The federal law for service animals in the United States is a great way to take your dogs anywhere! The Americans with Disabilities Act states that a service animal must be allowed access to any area that an able bodied person can go, this includes restaurants and, basically anywhere.
The federal law takes precedence over all state and local ordinances. There are great articles in the Yorkshire Terrier Magazine about why yorkies are so perfect for this work and they don't require much training at all. The law is pretty vaque on the definition of a disability. There are people with minor hearing loss in one ear and they train the dog to bark at certain noises like when the dorrbell rings or a forklift is backing up in Costco or something.
There is one lady with Cosette of Cosette's Closet who trained her dog to dial 911. Her dog, Cosette, has saved her life something like 7 times. She suffers from schleraderma.
If you get migraine headaches or you are a diabetic you can train the dog to remind you to take your medication or you can train them to detect certain changes in your body chemistry when a headache is about to come on or when your insulin levels are dangerously low. Similarly, an epileptic can train a dog to detect an oncoming seizure.
Service animals for people with minor mental disorders like social anxiety, anxiety attacks, etc., need very little "training" because they are a calming influence naturally. I have high blood pressure so my dogs are trained to lick my face and give me love because just having them with me lowers my blood pressure.
There is no license or proof of any special training required to use your dog as a service animal. The business owners cannot technically ask you what your disablity is or how the animal services you, although I have found that most do not know the law and will ask these questions anyway.
I carry the rabies license, and a business card that simply states the following:
"I am a service animal under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I am trained to assist my owner due to a diability. This federal law takes precedence over all state and local laws and ordinances. I am to be allowed access to all places an able bodied person could go when I am with my owner without additional charge or restriction."
I also carry with me a Question and Answer sheet put out by the ADA for business owners with explanations of the law in case I run into someone who gives me a hard time. This law allows you to get your dogs into any hotel, theater, any restaurant, any public place basically without extra restrictions. Obviously if they damage anything, you would be responsible, but if they bark or anything, they cannot make you leave just like that cannot make people with a crying baby or fussy children leave.
I recently bought some patches and a vest from Raspberry Fields to make it a little easier and more identifiable ,but these are not necessary.
To research this further just google "service animals" and go from there. I can post the link for the form to educate business owners if anyone is interested. |