Service Animals

How "Service Animal" is Defined


Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. They are working animals, not pets. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. The work or task an animals has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person's disability.

Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

This definition does not affect or limit the broader definitions of "assistance animal" under the Fair Housing Act, or the broader definition of "service animal" under the Air Carrier Access Act.

Some State and local laws also define service animal more broadly than the ADA does.

Where Service Animals Are Allowed


Service animals are welcome in all areas of the park except for access to the Crown. Assessments have determined that allowing service animals on the Crown stairs poses a legitimate threat to the safety of the disabled handler, to other visitors in the Crown, and to the service animal itself.

Visitors who wish to make arrangements to leave their service animal in a portable kennel during their visit to the Crown should contact the park at least two weeks prior to their visit.

Service Animals Must be Under Control


Guests who use service animals must retain control of their animals at all times and should keep them on a leash or harness while visiting unless the animal is required to do otherwise in order to mitigate a person's disability.

Inquiries, Exclusions, Charges, and Other Specific Rules Related to Service Animals


Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. When a person who is allergic to dog dander, and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or facility, for example, in a school classroom or at a homeless shelter, they both should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room, or different rooms in the facility.

A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his/her service animal from the premises unless:
(1) The animal is out of control, and the handler does not take effective action to control it.
or
(2) The dog is not housebroken.

Staff are not required to provide care or food for service animals.
 

Last updated: March 1, 2018

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