Service Animals and ADA

What is a service animal?

• A dog that has been trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. 
• Animals that provide a sense of safety, companionship, and comfort to those with psychiatric or emotional conditions.

Staff can ask for training documentation verifying that a service dog is really a service dog.

• True
• False

A person with a disability may not be asked to remove a service animal from the building unless:

• Staff have a fear of dogs
• Other patrons in the building are allergic to dogs
• The dog is distracting children form LEAP, and other ongoing programs.
• Dog is not housebroken, or is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it.

It is OK to move a walker or cane out of the way.

• True
• False

A support animal is not the same thing as a service animal.

• True : Support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals are not trained to perform a specific task so they do not qualify as service animals.
• False: Support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals help alleviate symptoms of a mental or emotional disability through companionship and affection

Never touch a person with vision loss, even to guide them. Verbally offer your arm and let them take it if they want to.

• True
• False

A service animal is easily identifiable by their special harness or patch.

• True: Service animals will have on a special harness or patch or vest to make them easily identifiable
• False: The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, tag, or special harness.

In situations where it is not obvious a dog is a service animal staff may only ask 2 specific questions.
1. Is the service animal required because of a disability?
2.

• What disability do you have the requires a service animal?
• Please have the dog demonstrate their task.
• What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
• Can you present the training certificate of your animal?