PRACTICALLY ACTIVE

Service animals are trained for a task

Pets have more love and compassion in them than most humans.

-- Actor Robert Wagner

Ever since New York-based performance artist Ventiko tried to take her "emotional support" peacock on a flight from New Jersey to Los Angeles, I've been interested in service and emotional-support animals.

While there are some similarities, there are some important differences.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, only a dog or miniature horse can qualify as a service animal.

Federal regulations have narrowed the definition of "service animal" to mean "any dog [or miniature horse] that is trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or mental disability."

The type of work or task the animal performs must be related to the handler's disability for it to be considered a service animal.

The animals are trained to do jobs ranging from helping the blind navigate, alerting a deaf person to the presence of other people or sounds, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving medicine or the telephone, interrupting or preventing destructive or impulsive behaviors, and alerting someone to the presence of allergens.

Under the ADA regulations, emotional support, well being, comfort, companionship or deterrence of criminal activity do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of qualifying an animal as a service animal.

For example: If the animal senses that a person is going to have a psychiatric episode, and it's trained to respond by nudging, barking or moving the individual to another place until the episode subsides, then the animal has performed a task as opposed to merely sensing something is going on with its person.

A service animal must be under the control of its handler and have a harness, leash or other tether, unless the handler's disability makes him unable to enable the animal in a safe and effective way to perform the task. The animal must be under "voice control, signals or other effective means" of control.

Although it isn't required, there could be fewer problems if the animal is wearing a special vest or collar.

There is no rule that the animal must be registered or certified, and you don't have to have documentation to prove it is a service animal.

But if you are interested in registering a service animal, there are sources online; just do a search on the topic.

All areas of the government or businesses that serve the public generally must allow a service animal to accompany people with disabilities anywhere the public is normally allowed to go. That means that many "No Pet" or "No Animal" policies do not apply to service animals.

An "Emotional Support Animal" is a pet that has been prescribed by a licensed mental health professional. These animals are part of a treatment program designed to bring comfort and minimize the negative symptoms of an emotional or psychological disability.

All domestic animals could qualify, and they don't need specific task training, because merely their presence mitigates the symptoms of the disability. The only requirement is that the animal be manageable in public and not become a nuisance.

To qualify for a support animal, a person must be considered emotionally disabled by a licensed mental health professional and be given a description letter.

As for flying, regulations require that the airline accommodate reasonable requests if the airline is contacted at least 48 hours prior to departure time, and the person must submit an official request letter. If you don't, they can deny you. Some airlines will call the doctor's office to verify the contents of the letter.

And remember, you will not be the only person on the flight, or in the business or office where you take your animal, so common courtesy and consideration for others is of key importance.

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ActiveStyle on 05/21/2018

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