Service Animals Fake or Real Issues

Service animals have become part of our lexicon. One can see a person carrying an animal in shopping malls, clinics, planes, etc. all under the guise that these animals are needed for one's well being.

This all started off with good intentions. There were people who after working with a therapist were "prescribed" a service animal. Other people who just liked the comfort and companionship of animals soon declared their pets as service animals. The credentials and dress paraphernalia was easily available on Amazon or eBay.

To me, this is where the slippery slope comes in.

Mental health is an issue, but the question is, who determines the degree to which a person may need a service dog, cat, rat, etc?

Do we need a therapist's or doctor's authorization? Is the service animal in addition to drug or some cognitive therapy?

At the end of the day, pets do serve a great purpose and people are genuinely better off having a pet. Hence, we can label all pets service animals.

The question is, when is it a critical need verses a nice to have? I can see a whole lot of people selecting the former.

To put this whole thing in perspective, I doubt 50 years ago people had service anything called a service animals. Babies had blankets, dolls, etc.

This brings me to my last question. Is this a first world problem?