“Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.”—ADA 2010 Revised Requirements; Service Animals
Where are service dogs allowed?
“Under the ADA, state and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is normally allowed to go. For example, in a hospital it would be inappropriate to exclude a service animal from areas such as patient rooms, clinics, cafeterias, or examination rooms. However, it may be appropriate to exclude a service animal from operating rooms or burn units where the animal’s presence may compromise a sterile environment.”
What tasks are service dogs trained to do?
“A service dog can learn many tasks to assist the owner who might be experiencing sudden flare-up symptoms or side effects of medications, or be in a situation in which outside help is needed.”—Wikipedia
- Bringing medication to alleviate symptoms
- Medication reminder at a certain time of day
- Bring a beverage so the patient can swallow the medication
- Bring the emergency phone during a crisis
- Provide balance assistance on stairs
- Assist person to rise and steady themselves
- Respond to smoke alarm if partner is unresponsive
- Backpacking medical related supplies or information
- Provide tactile stimulation to disrupt emotional overloads
- Give exterior stimulation to combat neurological damages
- Wake up human partner for work or school
- Lighting up dark rooms
- Keep suspicious strangers away
How are service dogs identified?
There is no federal certification of service animals in the United States, so no ID is required. Service dogs may wear special vests, badges, or ID tags, but they are not a requirement of the ADA. In a public access situation, declaration of an animal’s service status should be taken at face value, and questions that may be asked about the animal are restricted:
“When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability; and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.”
“Under the ADA, businesses are permitted to deny access to service dogs that are not behaving properly. They [service dogs] may also be excluded if the presence of the animal constitutes a fundamental alteration of the business or poses a direct threat. Persons with service dogs are not required to pay any additional fees on account of the service dog, though the owner is responsible for any damages caused by the dog.”
How are service dogs trained?
“By definition, a service dog is a dog that performs a task that mitigates a disability of the dog’s owner. Since each person experiences a disability differently and therefore has different needs for assistance, each dog is to some extent custom-trained for the individual it will help. Service dog puppies may be fostered by programs to private families to be reared until they are old enough for advanced training.
“A growing number of people choose to train their own service dogs. This can be because existing programs do not answer their needs. It can also be because the disabled person wants to experience the dog’s puppyhood, or because he or she already has a pet dog when the need for a service dog arises. This is permitted in some countries, such as the U.S.
“For a person with the skill to train their own service dog, this option can make dogs of specific breeds available that would not be available through a program, and allows for greater customization of training. For a handler used to a certain set of command words, this can be a very useful option.”—Wikipedia
How should I interact with service dogs?
You shouldn’t. It’s that simple.
Service dogs, when working, should be left alone to perform their tasks, whatever those may be. Interfering with an on-duty service dog can cause serious problems for the dog’s disabled handler. For example, you may see a service dog accompanying a shopper in a grocery store. Distracting the dog by talking to it or trying to pet it could result in the dog’s inability to do the job for which it is trained—for instance, alerting its owner to an impending seizure. Ignore the dog and teach your children to ignore the dog as well. In situations where pet dogs are allowed (shopping in chain stores, walking in a park), keep your own dog well away from working service dogs, please!
What if I observe a misbehaving “service dog”?
In a business, immediately report what you have seen to staff. It is their responsibility to speak with the dog’s handler to determine what will happen next. They have the right to ask that the dog be removed from the business if safety is an issue. In a public situation, get as much information as possible and, if necessary (when the misbehaving dog is threatening the safety of other dogs or people), report the situation to local authorities—animal control or police—and let them deal with the owner.
Next week: What is an emotional support or comfort animal?
