“No pets – service animals only.” We see variations of these words on signs everywhere. They sound pretty straightforward, but sometimes there’s confusion over exactly what they mean.
In the U.S., the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sets the rules for service animals, their owners, and the people who deal with them. This law says, among other things:
- A “service animal” is defined as any “animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability”. They don’t have to be officially licensed or certified – so business owners can’t ask for proof that they’re really service animals. They can’t ask for proof that the owner is really disabled, either.
- Businesses have to allow disabled people to bring their service animals in with them – though only in the places customers normally go. (Nobody wants a dog in a restaurant kitchen after all.)
- The animal’s owner, not the business, is responsible for its behavior while they’re there.
- However, the owner can’t be charged extra for bringing the animal in, even if it makes more work.
- Service animals and their owners can’t be segregated from other customers. The flip side of this is that they’re not entitled to special seating or free pet food either.
- If the animal is a threat to people’s health and safety, it can be kept out.
- Does this mean people with allergies to pets are entitled to an animal-free environment? The jury is still out on that one.
- If the animal is kept out, the owner is still legally free to come back without it. Of course, the owner may be physically unable.
- A service animal can be kept out for causing “a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business” – which sounds extreme, but could be just something like a dog barking at the movies.
More information is available here.
