Service Dog Question
 

My BF and I were talking about service dogs and where they go or don't, they go everywhere she goes, but there are some places service dogs can't go, and I did not know this and this is per my BF: 1. intensive care, unless YOU, the owner of the dog, are in intensive care, and then it's a case by case, work it out with the DR and the hospital thingy. 2. behind the counter in the food prep area of the restaurant, which I guess makes sense, even the people there have to wear hair nets, think of the hair net your dog would have to have, mine would be HUGE LOL and 3. a clean prep manufacturing area, the kind where you wear the haz mat type suits, ie: micro chips, computers, etc. OK, now I did not know these things and she had read about them "somewhere" ADA web site info stuff. If you know I'd like to know just because, and if you know of any other places, please, I'd like to know them too. I mean some of the stuff she goes through in just regular places, is just BS, you know what I mean, so she's pretty good with the "rules", but this surprised me. Your input please. Thank you

I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for bringing it up. I Googled, and this article seems pretty complete:

Is there anywhere that service dogs are not permitted? | Service Dog Central

That's interesting. I hadn't thought about places that they can't go. It makes sense though.

That article is pretty accurate. The only place Kaos has not went is the operating room/ delievery room. He is allowed in all other area's of the hospital. :)

Kaos has been allowed in all churches, courts, and zoo's that we have been to. In reality the only one that COULD have denied access was the zoo. (I've read a vague law reguarding that. I forgot the details tbh..)

This is interesting, thank you for all of the feed back, I think I read in one of your posts that Kaos had and ID badge from NYC? Is that necessary in your area? There has been some change in the law here in CA but I'm not sure that that was it, also I wouldn't know where or how one would get this ID, BF says and the ADA info says ID not required. When our law about service animals changed I think it was to change the definition, to eliminate snakes, birds, rats, misc. Now this was because of allergy issues or so they say, only dogs and mini horses are called service animals. ?? I think this law just took over starting in Jan this year. But I could be wrong about the start up date, our state gov is so screwed, who knows when something really does start and the state web site stinks!

Yes the ADA did make changes to the law. It was minor, as you said it was about other species of animals. No, were are not required to show any ID under ADA. The city provides ours to help minimize the confusion. SOME places are taught to look for the gold cross tag he wears. Some times I grab a different harness and don't have it. They can't deny me access because I don't. If I remember correctly I thought CA was the only other state that actually offers a Service Dog tag? :)

What defines a service dog? Is it only for someone with a physical handicap?

A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.

Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. Guide dogs are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include:

_ Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds.
_ Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.
_ Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance.

A service animal is not a pet.

ADA is federal law, not state.

Federal law trumps state law in all matters?

Yes it supersedes city/state laws and regs. Was somebody asking for a state law though?

I was told by a Target employee that I had to PROVE my dog is a service dog or leave the store. (interesting that they didnt have an issue until after i paid for $60 worth of pet supplies and not while I was shopping!) How do I prove it? What do I have to do? I haven't had him long & I don't know his history but he's amazing. I have lupus and several related diseases. He senses when I'm in pain and wakes me up to take my meds, he alerts me to the alarm clock and smoke alarm when I'm sleeping to deeply to hear them. Even when we're out, he refused to move unless I sat down & rested.

You do not have to prove it. They are not allowed to even ask you what your disability is. At most you can tell them that the dog performs a medical service for you. If you are more comfortable you could get your doctormtomgive you a statement to show to people but the ADA does not require that.

If you PM me I will send you the statement that you can give to anyone who questions you.

Some people are poorly informed and might I add, jerks about this.

Jay

Did you get this service dog from some place that actually trained him to do the service he provides? If you did, it seems to me they should provide you with some kind of ID that indicates he is indeed a service dog and not just a pet that likes to go everywhere with his owner. I have had several encounters with service dogs and they have all had ID badges, a vest of some kind or a vest with a patch indicating, "service dog" or "therapy dog". Then there was my cousins friend that went into Target with her dsog and they told her she had to leave with the dog...she claimed the dog was a "service dog" that sensed when she was going to have an anxiety attack and would lick her and calm her down.....that definition did not work!

I only intended him to be just a pet when I got him, but since he's showing a tendency on his own, I'm developing it. I need all the help I can get. It's more than emotional support - he's learning to retrieve things I drop, like my keys. I hadn't considered him being labeled as a service dog until the Target incident.

It was Target's nasty attitude that really bothered me. I've brought him to other stores (Walmart, Rite-Aid, TJ Maxx for example) as a pet. I stop on the way home from the park, groomer, etc. No one has ever asked if he was a pet or a service dog or cared. Target didn't ask if he was a service dog or not until AFTER I was done shopping & paying. If they are so hung up on only allowing service dogs in the store, why didn't any of the umpteen employees I saw around the store say something? Why did they wait until I had paid & was leaving to give me a hard time? They were really nasty about it. btw - the dog is very well behaved. He doesn't bark, snap, isn't hyper, disruptive, destructive, or dangerous. And we were LEAVING the store when they stopped me. Instead of demanding that I prove he was a service dog after they had my money, why not just tell me pets aren't allowed when I was walking in the door? Especially if they thought he was just a pet?

I admit that I'm overly sensitive to discrimination around disabilities. So when I got home, I read the ADA definition and I didn't think they could ask me to prove it either. As it happens, I am legally & permanently disabled. I also have a legal HP parking placard & often get harassed when I use it. (seriously - people yell at me, accuse me of using my granny's placard, leave nasty notes on my car, someone even took a box cutter to my new mustang and caused $2,000 damage before I even made the first payment on it.) Not all disabilities are visible. You can't tell by looking at me that I have lupus. I feel it 24/7, but I look normal. It drives me crazy that I'm constantly being harassed or have people demand that I prove I'm disabled. (Sorry, it's a huge peeve of mine. I've been dealing with this kind of discrimination for 30 years. Sometimes I need to vent and I warned you that I was overly sensitive to this!)

Maybe I'll get him an ID/vest and hang out at Target just to annoy them...