Serving Survivors Who Have 
Service Animals 

Ashley Brompton, J.D. 
Center on Victimization and Safety 
Vera Institute of Justice 
January 21, 2019 



Goals for the webinar 

• 
Increase familiarity with survivors with 
disabilities and their use of service animals; 
• 
Analyze the legal rights of service animal 
handlers; 
• 
Explore complexities when working with 
survivors who have service animals. 

Poll 

In the chat pod, please answer the following 

question: 
I have worked with a service user who had a 
service animal. 

Yes 

No 

I don’t know 



Background 



Limited research on survivors with 
disabilities 

• 
People with disabilities are 3 times more likely to be 
victims of violent crimes. 
• 
Women who have experienced intimate partner 
violence are more than twice as likely to also report 
a disability. 
• 
In 2008, intimate partners perpetrated 27% of 
violent crime against women with disabilities and 
1.1% of crime against men with disabilities. 
• 
In the United States, there are 500,000 service 
animals assisting people with disabilities. 

Unique dynamics for survivors with 
disabilities 

• 
In addition to the challenges that all survivors face, 
survivors with disabilities experience additional 
dynamics, including: 
• 
Systemic oppression of people with disabilities 
(isolation, exploitation, marginalization) 
• 
Lack of confidentiality 
• 
Fear of institutionalization 
• 
Loss of personal care services, accessible 
transportation, service animal assistance, and other 
necessary services 
• 
Barriers in victim services organizations 

Service animals bring 
independence, but also barriers 

• 
Service animals provide independence for people 
with disabilities by assisting them in their activities of 
daily living. 
• 
However, when agencies do not know the role that 
service animals play, they can unintentionally create 
barriers for service animal users, such as: 
• 
Asking for unnecessary “certifications” or paperwork 
• 
Refusing access to spaces or programming. 

A service animal handler’s 
experience 

Jennifer Decker, Program Associate, CVS 



Service Animals: The Basics 



Service animals 

A service animal is “a dog that is individually trained 
to do work or perform tasks for a person with a 
disability.” 

• 
No other species of animal can be a service animal, 
except miniature horses (different regulations) 
• 
Covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act 
• 
Apply to all areas of public accommodation 
• 
No formal training (they can be owner trained) or 
certification required 
• 
Service animals are not pets! 

Identifying a service animal 

Staff can ask two questions to “verify” that the animal 
is a service animal: 

1. Is the animal (dog or miniature horse) a service 
animal required because of a disability? 
2. What task(s) is the animal trained to perform for 
[the person with the disability]? 

Cannot ask 

Staff CANNOT: 

1) Ask about the person’s disability; 
2) Require medical documentation; 
3) Require “certification” or documentation that the 
animal is a service animal. 

Tasks service animals may do for 
their handlers 

Some example tasks a service animal might be trained to 
do are: 

• 
Alerting to noise (examples: alarms, noises, smoke 
detectors, cars) 
• 
Alert to physiological changes (examples: blood 
pressure, blood glucose, seizure) 
• 
Interrupting behavior (examples: interrupting panic 
attacks or self-injurious behavior) 
• 
Opening and closing 
• 
Retrieving items 
• 
Getting help 
• 
Balance related tasks 

Different than emotional support 
animals 

• 
Emotional support animals play vital roles in the 
lives of many people with disabilities… but they are 
not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act 
(ADA). 
• 
ESAs are not specifically trained to perform tasks. 
• 
If, however, you are an entity covered by the Fair 
Housing Act (FHA), it is important to know the 
requirements for ESAs, as you may be subject to 
both the ADA and FHA. 

Different than therapy dogs 

• 
Therapy dogs provide comfort, affection, and love 
to people in need. 
• 
They are not trained to perform specific tasks for a 
specific handler. 
• 
They can often be certified. 
• 
They are offered access to spaces at the discretion 
of a facility/entity. 

Interacting with service animals 

• 
Service animals are trained to minimize interaction 
with others when working 
• 
Never pet a service animal without asking for 
permission 
• 
Do not talk or whistle or otherwise distract the 
service animal 
• 
The key: Ignore working service animals to the 
extent possible 

Service Animals in Programming 



Key considerations for service 
providers 

• 
Consider the trauma both the survivor and the 
service animal have experienced 
• 
Abusers target service animals 
• 
Both the survivor and the service animal are in a 
new environment 
• 
There may be a changed relationship between the 
dog and the handler 

Service animals may play a role in 
programming and services 

• 
Service animals accompany service users in shelter 
and at programming 
• 
Think about how best to make your space a 
programming accessible to them 
• 
Ensure a physically accessible space with minimal 
distraction 
• 
Reiterate best practices for interacting with service 
animals for staff and other service users 
• 
Establish policies and procedures that are responsive to 
the needs of service animals and their handlers 

It’s a Service Animal… Now What? 
Frequently Asked Questions from 
Service Providers 



Where can a service animal 
accompany its handler? 



Answer: Service animal access 

Service animals must be allowed to accompany their 
handlers wherever the general public is permitted. 



What happens if another service 
user is allergic to dogs? 



Answer: Allergies 

The agency is required to make accommodations to 
serve both service users (the service animal handler 
and the person with allergies)… 

• 
Agencies should develop a policy to ensure a 
uniform response 
• 
Ensure equal service provision 
• 
Some solutions: 
• 
Different areas of the facility; 
• 
Hotel room for one service user; 
• 
Separate groups and activities. 

What happens if the service animal 
is destructive or dangerous? 



Answer: Destructive or dangerous 

• 
Service animals are expected to be well behaved 
and not destructive or dangerous. They should be 
in the control of the handler at all times. 
• 
If the animal is a threat to the safety of others, it is 
within the service provider’s rights to ask the animal 
to leave (not the handler). 
• 
Do not leap to removal, explore other solutions, 
such as discussing a care plan for the animal with 
the owner and seeking additional supports. 

Who is responsible for caring for the 
dog? 



Answer: Caring for the dog 

The handler is responsible for caring for the animal, 
but staff can assist. 



Other questions? 

Ashley Brompton, J.D. 
Program Associate 
Center on Victimization and Safety 
Vera Institute of Justice 

abrompton@vera.org 

(646) 992-1131 



Survey 

Please complete the following webinar survey: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LKMF7SY 

A Record of Attendance is available in the 
Downloads pod or via email request following 
this webinar.