Oregon's rules regarding service animals are considerably more lenient than federal law, which requires that an individual animal be specifically trained to perform identified tasks for a disabled owner. In Oregon at present, however, almost anything goes; a person merely has to claim that an animal is a service animal, which leaves the door wide open for fraud and abuse.
Cherriots, also known as Salem-Keizer Transit, allows service animals aboard public transit if the animal is trained to do a task that specifically addresses the person’s disability. It’s not limited to just dogs or miniature horses.
Snakes, for example, can help people with epilepsy by detecting when their owner is about to have a seizure.
Oh really? While some anecdotal evidence exists for that, they're nothing more than stories. Ever tried to train a snake? Oh, it's not impossible, but it takes forever - and their repertoire is rather limited, and highly dependent upon species characteristics. SB 610, currently under consideration in Salem, is a step in the right direction and could do much to curb present abuses. In the Portland area, there are enough snakes associated with trains as it is.
