Rights and Responsibilities

If you have a service animal, you have certain rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Some of these rights and responsibilities include:

• The right to have your service animal accompany you in public places, such as stores, hotels, and restaurants.
• The right to be accompanied by your service animal on public transportation.
• The right to live with your service animal in housing, even if there is a "no pets" policy.
• The right to be free from discrimination based on your service animal.
• The responsibility to ensure that your service animal is trained to behave appropriately in public and does not pose a threat to the health or safety of others.
• The responsibility to ensure that your service animal is clean and well-groomed.
• The responsibility to control your service animal at all times and to keep it on a leash or harness when in public, unless it is not appropriate for the animal or the individual with a disability would be prevented from the service animal's work.

When it comes to emotional support animals, your rights and responsibilities are different. Under the Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) you have the right to be accompanied by your ESA in housing and air travel, but these laws don't apply to all public places.

• The right to live with your ESA in housing, even if there is a "no pets" policy, as long as you have an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional.
• The right to travel with your ESA on the cabin of an airplane, as long as you have an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional.
• The responsibility to ensure that your ESA does not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, or cause significant property damage.
• The responsibility to clean up after your ESA, if it makes a mess.
• The responsibility to be aware of the policies of the specific location you visit, some public places may not allow ESA animals.

It's important to remember that service animals are trained and are working animals, thus they are protected by laws, while emotional support animals only receive protection in certain situations, when they are necessary for the emotional well-being of the owner and have the right documentation.

It's also worth noting that fraudulent representation of oneself as a service animal user is a federal crime and can lead to fines or imprisonment.