

If the service animal barks, growls or poses a direct threat to your customers or staff you may ask for the service animal to be removed.

Service animals must be trained in the performance of a task, and while many benefit from a reduction of anxiety provided by emotional service animals, that reduction doesn’t fall under the ADA’s guidelines as a task. Recently, some have taken umbrage with emotional support animals, defined by the government as an untrained companion of any species that provides solace to someone with a disability, such as anxiety or depression. Know the Difference Between Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals Texas takes a strict approach, threatening a misdemeanor for any animal functioning as a service animal that is not clearly marked and trained. In Rhode Island, dogs and sometimes miniature horses qualify as service animals. While the ADA, a federal mandate, trumps any state regulation, it’s important to know of state-specific rules before opening your doors since each state has different rules regarding service animals and how they may be employed. State Laws and Rules Governing Service Dogs The ADA recognizes all breeds of dogs and even exempts handlers from municipal breed restrictions.

You may instantly think of the seeing eye dog guiding a handler through traffic, but service animals assist with a wide variety activities of daily living, such as retrieving medications or alerting the hearing impaired to emergencies when they arise. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals are expressly distinguished from pets by the function they serve. Laws for Service Dogs in a Restaurant Federal Law and ADA Guidelines Department of Justice and the Americans with Disabilities Act defines a service animal as “as a dog that has been individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.”Īs a restaurant owner, here are some key points to note when it comes to accommodating service animals in your establishment.
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But as a restaurant owner, you still may be confused as to how to best serve these animals in your restaurant, especially since today, service animals are not limited to being dogs alone.

Service animals date back more than 100 years when the first school for service dogs opened following World War I as German Shepherds trained to run messages and act as guides were repurposed to serve veterans.
