by Dang LeJuly 26, 2023 4:46 pm
Tarrant County resident Tony Alford has found comfort in his service dog since he brought it home three years ago.
Alford is an Air Force veteran who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after about a decade of serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was discharged in 2013 but wanted a service dog only after attending therapy.
However, recently Alford, a construction worker, faced pushback for bringing his licensed service dog to public places, he said. For years, veterans nationwide — like Alford — have been refused services, whether at a hotel, restaurant or on a train, because of their service dogs.
"A well-trained dog can sometimes be better than a human," he said.
Service dogs welcome in public places
Krypto, a golden retriever, has traveled with Alford as a service dog to many places, sometimes even to construction sites where he worked — all of which is allowed under Texas law, according to state officials.
Service dogs are working animals — not pets — trained to assist a person with a disability with tasks like picking up items, alerting sounds and providing physical support after a seizure, said Courtney Craig, public relations and marketing specialist at Canine Companions, a service dog provider.
What are the state's guidelines for service animals?
Here are the Texas Workforce Commission's guidelines for service animals:
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service dog must be trained in tasks directly related to the person's disability, Craig said in an email.
"People who use service dogs rely on them to do a job," she said.
Angela Woellner, spokesperson at Texas Workforce Commission, said people may not be turned away from any place open to the public because of their service animal. Representatives of a public facility may ask an individual about the animals' service but not about their certifications or qualifications.
However, people may be asked whether the service animal is required and what type of work it performs if their disability is not apparent. The only exemption for housing rules is made for single-family residences where only one room is rented, leased or furnished.
In Texas, no person with a disability may be denied the use of an assistance animal. A service animal in training must not be refused admittance to any public facility if accompanied by an approved trainer, according to state law.
Violators of the law may face a fine of up to $300 and 30 hours of community service at a governmental entity or nonprofit organization that serves people with disabilities.
Because Texas state law doesn't specify who is a "service dog trainer," it may refer to a person who trains a dog to perform tasks that assist with their own disability, a person who trains a dog to be placed with a person with a disability or an individual who prepares task-trained service dogs for an organization, said Wallis Brozman, communications and advocacy coordinator at Canine Companions, in an email.
Therapy dogs are pets that provide comfort to people, Craig said. They are not trained to the same degree as service dogs, which often takes up to two years and enhances their handler's independence and keeps them safe.
People also misunderstand service dogs and emotional support animals, which aren't required to have any specific training and do not have any kind of public access unless special permissions within the Fair Housing Act, she said.
"When people pose pets as service animals, those who rely on legitimate service dogs pay a steep price — added discrimination, denied access to public places, and even compromised safety," Craig said.
Keller incident
In June, Alford was asked to leave a park owned by the city of Southlake because of Krypto, he said.
Alford drove to the park near a Keller church to pick up his 17-year-old daughter from soccer practice. He said he faced hostility from two women who told him and his dog to go elsewhere.
One of the other women contacted by the Fort Worth Report called the situation a "misunderstanding" and that she respects service dogs and Alford's mental health. Her concern was that Alford stood close to the team, so she only told him to move away from the players, the parent said.
Alford acknowledged he started shouting amid the conflict because he was already anxious, he said. However, he said, he realized that the situation was escalating negatively, so he got in the car and left.
Service dogs more than just animals
PTSD is considered a disability under the ADA. A lack of research has made it unclear whether service dogs ease PTSD symptoms, according to a study from Frontiers in Psychiatry, a mental health research journal.
However, the journal's research found the presence of a service dog improved the quality of life and lowered PTSD symptoms levels.
No breed restrictions or size requirements exist for service dogs — they can be a tiny chihuahua to a large Great Dane, Brozman said.
People don't understand that service dogs are more than just animals, Alford said. But he emphasized they should start listening and caring about the necessity of having real, registered service dogs.
"It's not like we can just shut it off," Alford said. "It's like telling us we can't take our medication because you don't like drugs or something."
fortworthreport.org
Tarrant County resident Tony Alford has found comfort in his service dog since he brought it home three years ago.
Alford is an Air Force veteran who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after about a decade of serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was discharged in 2013 but wanted a service dog only after attending therapy.
However, recently Alford, a construction worker, faced pushback for bringing his licensed service dog to public places, he said. For years, veterans nationwide — like Alford — have been refused services, whether at a hotel, restaurant or on a train, because of their service dogs.
"A well-trained dog can sometimes be better than a human," he said.
Service dogs welcome in public places
Krypto, a golden retriever, has traveled with Alford as a service dog to many places, sometimes even to construction sites where he worked — all of which is allowed under Texas law, according to state officials.
