Policy and Advocacy: An increasing number of injured and disabled Pennsylvanians, including military veterans, with service dogs face skepticism and criticism from business owners and other patrons due to bad experiences with pets that have been misrepresented as service animals. At Team Foster, we know that service dogs are life-changing partners for injured and disabled Veterans, providing critical support for PTSD, mobility challenges, anxiety, and other disabilities. Service dogs are not the same as emotional support animals. They receive specialized training to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities, and their training, purpose, and legal protections are different.
House Bill 2696 proposes important updates to the Assistance and Service Animal Integrity Act, including:
‍ ‍• Making it illegal to misrepresent pets as service dog
‍ ‍• Updating the definition of a service animal to better reflect their important role
‍ ‍• Codifying public accommodation and common carrier access protections under state law

These changes do not alter existing service dog training requirements. Instead, they aim to improve public understanding, reduce confusion, and help ensure that legitimate service dog teams are welcomed and respected throughout Pennsylvania. We encourage you to contact your local state representative and ask them to support legislation that protects and strengthens the rights of legitimate service dog teams. Find your legislator!

Service dogs provide life-saving support to Veterans with mental health concerns, physical injury, or disability. Service dogs reduce costs for paid assistance, provide support in public settings, improve self-mastery, and aid in social interactions and activities. Clinical data shows a wide range of benefits, including improved well-being, greater internal locus of control, more positive affect, and improved depression symptoms. Some of the most common needs for a service dog are due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Military Sexual Trauma (MST).

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) happens when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. This can be when the head suddenly or violently hits or is hit by an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters the brain. Symptoms can include headaches, vision and hearing problems, sleep problems, memory problems, slower thinking, irritability, and depression.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can occur in people who have experienced a life threatening, traumatic event such as a war or combat, a terrorist act, a natural disaster, or sexual assault. Symptoms can be different for each person and can appear months or years after trauma. Nightmares, flashbacks, avoiding situations that remind you of the event, avoiding people or relationships, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, and being easily startled are common symptoms. Depression and suicidal thoughts are common.

Military sexual trauma (MST) refers to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred during military service. It can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, rank, age, or branch of service, and the person responsible can be a fellow service member, superior, subordinate, or another person.

The terms below are just a few of the challenges commonly discussed within the injured and disabled Veteran community. It’s important to remember that no two Veterans experience service or injury in exactly the same way. A Veteran may experience one, several, or none of these challenges, and the impact of each experience can look very different from person to person.

For example, two Veterans could be riding in the same Humvee when it strikes a roadside bomb. One Veteran may experience hearing loss and post-traumatic stress disorder, while the other may sustain a traumatic brain injury and later struggle with substance use. The event may be the same, but each Veteran’s injuries, challenges, and path forward can be completely different.