SD Rights without proof?

[TwitterMouse]

Okay, I've got a majoe problem!
I was doing laundry, and somehow managed to throw my dog's vest into the washer and dryer.
The dryer killed the vest entirely, and worse, all the paperwork in it is obliterated. The shot records he carries and my doctor notes... and stupidly enough I didn't make copies of them all. I'm going to my psychiatrist today, so I'll get the new doctor's note, I'll make a pitstop at his vet on the way home to get his shot record again. I've order a new vest, put it on quick delivery, but even so it will be a few days before I have it again.
My job will understand about this, they know us now and will understand that accidents happen.
Problem is, it's been a few hours since I runied his vest, and I'm having access problems. No one will accept a small dog with no vest or paperwork into their buisness. Nor should they really; right now I've got zero proof (besides his behavior) that he's anything more than a pet.
Once I get the paperwork I'll have proof again, but no vest, how is it I'm supposed to go anywhere? Without a vest, absolutley no one will allow him in, even with the paper work (which legally they can't even ask for!).
I'm confused, I can't go anywhere and I feel incredibly stuck.
Any advice? (Besides get an extra vest and paperwork... that lesson has been learned.)

 

[Mickiethepooh]

No advice for this time beyond what you seem to have done but maybe have a second back up vest in the future and copies of all the paperwork?
Good luck.

 

[TwitterMouse]

Well, I got the dr note again, she was cool about it. My mom had a copy of his shot record, so that saved me a trip and I have the two new vests ordered on overnight shipping. So, all should be well, and I'll just go out with my mom to help me in the mean time I guess.
My mom is also going to scan in copies of the paperwork and save them on her computer so that we can print new ones if I lose them again.
The order for the vests will take a few days to process, then one to ship. Would it be worth it to grab a little dog backpack from work for him? It's not a vest, but it sort of looks like one, he could carry his paperwork and maybe we would have more luck getting in places?

 

[dclfun]

You shouldn't have to carry paperwork or proof for your dog, nor does one need a Dr's note to have a SD- in fact most Dr's don't realize that service dogs are not "prescribed". The only thing that legally can be asked of you is "what task(s) does your dog perform for you that you cannot do for yourself to mitigate your disability". If you are challenged and someone doesn't accept your explanation, then you can call the police to report a violation against the place of business. Just stay calm but reiterate, this is not a pet, it is my SD and as such as public access rights to help me with my disability. You do not need to disclose your disability if it's an invisible one, but you do have to answer the "task" question. Hope that helps.---Kathy

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

As long as you are disabled as per the law and your dog is trained to do tasks that mitigate your disability (plus is public access trained):

PLEASE stop showing your doctor's letter to people! This only makes it harder for other teams - as you have found out by having access problems. It is nice to have a doc's prescription/letter for your medical and personal home records in case you ever need to prove yourself in court, but in the US, you do not need it for anything else and should leave it at home. Your medical history and doctor's name and all that is legally confidential info. - nobody can demand to know it.

Vet paperwork is not required in the US (including for airplane travel); you don't need to carry anything of the sort with you. It is always a good idea to have copies of all your vet paperwork in a binder at home, though, just in case you have an emergency and can't get to your regular vet or you need to look something up. You could also scan in the pages and put them on a USB drive for when you travel, in case your dog gets sick or injured while you're away and without access to his vet and records. But you don't need them for public access.

You do not need any proof with you - it isn't legally required under the federal law. Of course, lots of ppl need a guide, mobility, or wheelchair-pulling harness on their dog whenever they go out, so that helps. A vest or pack on other dogs (such as hearing and seizure alert dogs) helps keep the questions down, as well.

If you are having access problems, explain the law to ppl. If you aren't sure of the law, you need to get very familiar with it. http://www.ada.gov/reg3a.html is where the definitions of disabled person, service animal, and public places are. The Department of Justice (DOJ) also has a Business Brief you can print up to keep with you and give to places that do not know the law. Also keep the ADA Hotline phone number with you.

They are allowed to ask you three questions:

(1) Are you disabled? (Yes/no.)
(2) Is this your service dog? (Yes/no.)
(3) What tasks has your dog been trained to do for you? (Tell at least one task - you do not have to give your disability away by saying it.)

They cannot ask what your disability is or demand proof that your dog is trained (i.e. certification, ID, etc.).

NEVER leave a place that is trying to deny you access. This teaches them the wrong things. Show them the Business Brief and/or laws. Go up the chain of employees/owners/corporate/etc. to get access. Call the ADA Hotline. Call the health department. Call other area places you know they know the law at. Call the police (if your state has laws you and your dog fit - the police don't enforce federal laws). You have to stand your ground for access.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's a link to a nice FAQs sheet about Service Animals in Places of Business:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/qasrvc.htm

This is an official document that explains the part of the law that Ms_Butterfly put a link to. It also includes contact phone numbers for the ADA Information Line. As you can see on the bottom of the form, it is dated 1996, so it has actually been in effect a long time. The page was updated in April 2007.
The Department of Justice actually encourages people to copy and distribute this document, so if you are going to carry any documents with you, this is a good one to have.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Thanks for the link, SueM.

Here's the other DOJ document I mentioned, the Business Brief (a .PDF file): http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/svcabrpt.pdf

Here is the DOJ's site for businesses called "Reaching Out to Customers With Disabilities": http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/reachingout/intro1.htm (The page about SDs is http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/reachingout/lesson13.htm .)

Here is Easter Seals' PDF pamphlet on SDs and ground transportation: http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/DocServer/Service_Animal_FAQs.pdf?docID=32703