Service dogs are working animals — not pets — trained to assist a person with a disability with tasks like picking up items, alerting sounds and providing physical support after a seizure, said Courtney Craig, public relations and marketing specialist at Canine Companions, a service dog provider.
What are the state's guidelines for service animals?
Here are the Texas Workforce Commission's guidelines for service animals:
- All individuals have access to all public places and equal access to housing with their trained service animal.
- Public transportation, with no additional cost for the service animal
- Hotels, motels or other places of lodging
- College dormitory and educational facilities
- Businesses
- Restaurants or other places where food is offered for sale ·
- Medical facilities, including medical clinics, examining rooms, hospital cafeterias and patient rooms
- Housing: It is an individual's right to full and equal access to housing accommodations. The individuals are exempt from pet deposits and any policies against owning animals.
- Veterans who face hostility because of service animals may contact the Americans with Disabilities Act office at 800-514-0301 or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY) Monday to Wednesday and Friday from 8:30-11 a.m. and 2-4:30 p.m. Friday and from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday (Central Time) to speak with an ADA specialist. Calls are confidential.
- For more information about Texas Disability Law about service animals, visit here.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service dog must be trained in tasks directly related to the person's disability, Craig said in an email.
"People who use service dogs rely on them to do a job," she said.
Angela Woellner, spokesperson at Texas Workforce Commission, said people may not be turned away from any place open to the public because of their service animal. Representatives of a public facility may ask an individual about the animals' service but not about their certifications or qualifications.
However, people may be asked whether the service animal is required and what type of work it performs if their disability is not apparent. The only exemption for housing rules is made for single-family residences where only one room is rented, leased or furnished.
In Texas, no person with a disability may be denied the use of an assistance animal. A service animal in training must not be refused admittance to any public facility if accompanied by an approved trainer, according to state law.
Violators of the law may face a fine of up to $300 and 30 hours of community service at a governmental entity or nonprofit organization that serves people with disabilities.
Because Texas state law doesn't specify who is a "service dog trainer," it may refer to a person who trains a dog to perform tasks that assist with their own disability, a person who trains a dog to be placed with a person with a disability or an individual who prepares task-trained service dogs for an organization, said Wallis Brozman, communications and advocacy coordinator at Canine Companions, in an email.
Therapy dogs are pets that provide comfort to people, Craig said. They are not trained to the same degree as service dogs, which often takes up to two years and enhances their handler's independence and keeps them safe.
People also misunderstand service dogs and emotional support animals, which aren't required to have any specific training and do not have any kind of public access unless special permissions within the Fair Housing Act, she said.
"When people pose pets as service animals, those who rely on legitimate service dogs pay a steep price — added discrimination, denied access to public places, and even compromised safety," Craig said.
Keller incident
In June, Alford was asked to leave a park owned by the city of Southlake because of Krypto, he said.
Alford drove to the park near a Keller church to pick up his 17-year-old daughter from soccer practice. He said he faced hostility from two women who told him and his dog to go elsewhere.
Alford, who lives in Burleson, said the two women didn't care to see Krypto's identification documentation and didn't give him enough time to put the service vest on the dog, who was still in the car. During the interaction, he emphasized Krypto was a service dog who goes with him everywhere.
One of the other women contacted by the Fort Worth Report called the situation a "misunderstanding" and that she respects service dogs and Alford's mental health. Her concern was that Alford stood close to the team, so she only told him to move away from the players, the parent said.
Alford acknowledged he started shouting amid the conflict because he was already anxious, he said. However, he said, he realized that the situation was escalating negatively, so he got in the car and left.
Service dogs more than just animals
PTSD is considered a disability under the ADA. A lack of research has made it unclear whether service dogs ease PTSD symptoms, according to a study from Frontiers in Psychiatry, a mental health research journal.
However, the journal's research found the presence of a service dog improved the quality of life and lowered PTSD symptoms levels.
No breed restrictions or size requirements exist for service dogs — they can be a tiny chihuahua to a large Great Dane, Brozman said.
People don't understand that service dogs are more than just animals, Alford said. But he emphasized they should start listening and caring about the necessity of having real, registered service dogs.
"It's not like we can just shut it off," Alford said. "It's like telling us we can't take our medication because you don't like drugs or something."
A veteran says he was asked to leave a Tarrant County park because of his service dog. What is the law? | Fort Worth Report
Veterans have been refused access to public places because of their service dogs. Texas, though, has protections to stop that from happening.
fortworthreport.org
