a service dog, Higgins’ disabilities aren’t visible.”

Therefore, who can blame the establishments for prohibiting her entry with a dog when what they see is a woman with all her physical faculties intact and a “pampered pooch”?

You also said, “After six months of reeducating the Cheesecake Factory, Higgins said she’s now a welcome guest.” Perhaps her “oppositional defiant disorder” precludes her from obtaining and presenting documentation from her physician which would have eliminated any potential confrontation, but of course, then she wouldn’t have “oppositional defiant disorder.”

Animals should be required to wear identifying garments, which would not include dyeing the animals pink. The wording of the federal law needs to be changed, as it can obviously be manipulated by anyone. D.S. Cohen Simi Valley