I registered my cavapoo as a service dog. No one checked.

I registered my 22-pound cavapoo, Charlie, as a service dog for about $70 and received an ID card and certificate in the mail. I didn’t have to say what disability he would aid or provide any training documentation. For roughly $80 more the company would have sent a red service-dog vest, and other sites offer full ID suites and letters for about $300.

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines service dogs as those "individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." Emotional support animals don’t qualify and don’t have the same access rights. Staff in stores and on transit can ask only whether a dog is needed because of a disability and what tasks it performs; they cannot ask about the disability or demand medical records or ID.

"There's no federal registration, there's no database — none of this makes any legal difference," says Rebecca Wisch of the Animal Legal and Historical Center at Michigan State University. I spent days walking Charlie around New York and never had to flash his ID.

United States, New York

service dog, cavapoo, ada, emotional support, service registration, id card, service vest, disability, rebecca wisch, new york