Just want to get this right regarding allowing service dogs in your B&B......

[trishany]

which will probably never happen. BUT, if it does happen, AND, if a guest appears at your door with a service dog, who has made reservations in advance, but didn't tell you about the dog, you can deny them because the service dog can "potentially" be disruptive?

 

[Morticia]

Trish- Listen up...NO. That's it, NO! You cannot know what the animal will 'potentially' do. If and when the animal DOES something distruptive...barking, lunging, actiing aggressively, THEN you may deny service.
You could certainly express surprise at seeing the svc animal unannounced at your door. You could say, 'Just let me put my 2 big Saints behind closed doors before I let you in, they are not accustomed to any other animals in their house.' You could see what the reaction is at that point. But unless that svc dog goes nutso, or the guests don't decide they'd be better off elsewhere, you take the guests and their dog.
Like Swirt said, if this is an issue for you, call a lawyer and have it in writing that the LAWS don't apply to your place for whatever reason.
'Potential' could apply to any and all guest who show up at the door. Any guest could have the 'potential' to rob you, break your stuff, damage or deface property, harass your dogs, pee on your tulips. 'Potentially' anyone could do anything.

 

[Samster]

A bona fide service animal for someone with a disability is well trained and the potential for problems from that animal is probably low. Why would you want to deny service to someone with a real disability that is trying to get around in the world? (Aside from the laws that forbid you from doing so.) Like Bree said, we accept strangers in our homes all the time that have the "potential" to do who knows what. Like lighting candles in a bookcase!

 

[trishany]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for.

 

[Samster]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Well, then I guess if you have someone show up with a service animal and refuse them lodging, you'll take your chances. I just hope that it's not like someone I know who used to be an attorney with the Federation of the Blind. Good luck!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

you can deny them because the service dog can "potentially" be disruptive?
Those rowdy disruptive service dogs...never give them the key to the liquor cabinet!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

But unless that svc dog goes nutso, or the guests don't decide they'd be better off elsewhere, you take the guests and their dog.
Those crazy nutso highly trained service dogs...you just can't take them anywhere. What is a blind person to do!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for.
Okay may need to do a little research on how service animals behave. They are pretty good about not peeing and pooing in beds, or sleeping in them along their owners. Not sure what you are picturing, them jumping on the beds like kids or something?

 

[muirford]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.

 

[trishany]

Samster, a svc dog will be disruptive to other guests. Take my word for it. Yup, I should be expecting alot of lawyers for The Federation of the Blind --they'll be knocking down my door.
Junie B - please calm down. We're not expecting alot of blind people to come to the B&B this summer, to tell you the truth, we're not expecting ONE. If we do so happen to get a blind person, they will be treated very, very graciously, as I stated earlier. Also, you were blessed not to have allergies to dogs. Some of our guests are highly allergic to dogs and I don't think it's fair for them to have to sleep in a bed that has fur. It's really simple.
Dogs DON'T poop and pee where they sleep. Really not worried about this.

 

[trishany]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.

 

[user 26]

i am the one who had guests arrive with a dog ... unprepared for.
regardless of legitimate service animal or not, i feel it was impolite to give me no advance notice. the other guests with service animals have each told me in advance and i changed the linens to things that are more easily cleaned. still nice things, but not the white puffs, etc.
when i said we don't take dogs, they told me it was a service animal, that they had papers for the dog, that i could not deny them accommodation, etc. and it seemed to me they were gearing up for a confrontation. i studied the law as it pertains to me a couple years ago and i just let them into the room. there was no damage ... when they checked out, i laundered all that could be laundered in case of a random flea or fur esp. because i say we don't take any pets so a future guest with an allergy might encounter something
i cannot decline to have the guest with a service animal stay here because of my size. i cannot demand to see papers or ask what the disability is. i have had other service animals here, except for the fact that they were animals, there was no disruption.
i questionned (in here) whether or not this little dog was actually a service animal because the morning after the stay it was aggressive toward a dog on a leash .... and properly trained service animals do not act this way. but the visit was just about over. if it had behaved like that early on, i might have had grounds to ask the guests to find other accommodations.
yes, i was concerned that this little pooch might have had an accident in the room but it appears it did not. i am ALWAYS concerned that a service animal might have an accident. so far, no problem. i do extra laundry of all possible linens and things because of the issues above. it irks me that i cannot charge for the extra cleaning i feel compelled to do after the dog checks out, but that is the law ...
the ironic thing is i Love dogs and i like cats but i don't have one!

i grew up with a dog and cat in the house. had them for years.
~m*

 

[muirford]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.
.

