A service animal is a dog or miniature horse trained to help you do something that is hard for you to do. If the animal is a dog, it can be any breed and any size. An animal that makes you feel better but does not do a task, is not a service animal. It would be considered an emotional support animal.
The federal government has not approved any type of form, application, vest, or picture ID to show an animal is a service animal. People often buy online documentation that says their animal is a service animal. This does not prove or mean anything.
If you have a disability that people can’t see, businesses and government agencies are allowed to ask:
Is this a service animal needed because of a disability?
What task has the animal been trained to perform?
They are not allowed to ask:
Anything about your disability
To see the service animal do its task
For documentation that says an animal is a service animal
A service animal needs to do a task for you. The task must be something you can observe.
Examples
Guiding a handler who is blind
Pawing at a handler who is deaf when the animal hears a baby cry
Picking items up off the floor and giving them to the handler
Sitting close when the handler has a seizure
Licking the hand of a handler with anxiety to calm them
An animal that makes a person feel better, but does not do a task, is not a service animal under the ADA.
Where a service animal can go
Service animals that behave well can go everywhere you go. Even if someone has allergies or is afraid of dogs, you are still allowed to have your service animal with you.
Sometimes businesses and government buildings say that no pets are allowed. Your service animal is not your pet. They need to let you bring your service animal with you.
You need to care for your service animal all the time. This means you need to:
Stop the service animal from running around
Take it outside to use the bathroom
Make sure the animal behaves well
The service animal should not bark, growl at, or bite other animals or people.
If a service animal does not behave, the business or government agency can ask you to take the animal out of the building. You can come back later without your animal.
Senators Wyden and Duckworth think the Department of Transportation (DOT) is making it harder for people with service animals to travel. They want the DOT to use an easier, accessible online service animal travel form instead of the current difficult paperwork. The required form is currently only offered in a PDF format and is hard...
Jan Garrett, Deputy Director of ADA Programs at the Pacific ADA Center, was recently interviewed by the L.A. Times. She shared guidance from the Americans with Disabilities Act on service animals in public spaces. Here are some key points: Service animals are trained to help people with many different types of disabilities. They don't have...
