Printer Friendly
Service Animals
Service animals are animals trained to assist people with disabilities in the activities of normal living. They are not considered pets. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as “…any …animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals who are hearing impaired to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.”
Some, not all, service animals wear special collars and harnesses. If you are not sure if an animal is a service animal, you may ask the handler if it is an animal in service to assist with a disability. Documentation may not be required as a condition for providing service. All states do not require certificates for service animals; thus, you may not insist on proof.
The service animal must be permitted to accompany the individual with a disability to all areas of the campus where others are normally allowed to go.
The care and supervision of a service animal is solely the responsibility of the owner. You are not required to provide care or food or a special location for the animal.
Service animals are trained to behave properly in public settings. For example, a properly trained service animal will remain at its owner's feet. It doesn't run around freely, bark or growl at other people or animals, bite or jump on people, or urinate inside buildings. An animal that engages in such behavior shows it has not been successfully trained. Therefore, you are not required to treat it as a service animal. You can ask that the unruly animal be removed. Do not make future assumptions on one unruly animal.
Additional questions may be directed to the Disability Services Coordinator at (301) 696-3421 or kranz@hood.edu.