SCOTT: My name is Scott Bloom and I'm the
Traumatic Brain Injury Program Coordinator at the
Washington Department of Veteran Affairs.
It is important for anyone interacting with
service dogs to understand that they're
not just a pet,
it's not just a in-home animal.
That it's something that the owners have a
right to to possess
and to bring with them wherever
they go, and that they depend on
for day-to-day activities.
SHANDA: My name is Shanda Taylor-Boyd,
and this is Timber.
SHERI: I'm Sheri Richardson, and my seeing eye dog
is Impala.
ANDRÉ: My name is André Perez,
and this is Smoke.
This is my buddy, he helps me out
with everything.
For the last,
eight or nine years, I've been dealing with
PTSD in TBI and all that stuff.
He provides that
barrier of security for me, and he allows me to
have a better quality of life.
SHERI: Having a dog really helps me to be a
more independent person. I know I can travel safely
where I want to go and when I want to go.
SHANDA: In 2008,
I was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.
If I'm here and I'm crying, he [Timber] will
just come right up to me,
and just start like start licking me and then,
like he almost knocked me over
to like say 'snap out of it, I'm here.'
It is the major comfort just to know that
he's there, he's got my back.
I think hands down, a service dog gives
me as a veteran more than I could ever
give him.
MIRANDA: Under Washington State law,
any animal that has been
trained to do work or perform tasks for the individual
with a disability is considered a service animal. So,
any trained animal.
[MUSIC]
Because you have a disability, doesn't grant you
the right to call your dog a service dog.
It's the training that the dog goes through
that grants him the right.
SHERI: Impala is trained to guide me safely,
she does that by using my commands.
Mostly left, right and forward,
and then she also is trained to do
what's called intelligent disobedience,
which means if I ask her to something
that is not safe,
she is supposed to refuse to do it.
WAYNE: My name is Wayne Terry, and
this is Monty, my hearing dog.
Monty is trained to alert me to certain
sounds. Say for an example, a smoke alarm.
I don't hear a smoke alarm unless it's right about there.
Like, when I go to bed at night
I take out my aid.
DANA: It works as a medical assistive device,
it is not a pet.
NARRATOR: Service animal owners have a right to bring
their animals just about everywhere.
That means they have a right to bring them
into government buildings,
and places of public accommodation,
like stores, restaurants, and theaters and hotels.
They also have a right to ask for a
reasonable accommodation
to use their service animals in their homes,
and bring them to work, despite
any existing no pet policies.
For places of public accommodation,
here are some rules to follow when
interacting with the person with a disability
and his or her service animal.
SARAH: There are two questions that places of
public accommodation
can ask the owner of a service animal.
1. Is this animal required because of a disability?
and 2. What service or task is this animal trained to do?
On the other hand, one cannot ask
What is your disability?
That information is confidential.
Similarly, they can't ask if you have proof or
documentation that they're [service animal] licensed
as a service animal.
SCOTT: Service animals do not require a tag,
a vest, or any documentation.
There's a lot of
fake, especially internet, service providers
that distribute vests and
actually have no training
whatsoever for the dogs.
That gives service and with a bad rap.
GABI: My name is Gabi Shephard,
I own Olympic Cards and Comics
in Lacey, Washington.
I think some people think that people
are faking or it's too easy to get a
service animal or whatever that is,
but I don't put it in that view.
I mean, someone who needs a service animal
needs a service animal and that
just needs to be respected.
NARRATOR: If a service animal is misbehaving in your
business, for example: barking,
jumping on customers or making a mess,
you may deny access to the service animal,
but you must still allow the animal's owner
to patronize your business.
SCOTT: When you come in contact with a
service animal and their owner,
it's important to follow these rules
both for safety and out of respect for the
person with a disability.
Speak to the person not the animal.
Do not feed the animal.
Do not pet the animal.
Do not be offended if the owner does not wish to
chat about the service animal.
Do not touch the service animal without
asking for, and receiving permission.
NARRATOR: Unlike service animals,
companion animals do not need specialized training
and the rules are a little bit different.
SARAH: Well, as the name implies
'companion animals' provide support by
simply being a companion.
They can do things like alleviate loneliness,
provide relief for people with mental
or psychiatric disabilities.
Companion animals are typically dogs and cats,
but they can include many other animals, for example,
snakes, lizards, small rodents.
NARRATOR: Like service animals, companion animal
owners have a right to request
reasonable accommodations
to keep companion animals in their homes
or bring them to work.
However, government buildings,
and places of public accommodation
do not have to allow companion animals.
SARAH: It's important to keep in mind that
companion animals provide real support
for people with different disabilities and
it's helpful for them to
be able to bring their companion animal
in order to patronize
different businesses.
GABI: We allow all animals in our store
because I find that
people feel more of a sense of community
and family when they're here
with the people they consider part of their group.
SARAH: Businesses may want to
accommodate companion animals
because it allows customers to feel
more comfortable and have the support
that they need from their companion animal
while patronizing the business.
And they may want to come back.
NARRATOR: Because several federal, state, and local
laws address the rights of animal owners,
and there are some fact-specific exceptions
within those laws,
there are some specific cases where
these rules may be different.
Rules for service and companion animals
may be more restrictive in certain situations.
For example, when an animal is misbehaving
or is exhibiting threatening behavior.
Rules may also be more restrictive
in specific places like
stores that sell food
or in hospitals.
Please check out the resources at the end of this video
more information that can
help you respond to service and
companion animals in your particular business.
SARAH: Service animals make it possible
for people with disabilities to live
more independently, with dignity,
and allow them to really access a lot more
of the community.
SHERI: My life without Impala would just be
so much more boring because
I wouldn't leave home as much,
I wouldn't go and physically go places as much.
ANDRÉ: If I didn't have Smoke in my life,
this house would probably be the extent of my
social interactions,
but he allows me to actually,
you know, be more human I guess.
GABI: Service animals are as much a part of their
handlers as someone in a wheelchair
or crutches and things like that.
It's kinda our responsibility as a business
owner to make sure everybody can feel welcome
and everybody can get their needs met.
I mean ultimately, that's what you want,
you want everyone to feel safe and secure
wherever they are.