Whatever - you seem determined to interpret the way that suits you, without regard for the statement that specifically states it would not alter (alterate isn't actually a word in English) the nature of the business of a hotel. Good luck proving that you are so different from a hotel - and that you are apparently prescient about what a service dog will do or not do in your B&B. Let's just be clear that you are the only one interpreting those regs that way, so that some unaware aspiring innkeeper won't get sucked into turning away a service animal and getting slapped with a lawsuit.
I suspect if you truly used one of your beloved dogs as a service dog for a disability and were refused entrance to accommodations because of it you would sing a different tune.

 

[swirt]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.

I don't think the word alterate is going to win any lawsuits. It specifically says hotels (of which B&B's I am afraid are more similar than not) are exempt from being able to use the exclusion you are trying to use. I am reasonably certain (especially in NY State) that if you ever use this method you are proposing to deny access to a service animal, someone else will end up owning your house.
Honestly, good luck with the argument and you are free to choose your own path, but for anyone else reading this post, the legality of what you are proposing will not hold up. And given the way pages on this site show up in search engines already, I can pretty much guarantee you will have a few people with service animals making reservations just hoping you'll do what you are proposing.

 

[Samster]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.

I don't think the word alterate is going to win any lawsuits. It specifically says hotels (of which B&B's I am afraid are more similar than not) are exempt from being able to use the exclusion you are trying to use. I am reasonably certain (especially in NY State) that if you ever use this method you are proposing to deny access to a service animal, someone else will end up owning your house.
Honestly, good luck with the argument and you are free to choose your own path, but for anyone else reading this post, the legality of what you are proposing will not hold up. And given the way pages on this site show up in search engines already, I can pretty much guarantee you will have a few people with service animals making reservations just hoping you'll do what you are proposing.
.

I'm sorry but someone has to say this...
Legalities and regs aside, accepting a guest with a bona fide service animal is just the right thing to do. These folks are just trying to navigate the world with a little help. Send them here & we'll make them feel welcome along with their 4 legged friends. I'll spend the extra time to get any dog dander & hair out of my guest accommodations.

 

[swirt]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.

I don't think the word alterate is going to win any lawsuits. It specifically says hotels (of which B&B's I am afraid are more similar than not) are exempt from being able to use the exclusion you are trying to use. I am reasonably certain (especially in NY State) that if you ever use this method you are proposing to deny access to a service animal, someone else will end up owning your house.
Honestly, good luck with the argument and you are free to choose your own path, but for anyone else reading this post, the legality of what you are proposing will not hold up. And given the way pages on this site show up in search engines already, I can pretty much guarantee you will have a few people with service animals making reservations just hoping you'll do what you are proposing.
.

I'm sorry but someone has to say this...
Legalities and regs aside, accepting a guest with a bona fide service animal is just the right thing to do. These folks are just trying to navigate the world with a little help. Send them here & we'll make them feel welcome along with their 4 legged friends. I'll spend the extra time to get any dog dander & hair out of my guest accommodations.
.

Don't apologise for saying it. You are absolutely right.

 

[Samster]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.

I don't think the word alterate is going to win any lawsuits. It specifically says hotels (of which B&B's I am afraid are more similar than not) are exempt from being able to use the exclusion you are trying to use. I am reasonably certain (especially in NY State) that if you ever use this method you are proposing to deny access to a service animal, someone else will end up owning your house.
Honestly, good luck with the argument and you are free to choose your own path, but for anyone else reading this post, the legality of what you are proposing will not hold up. And given the way pages on this site show up in search engines already, I can pretty much guarantee you will have a few people with service animals making reservations just hoping you'll do what you are proposing.
.

