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It appears that to follow the rules of the disabilities act AirBNB is taking an easy way out and tying the hands of the property owners/managers to protect their properties by not requiring any notification that a service dog is on the premises or proof that the dog is truly a service dog. Since there can be no questioning it, this opens the door to everyone to of course say their dog is a service dog. Since true service dogs are certified and their is a database to validate this, why can’t that be quickly validated by looking at the animals certification number? All this would require is a place for the service dog owner to input the number of the service dog if they check they are indeed going to have an animal on site. Also know that these animals are extremely expensive and not easy to replace, what happens if an animal is injured or hurt or worse while on the premises? Being in an area where there are actually wild animals, bears and mountains lions around that do come into yards during early hours, can make it dangerous if pet owners are not aware of this danger. It sounds to me like airbnb is opening up a lot of liability by not asking or allowing the question to be asked for service dog, registration id. And the final reason for providing this information is simply to keep everyone from saying their pet is a service dog. Lookup by a certification id would make everyone’s job much easier. I in fact have absolutely no probably with true service dogs being present. I have a problem with the other 99.5% of dogs that will appear and our hands being tied not to be able to ask. I am sure if someone has a service dog, they would not mind providing a certification number.
Your thoughts please.
This is incorrect – you cannot verify a service dog solely by looking at a certification or registration. Certificates and registrations are completely optional for service dog owners, many owners have them and many do not – either is perfectly fine. As a housing provider or hotel, you can verify whether someone has a service dog by asking two questions (and only if the disability related need is not obvious): 1. Is the dog a service dog required due to a disability? and 2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
There is no formal service animal registry. My service animal came from a prison rehab program, my father is a dog trainer and I trained my dog on my own. I travel monthly with him and am very aware of the laws. My disability and service animal also supersedes most people’s conditions that they could use to not want him around, like an allergy to dog dander for example. Only landlords and flights on airplanes can require a letter from a qualified professional stating the animal is needed. A wild animal could also attack a human in the yard. It seems like that would be an even larger liability if that happened. What is the cost of a human’s life if they get hurt?? Also, service animals are highly trained and are not off-leash animals running around doing as they please. They have a job and know it. They will actually most likely prevent an injury from happening by protecting their disabled owner. They are also exposed to many different environments during training, unlike a common house pet. Yes, people can lie. It’s a misdemeanor to do that as well as one to interfere w a service animal and its handler. I’m always curious when I read flat-out lies that people write when the information is all so easily found on the internet. Did you just imagine a registry? I would love to have a pet and, not a disability that requires me to travel w a 70lb dog everywhere. If a service animal or a “fake” service animal causes damage to the property the handler/owner is financially responsible and can be asked to have the animal leave. AGAIN, THERE IS NO CERTIFICATION ID. AIRBNB is protecting itself from discrimination suits. If you have a rental property and cannot follow the law by allowing reasonable accommodation then you shouldn’t have one full stop. Maybe also, learn a bit of empathy. You seem to feel very knowledgeable in this subject but everything you wrote is either false or highly unlikely. A toddler could trip and fall. Should they not be allowed?
It is correct that service dog owners cannot be required to provide a certification, ID or registration number for service dog accommodation. These items are considered optional service dog paraphernalia and cannot by themselves qualify someone for a service dog.
If you think all “service animals” are highly trained you’re fooling yourself. The vast majority we’ve been forced to take are ESAs and have zero training. As you can’t ask for documentation, there’s no way to know if the animals serve any legitimate purpose at all.
My wife has severe pet allergies. We essentially cannot use our property anymore because of these so-called service animals. The policy should be up to the homeowner. As these are private residences, they are ADA, exempt, but Airbnb always sides with its customers (guests) rather than its products (hosts). If you have a disability you should still respect the homeowner’s policy and not force your animal into their home.
You actually do need documentation for ESAs. Emotional support animals require the tenant to submit a signed ESA letter from their healthcare professional. Emotional support animals are not service animals and do not have the same legal rights. They are covered by the Fair Housing Act, but not the ADA.
i totally agree. Identities of humans must be verified, why not service animals?
