Some people rely on service animals to provide them with daily support for specific medical conditions. If you don’t own a service animal, you may have some questions about what these animals do and whether they are allowed in the synagogue (Jewish place of worship).
Below are five common questions about service animals and their corresponding answers.
1. What is the definition of a service animal?
A service animal is an animal (usually a dog) that’s specially trained to help a person with a disability perform tasks that he cannot do himself. A common scenario is a blind man assisted by a trained service dog.
2. What is the role of a service animal?
Service animals can take on different roles and that includes detecting abnormal blood sugar levels (for diabetics), alerting people with hearing problems, picking up items for those with mobility problems, and more.
3. Is a service animal allowed in the synagogue?
Though the ADA states that service animals are allowed to accompany their owners in public spaces, synagogues are not covered under the ADA. This means that a service animal is not permitted in the synagogue unless there is an event that’s open to the public.
4. Can you feed and pet another person’s service animal?
Whether another person’s service animal wears a vest or not, you always need to ask permission from the owner before touching or speaking to the animal. Remember that a service animal is not considered a pet and is obligated to its owner.
5. What if you encounter a disruptive service animal?
A service animal should be well-behaved and obedient to its owner’s commands. If the animal disrupts others by barking or wandering around and the owner does not do anything about it, you may request for the animal to be removed.
Article source: Chabad.org
Are you an owner of an assistance animal?
The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.
Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.
Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the text or image below.
