Things Not to Do to People with Service Dogs, Please, Iām Begging You
Immediately assume they are pets without looking
Pet them, ESPECIALLY without asking
Ask their owners to leave without checking to see if the dog is a service animal
Roll your eyes when the dog is a service animal
Ask whether the dog is a service animal when they are clearly wearing a service coat
stop????????????? questioning my wifeās fucking service dog
It doesnāt matter ifĀ āother people have tried to bring pets inside,ā that doesnāt give you the right to ask illegal questions??
Thatās like saying,Ā āSomeone hit me with a stick once, so no one can use a walking cane in my establishment because they might hit me with it.ā
if you see a dog wearing all of these:
ASSUME SHE IS A SERVICE DOG
Helpful Facts About Service Dogs
They may even be other species, such as miniature horses.
They are allowed anywhere the human public is allowed, such as restaurants, stores, markets, hotels, bathrooms, etc.
You do not need to ask if a dog is a service dog, as long as the dog is wearing a clearly-visible jacket.
As an owner/employee of an establishment that someone brings a dog to, you are only entitled to ask two questions. You donāt NEED to ask any. You are allowed to ask two.
The first question:Ā āIs the animal required because of a disability?ā NOTE: If it is obvious what the dog does and why it is required, you ARE NOT allowed to ask this question (for example, if the handler is in a wheelchair or also using a red-tipped white cane).
The second question:Ā āWhat task does this animal perform?ā ALSO not required if itās obvious.
Any more and you are violating the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), opening yourself and your business up for a hefty lawsuit.
There are two times you are allowed to ask a service animal to leave. You are NEVER allowed to ask the dogās handler to leave, no matter what the animal is doing.
The first time you are allowed to ask the animal to step outside: if it is not housebroken, and poses a sanitary risk.
The second time you are allowed to ask the animal to step outside: if it is acting aggressive towards or endangering other patrons.
You are only allowed to charge a cleaning fee if you would normally charge a human for the same fee. In other words, if the dog leaves hair on the floor and you wouldnāt charge a human for shedding on the floor, you canāt charge. If itās a hotel and you wouldnāt charge a human for peeing in the tub, you cannot legally charge the dog for the same.
You are never allowed to ask for documentation that an animal is a legitimate service animal.Ā This is in part to protect many people who donāt have access to medically-provided dogs, who have trained their own service dogs (perfectly legal and fine), or who canāt carry papers around with them at all times.
You may not ask that the animal perform their task for you.Ā What the fuck, donāt do this. Think of allergy alert dogsāare you really going to wave an allergen in front of someone that might have a deadly allergy just to prove that the dog isĀ āreal?ā congratulations, your ass is sued.
If you want more helpful facts please hit me up, Iām just really sick and tired of going places with my wife and her service dog only to get the message loud and clear that everyone is nervous and weāre unwelcome, when her dog is the most polite, well-trained, well-MARKED animal youāve ever seen.
A typical conversation entering 2/3 businesses we went into today:
Person: Maāam, you canāt have a pet in here. You have to leave.
Wife: Sheās a service dog. Sheās wearing her coat.
Person: Oh, sorry. We have to ask. People bring their pets in here sometimes, and we have to ask them to leave, because theyāre not allowed.
Wife: Sheās not a pet, sheās a service animal.
Please spread this. Some people just donāt know. Others think that if they canāt see a disability, it doesnāt exist or need treatment.
amandla
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
