IGUANA NOW CERTIFIED SERVICE ANIMAL

Hillary, the iguana, now has her papers. The docile non-leaping lizard that caused so much contention in Ocean City over unusual animals in public has her own identification card and can travel wherever she wishes.

The 4-foot-long iguana owned by resort resident Wayne Short caused some debate this spring when city officials worried that her strolls on the boards with Short might scare people. They responded by passing a law banning all reptiles and nondomestic animals from public places.

But what they did not know, apparently, is that Hillary is not just some ignominious iguana, or so it would appear.

All along, Short failed to see why she caused such consternation and maintained that all he wanted to do was take her outside on a leash for the natural sunshine that keeps her healthy.

“I just wanted to take her outside of the house. She’s been inside all winter and iguanas belong outside,” said Short, who recently has become known as the “Iguana Man.”

At the suggestion of a Boardwalk performer, Short found a way to freedom for Hillary and himself: she is now registered with the federal government as a service animal, much in the same manner as a seeing-eye dog, except that Hillary is a, well, lizard.

The National Service Animal Registry, an organization that certifies animals that assist people with disabilities, has registered Hillary as a bona fide service animal and certifies that she has been trained to assist Short. Just how she is trained and to do what is something you can’t ask.

According to Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals must be allowed to accompany their owners in any public place without discrimination. Prohibiting such an animal from any location is against the law. The law further stipulates that Short cannot be compelled by a business owner to say that he has a disability or disclose what it is.

According to Hillary’s certification papers, which bear her photo, she is “certified as a qualified service animal and … has been trained to assist Wayne Short, the confirmed disabled handler.” Businesses open to the public must, by law, “allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go,” according to the document.

Short said he doesn’t plan to flaunt his exemption to the new law by taking Hillary to hotels, restaurants and other establishments. He just wanted to be able to take her out to the Boardwalk on her leash to get some sun without breaking the law.

“We just sit up on the Boardwalk and watch people go by,” he said. “I’m not going to push it.”