Never did our government foresee that someone would fraudulently present as a disabled person. The ADA is a federal mandate, administered by the Dept. of Justice. Its purpose is to protect disabled individuals from discrimination. I’m all for a legal remedy to the problems with the fakes “buying” their way into the world of people who struggle with daily functions and have their legitimate helpers accompany them wherever they are “able” to go. However, to take it a step further, karma is my wish for the fakes.
Basically Airbnb is saying that a host must accept any dog that is claimed by the owner to be a service dog. I will have to pay my cleaner extra to vacuum after a dog stays there. As a result, every rental is now a dog-friendly rental, and every owner must incur the extra expense of cleaning up after dogs. And they don’t even have to tell us beforehand! This is not fair. I’m happy to accommodate true service animals for those who truly need them, but all this is doing is empowering the scam artists and those who enable them.
AirBnb’s policies were designed to comply with ADA rules regarding service dogs. We believe that most people act ethically about service dog representations. However, there are certainly bad apples out there. A few bad actors however should not ruin service dog accommodation in Airbnbs and hotels for the disabled who truly need their animals.
As a service dog owner, I can empathize with your statement but disagree largely with most of what you said. Most cleaning companies should be doing enough cleaning to make the place usable by the next guest. This SHOULD include vacuuming, wiping/disinfecting of surfaces, etc. Unless the dog has an accident (which I, the handler, should be responsible for), I don’t see why there would be extra cleaning. I cannot speak to all service animals, but mine is not allowed on furniture, counters, etc. I travel with a bed for him as well as blankets and other misc things. Yes there is pet dander and I do not know the best resolution for this unfortunately.
As for telling a host before hand, this is to prevent pre-discrimination. Yes, there are those out there that abuse the system and it does hurt us ACTUAL service dog owners, but they are usually far and few. However, it’s very easy for a host with a non-pet friendly home to cancel a reservation if I tell them I have Service Dog and make up an excuse why. That’s the whole reason why the policy is in place that states a service dog owner does not have to inform a host before check in. Speaking just for me, I always inform my host after I’ve checked in that I have a service dog, what breed he is, and let them know I will answer most any questions they have.
You do things exactly the way I do for the exact reasons….
I have a two-room B&B that we live in and have two issues with this requirement.
1) My dog is aggressive towards any other animal. We got her as a recuse dog many years ago and have tried so many times to get her accustomed to other cats and dogs with no luck. But she’s your best buddy to all humans.
2) The other issue is that both my wife and I are allergic to dog dander. Our dog is a Cooker-poo (Poodle & Cooker Spaniel mix), all poodles and poodle mixes don’t have dander as they have hair, not fur. How can we accept fur-bearing dogs if we’re both allergic to non-poodle mix dogs?
How can we accept these animals into our house? I’ve seen where we’d even have to accept ponies and other fur-bearing animals. Don’t I have any rights?
Only dogs qualify as service animals so you would not need to accept a pony or other animal. You are permitted to deny a service dog if it would create a safety or health hazard, but you must consider ways to mitigate that risk.
Well service dog licenses are not paraphenalia. My son has a Ca shasta county service dog license with a document from
the sheriff stating the tag number and my son’s name. They also have info on what services the dog is trained to do and more.
Some Airbnb listings say no pets or service dogs due to allergies. As far as I understand it, people who have a service dog can bring it in all public places, not be moved to pet only hotel rooms, not be moved away from
others in restaurants and for people with allergies yet owners of airbnb have said absolutely no service dogs. Why is it that when we write date of trip, number of adults, pets it says if you have a service animal do not put pet? Because the listing says absolutely no service dog or pets
Who gives the certification, who manages it. I was a military handler but got no certification for it. As a person with a disability I hate fake service animals and can spot a mile away. I wish there was an answer outside of just trust. Formal certification would be just be a lot more bureaucracy and sometimes it’s very hard for disabled person to manage a bureaucracy
You don’t need any form of certification for a service dog. Service dog certificates are considered optional paraphernalia. No hotel or Airbnb host can request to see a certificate in order to accommodate a handler and their service dog.