Service Dog Advocate

Welcome to ServiceDogAdvocate.com, your comprehensive resource dedicated to understanding, advocating for, and navigating life with service dogs.

Join Us and make the community stronger.

Washington Washington Service Dog Law

Definitions

Under interfering with dog guide or service animal law:

"Dog guide" means a dog that is trained or in training for the purpose of guiding blind persons or a dog trained or in training for the purpose of assisting hearing impaired persons.

"Service animal" means an animal that is trained or in training for the purposes of assisting or accommodating a disabled person's sensory, mental, or physical disability.

West's RCWA 9.91.170

Under discrimination law:

"Dog guide" means a dog that is trained for the purpose of guiding blind persons or a dog that is trained for the purpose of assisting hearing impaired persons.

"Service animal" means any dog or miniature horse, as discussed in RCW 49.60.214, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The work or tasks performed by the service animal must be directly related to the individual's disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing nonviolent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The crime deterrent effects of an animal's presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks. This subsection does not apply to RCW 49.60.222 through 49.60.227 with respect to housing accommodations or real estate transactions.

West's RCWA 49.60.040

Under "White Cane Law":

For the purpose of this chapter, "service animal" means an animal that is trained for the purposes of assisting or accommodating a disabled person's sensory, mental, or physical disability.

West's RCWA 70.84.020

For the purpose of this chapter, "service animal" means an animal that is trained for the purposes of assisting or accommodating a disabled person's sensory, mental, or physical disability.

West's RCWA 70.84.021

Accommodation Law

The right to be free from discrimination because of the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability is recognized as and declared to be a civil right.

Any person injured by any act in violation shall have a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction to enjoin further violations, or to recover the actual damages or any other appropriate remedy authorized.

West's RCWA 49.60.030

Harassment of/Interference with Service Dogs

Interference with service animal:

Misdemeanor to continue, after notice, with reckless disregard to interfere with the use of a dog guide or service animal by obstructing, intimidating, or otherwise jeopardizing the safety of the dog guide or service animal user or his or her dog guide or service animal.

Second or subsequent violation of this subsection is a gross misdemeanor.

Also applies where person allows his or her dog to interfere with the use of a dog guide or service animal.

Reckless injury to service animal:

Any person who, with reckless disregard, injures, disables, or causes the death of a dog guide or service animal, or allows his or her dog to do so, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

Intentional injury or death to service animal:

Any person who intentionally injures, disables, or causes the death of a dog guide or service animal is guilty of a class C felony.

Unauthorized control over service animal:

Any person who wrongfully obtains or exerts unauthorized control over a dog guide or service animal with the intent to deprive the dog guide or service animal user of his or her dog guide or service animal is guilty of theft in the first degree.

Restitution for all offenses includes:

  • value of the replacement of an incapacitated or deceased dog guide or service animal
  • the training of a replacement dog guide or service animal, or retraining of the affected dog guide or service animal
  • all related veterinary and care expenses
  • medical expenses of the dog guide or service animal user
  • training of the dog guide or service animal user
  • compensation for wages or earned income lost by the dog guide or service animal user
West's RCWA 9.91.170

Provision also under discrimination chapter:

A person who negligently or maliciously kills or injures a dog guide or service animal is liable for a penalty of $1,000 to be paid to the user of the animal. The penalty shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any other remedies or penalties, civil or criminal, provided by law.

A user or owner of a dog guide or service animal, whose animal is negligently or maliciously injured or killed, is entitled to recover reasonable attorneys' fees and costs incurred in pursuing any civil remedy.

West's RCWA 49.60.370

Driving Law

The driver of a vehicle approaching a totally or partially blind pedestrian, hearing impaired pedestrian, or a person with physical disabilities using a dog guide/service animal shall take all necessary precautions to avoid injury to such pedestrian.

Any driver who fails to take such precaution shall be liable in damages for any injury caused such pedestrian. It shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to drive into or upon any crosswalk while such pedestrian using a dog guide/service animal is crossing.

West's RCWA 70.84.040

Licensing Law

A county, city, or town shall honor a request by a blind person or hearing impaired person not to be charged a fee to license his or her dog guide, or a request by a physically disabled person not to be charged a fee to license his or her service animal.

West's RCWA 49.60.380

Service Dog Fraud

It shall be unlawful for any pedestrian who is not totally or partially blind, hearing impaired, or otherwise physically disabled to use a dog guide/service animal in any of the places, accommodations, or conveyances listed for the purpose of securing the rights and privileges accorded by the chapter to totally or partially blind, hearing impaired, or otherwise physically disabled people.

West's RCWA 70.84.060
 
Back
Top