What To Say When You Have A Service Dog

In that location are a few different reasons someone in the U.s.a. might ask for a "service dog alphabetic character" from their healthcare provider—a alphabetic character supporting their (planned) apply of service dog. Each reason has dissimilar requirements for what'due south in the letter.

We'll cover the requirements for a general letter, a housing letter, and a workplace adaptation letter. People with service dogs in the Usa shouldn't need letters for any other reason related to federal laws. State laws can add rights to federal disability laws, but tin can't take them away. Those who want a service canis familiaris from a program or have another personal reason may need to get a letter that meets other specific requirements.

Please remember that a service dog user should non testify a letter or service dog ID card in order to gain entry to public places similar stores, hotels, hospitals, etc. Since no alphabetic character or ID is required for public access in the Us, if yous bear witness a letter, you are grooming the gatekeeper that they should ask the adjacent service dog team for a letter. This makes the life of the squad coming after you miserable! Some of the worst access challenges happen when a service dog user comes after someone who has shown a letter or ID in order to gain access, and they wait the same of you.

In full general, it is a skillful idea for a (prospective) service dog user to bring the exact text of the letter they want written to their provider's function, and enquire them to simply put that text on their letterhead and sign it. This is important because many providers inadvertently brand piddling alterations, which can atomic number 82 to a big legal departure. Nosotros besides recommend never putting a specific diagnosis into a service dog letter of the alphabet, since it is unnecessary and can invite discrimination or uncomfortable conversation.

Any medical professional who is treating someone for their inability tin write a service dog letter. That could exist a psychiatrist, therapist, social worker, general practitioner, neurologist, nurse, nurse practitioner, etc. If i of a disabled person's providers won't write the needed alphabetic character, that person can ask any other provider who treats them.

General letter

While there is no legal need in a service dog user'south 24-hour interval-to-solar day life for a full general letter of support, having 1 can be extremely helpful should they always cease upwardly in courtroom over some unexpected incident. Information technology gives a timeline for when they started using (or planning to railroad train) a service dog. This can be helpful in proving that at the time of the incident, their dog was a service domestic dog.

A service domestic dog user should never legally need to show this letter to anyone except in a court state of affairs. In supporting a disabled person's planned service dog use, the medical professional is not responsible for the behavior of an fauna owned past someone else. For all service canis familiaris letters, we recommend the service dog user and medical professional each go on a re-create of the alphabetic character wherever important papers are stored.

The dated letter should be on the provider's letterhead with contact data, include any licensing information, and should read equally follows:

[Date]

To Whom it May Concern:

[Client's full name] is my client, whom I am treating for a life-limiting disability. I support their apply of a service canis familiaris for their inability.

Sincerely,

[Signed by provider, with typed proper name and license information]

Housing alphabetic character

If a disabled person has a service domestic dog—as opposed to a "service dog in preparation"—they exercise non need a letter for housing places that are covered by the Fair Housing Human action. (On PSDP'southward housing page, there's info about topics like which dwellings are exempt from the Fair Housing Act.) With a service domestic dog, the service domestic dog user merely has to answer the two questions from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Those are: (1) "Is the animate being required because of a inability?" and (2) "What work or chore has the animal been trained to perform?".

Recall that you practice not demand to tell anyone the diagnosis (privacy matters). Instead, the service dog user can depict in general terms how the service dog helps. The service domestic dog user may answer the questions verbally, but it is smart for them to follow up in written grade with the housing provider immediately afterward. A simple email or (saved) text exchange is fine, as long as it conspicuously confirms the disability accommodation agreement.

If the animal is not a service domestic dog but still counts as an assistance beast, there are different rules. "Assistance fauna" in the housing context includes trained service animals and untrained back up animals, all of which must help a disabled person to qualify. A service dog in preparation may qualify as an assistance animal in housing if it helps the disabled person.

The document linked beneath from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) explains the requirements for assistance animals. The specifics for help animals that are not service dogs starts on page 7.

https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/HUDAsstAnimalNC1-28-2020.pdf

A housing service dog alphabetic character should ostend the person has a disability, though non what their diagnosis is. It should likewise found the disability-related need for the assistance creature. If the assistance animal is not an animal ordinarily kept in a household, at that place are additional requirements—see the document linked above for details.

Below is a sample letter for an aid animal in housing. Equally with a general letter, the dated letter should be on the provider'due south letterhead with contact data and include any licensing information. Information technology should read as follows:

[Appointment]

To Whom it May Concern:

[Client's full name] is my client, whom I am treating for a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities or actual functions. I back up their apply of a domestic dog as an assistance animal. My customer's disability causes them difficulty with [insert limitation here, information technology could be "leaving the firm", "maintaining emotional stability", "sleeping", "remembering to have medication", "social interaction", etc]. The assistance animal mitigates their disability by [insert help provided here, information technology could be "regulating emotions", "responding to their medical condition", "encouraging them to get out the house", "facilitating social interactions", "regulating their sleep", "preventing or interrupting impulsive behaviors", "reminding them to have medication", "providing emotional support", etc].

Sincerely,

[Signed by provider, with typed proper noun and license information]

Workplace accommodation letter

The Chore Accommodation Network has wonderful information regarding service animals in the workplace. Here is their webpage:

https://askjan.org/topics/servanim.cfm

In guild to bring a service animal into the workplace as a inability accommodation, an employee must asking a reasonable adaptation. The request for reasonable adaptation should document that the person has disability, why the service animal is needed, what information technology does, that it is trained to behave, and a description of how information technology will not disrupt the workplace. Some of this information will come up from the healthcare provider, while other information may come from a canis familiaris trainer or from a demonstration of the animal's beliefs, such as through a trial period.

Minimally, the letter of the alphabet from a healthcare provider should document the person'due south disability. If possible, it would be helpful for the alphabetic character to also include information on how the animal helps with the person's disability. The office of the ADA that deals with employment doesn't define "service animate being". This means it is possible—but not guaranteed—that a disabled person could go an accommodation with an creature that helps by its untrained presence, equally long as it is trained to behave in the workplace.

Beneath is a sample healthcare professional service domestic dog letter for workplace accommodations. Equally with the general and housing letters, the dated workplace accommodation letter should be on the provider's letterhead with contact information and include any licensing information. It should read as follows:

[Date]

To Whom it May Concern:

[Client's total name] is my client, whom I am treating for a life-limiting inability. I back up their utilize of a service dog. My client'southward inability causes limitations with the following major life activities: [insert limitations here, which could be "maintaining depression anxiety", "interacting with others", "remembering to take medications", "avoiding impulsive behaviors", etc ]. These affect their job operation past [insert applicable examples here, such every bit "lowering the amount of time the employee is productive", "causing difficulty with coworker interactions", "causing increased absenteeism", etc]. The service dog mitigates their disability by [insert help provided here, it could be "alerting or responding to their mental wellness country or feet levels", "facilitating social interactions", "preventing or interrupting impulsive behaviors", "reminding them to take medication", etc].

Sincerely,

[Signed past provider, with typed name and license information]

Employers also need to know that the canis familiaris is trained to behave in the workplace. The service domestic dog user should submit a letter of the alphabet from their dog trainer, or the service canis familiaris user may provide a trial-flow sit-in if the canis familiaris is exclusively owner-trained. Yous might also wish to include a statement of what the animal volition do while at the workplace. Will they sleep under the desk? Will they accompany the person around the part? Will other people exist allowed to pet them or feed them? Where and when will they eliminate?

If you take whatever further questions about letter writing, delight fill out our contact class and we volition telephone call you back shortly.