John Bradford, founder and CEO of PetScreening, says business owners and property managers often struggle to tell a legitimate service animal from a pet passed off as one. Bradford says PetScreening is used to verify animal accommodation requests across more than 7 million rental units nationwide.
According to the article, the Americans with Disabilities Act defines service animals as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." The article says the ADA also allows a miniature horse in rare cases. Federal law does not require certifications, registrations, vests, or ID cards, according to the article.
The article says service dogs are protected under the ADA and the Fair Housing Act. It says they may be allowed in public spaces such as restaurants, retail stores, and hotels. Emotional support animals, by contrast, are protected under the Fair Housing Act but not the ADA for public access, according to the article. It says landlords are generally required to make accommodations for an emotional support animal when a tenant has documentation from a licensed healthcare provider.
When it is not obvious that a dog is a service animal, the article says staff may ask two questions: whether the dog is required because of a disability, and what task the dog has been trained to perform. Staff should not ask about the