the only thing i can think of (especially with him being a veteran) is that it’s an emotional support animal. they aren’t recognized necessary in a lot of places, but for someone who suffers from panic attacks they can be the difference between living a normal life & becoming a shut-in. some sufferers respond to this by trying to distinguish their support animal from ordinary pets, but their dogs don’t have service dog training, so they, well, act like pets. seems like that fits the facts. i don’t know what the right answer to this issue is, but i definitely understand why people would be frustrated by the confusion of letting people pet the “service dog” while it’s working.