Disability, Animals

Psychiatric Service Dogs & Emotional Support Animals Law

Many people with disabilities rely on the help of service dogs. The Federal law grants certain protections and rights to people with disabilities that rely on guide and other service dogs.

Access to Public Places

There are a number of laws that govern how service dogs should be used in different contexts. One of the laws is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The ADA act guarantees people with disabilities that rely on service dogs equal access to public places such as government buildings, shops, theaters, hotels, hospitals and restaurants. Owners of these public places are required by ESA law to modify their practices to accommodate service dogs, if necessary.

However, the rights are only valid for dogs that fall under ADA’s definition of “service animals”. The ADA defines a service animal as a dog that has been trained to perform specific tasks to help a person with a disability. The dog should have been trained to perform tasks that are directly related to the person’s disability.

Under the ADA regulations, a “helper” cat or monkey does not fit the description of a service animal. This is because the definition is limited to dogs. In some cases, the ADA requires …

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