What is a service animal? A service animal is either a dog or miniature horse. A service dog can be any breed or size, but a miniature horse is susceptible to certain measurement or weight restrictions.  Service animals perform various tasks for individuals that deal with various disabilities which include not only physical but sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or mental disabilities. These animals have a job to do and should not be pet or touched when seen in public since this could be a distraction from their tasks. Service animals are trained to assist people with tasks related to the disabilities named previously, some of these tasks may be leading the blind, retrieving medications and objects, and alerting owners of oncoming medical episodes. A service animal is NOT the same as an emotional support animal, a service animal must be directly related to a person’s disability. Service animals are allowed into many places normal pets are not such as restaurants, stores, hospitals, and more. Handlers do not have to pay a fee if needed to enter a public space with a pet or animal. In the state of South Dakota “businesses and organizations serving the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of their facility where customers are normally allowed to go.” Now that we’ve identified a service animal, lets get to know them a little more.

Service animals and their handlers have their own special set of rights and rules. When assessing if an animal is a service animal or not there are only two questions that are appropriate to ask. These two questions are “Is the animal required because of a disability?” and “What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?” Asking for documentation or proof that a service animal is certified, trained, or licensed is not allowed. The handler has many responsibilities when owning a service animal. The service animal must be house broken, under the control of their handler, and must be up to date with vaccinations according to state and local laws. If a service animal is misbehaving and showing certain characteristics such as uncontrollable barking, jumping on other people, or running away then a handler may be denied access with their service animal. Just as a handler has rights the service animal must follow a set of rules. A service animal must be house broken, under the control of the handler, and must be vaccinated according to state and local laws. It is very important that handlers and their service animals not only know their rights but also rules in order to keep peace in public spaces.