I'm sorry but someone has to say this...
Legalities and regs aside, accepting a guest with a bona fide service animal is just the right thing to do. These folks are just trying to navigate the world with a little help. Send them here & we'll make them feel welcome along with their 4 legged friends. I'll spend the extra time to get any dog dander & hair out of my guest accommodations.
.

Don't apologise for saying it. You are absolutely right.

.

Thank you

 

[YellowSocks]

I have no problem accepting a legitimate service dog for an actual disability.
What irks me (and gets dh's undies in a bunch) is the thought that unscrupulous people may transform their beloved pet into a service animal for the sole purpose of traveling with said pet free of charge at any accommodation they desire, with no argument. Since we have no way of sorting the real from the fake, it won't matter. If someone shows up at my door with the animal, then we'll just have to assume they're legit.
It's also annoying that there's a law that says we have to take them, even though we wouldn't turn away a blind person with a well trained service dog anyway. Like many laws, the purpose is noble, but too many people use it to their advantage. In a similar vein, I've known plenty of perfectly mobile persons with handicap decals to hang in their cars. But what can you do?
=)
Kk.

 

[trishany]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.
.

Whatever - you seem determined to interpret the way that suits you, without regard for the statement that specifically states it would not alter (alterate isn't actually a word in English) the nature of the business of a hotel. Good luck proving that you are so different from a hotel - and that you are apparently prescient about what a service dog will do or not do in your B&B. Let's just be clear that you are the only one interpreting those regs that way, so that some unaware aspiring innkeeper won't get sucked into turning away a service animal and getting slapped with a lawsuit.
I suspect if you truly used one of your beloved dogs as a service dog for a disability and were refused entrance to accommodations because of it you would sing a different tune.
.

muirford, when I bring my dog to nursing homes and children's hospitals, it's a whole different thing. It has nothing to do with what we are talking about here.

 

[trishany]

EXACTLY my POINT!-- you cannot KNOW what the animal will potentially do. Good reason not to have them in your B&B. Ultimately, humans are responsible for their dogs, and humans are responsible for humans (that's a whole other topic).
Samster, nobody loves animals more than me. I just don't want them in a bed that other guests are paying top dollar for..

Did you read this last point on the ADA website?
Can I exclude an animal that doesn't really seem dangerous but is disruptive to my business?

A: There may be a few circumstances when a public accommodation is not required to accommodate a service animal--that is, when doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business. Generally, this is not likely to occur in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities. But when it does, for example, when a dog barks during a movie, the animal can be excluded.
IF a dog barks, the animal can be excluded. You cannot exclude it because you think it might bark. The second sentence specifically say this exclusion is not likely to occur in hotels. I'd bet the ADA would say that if your dogs got territorial with a service animal, you would be in the wrong for not controlling them. Sorry, but you are on the losing end of this argument.
I don't take dogs but when I was told a blind guest would have a service dog, I took the reservation with no complaint.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.
.

Yes, I read this. Basically it says that you don't have to accommodate a service animal if doing so will alterate the nature of your business".
A service animal WOULD, ABSOLUTELY, alterate the nature of my business. So there you have it.

I don't think the word alterate is going to win any lawsuits. It specifically says hotels (of which B&B's I am afraid are more similar than not) are exempt from being able to use the exclusion you are trying to use. I am reasonably certain (especially in NY State) that if you ever use this method you are proposing to deny access to a service animal, someone else will end up owning your house.
Honestly, good luck with the argument and you are free to choose your own path, but for anyone else reading this post, the legality of what you are proposing will not hold up. And given the way pages on this site show up in search engines already, I can pretty much guarantee you will have a few people with service animals making reservations just hoping you'll do what you are proposing.
.

Swirt, didn't think you would correct me for spelling a word wrong, lol especially when you knew what I meant. I think "alterate" is a good word. Should be added to the dictonary.
What "exclusion" am I trying to use? What "method"? What am I "proposing" to do?
"Someone is going to end up owning my house!!?" Are you a lawyer. ? I can't believe you said that.
That's what I'm trying to prevent -- being sued. People on this website look up to you and I don't think you should be making these statements.
You are WAY out of line here. Your guarantee that people with service animals will be making reservations to our B&B -- WAY, WAY out of line.
People with service animals calling our B&B will be treated with the utmost respect.