Service Snakes?

Have you heard about the guy with a service snake?

Well, I'm sure there are more than one out there, but there is this guy in Washington state that has a boa constrictor that he claims is a service animal and he's been fighting for several years now to get his snake acknowledged as a service animal under state and federal law.  Yes, he thinks he should have the right to take his snake into public places, just like he would be allowed to take a service dog into public places.

Daniel Greene says his snake alerts him when he is getting ready to have a seizure.  That might be true.  No one quite understands how some animals, including some dogs, are able to know when seizures are getting ready to occur.  Since no one knows how some animals know that, though, there is no way to train a dog (or other animal) to alert.  They either do it or they don't.  That means that alerting is not a trained task, so an animal that alerts is not considered a service animal under the ADA definition.

Snakes cannot be trained to perform tasks because their brains are simply not formed that way.  They lack the part of the brain that is capable of learning "tricks" or tasks.  They operate pretty much on instinct, all the time.  That means that not only is a snake unable to be trained to perform tasks as service animals must be trained to do, but a snake is unable to be trained to behave appropriately in a public setting. 

It's also not good for the snake.  Snakes generally need a climate-controlled environment with the right temperature and humidity.  Restaurants, stores, and other public places are kept at a temperature and humidity level that is comfortable for humans, not for snakes.  Carrying a snake around in public is detrimental to the snake's health.

Just to be clear: under the ADA regulations, businesses are not required to allow people to bring service snakes into businesses!