Questions to Ask About Service Dogs
For business owners, managers, front-of-house staff and landlords in the United States who need to know what they may ask when someone arrives with a service dog. The list follows the order the situation does: the two questions federal ADA guidance permits, the questions and demands that are off limits, what to ask yourself before asking a handler to leave, how emotional support animals, housing, flights and workplaces differ, and what to settle in your own policy. Each has a note on what to do with the answer; it is a general guide and not legal advice, so check the rules where you operate.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
What you can ask
Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
Why ask it
This is the first of the two questions the Department of Justice's ADA guidance lets staff at a US business ask when it is not obvious what the dog is there for. A plain yes is a complete answer, and the follow-up is the task question, never the condition. If the person says the dog is a pet, your ordinary pet policy applies.
What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
Why ask it
The second permitted question, and the one that tells you something. A good answer names an action: alerting before a seizure, guiding, picking up dropped items, interrupting a panic attack. You are listening for something the dog does, not for a diagnosis, and one sentence is enough.
Before I ask anything, is it already obvious what this dog is doing?
Why ask it
The federal rule says staff generally should not ask at all when the dog's work is readily apparent, and its own examples are a dog guiding a person who is blind, pulling a wheelchair or steadying someone with a visible mobility disability. Greet the customer and carry on. The two questions are only for the cases where you cannot tell.
What if I think the dog is not really a service dog?
Why ask it
Under the federal guidance the two answers are taken at the person's word: no test, no third question. After that the only thing you can act on is how the dog behaves. Some states penalize passing a pet off as a service animal, but that is for the authorities to enforce, and a wrong guess by staff costs more than a dog that lay quietly under a table for an hour.
Would I ask the same of anyone who walked in with this dog?
Why ask it
Many disabilities cannot be seen, so a handler who looks young or fit tells you nothing. If you only ask people who do not match your picture of disability, that pattern is what a complaint will describe. Use the same two questions in the same words for everyone whose dog's job is unclear.
Where and how can I ask without making a scene of it?
Why ask it
Close up, at normal volume, in the tone you would use to check a reservation: 'Welcome in. Is that a service dog you need because of a disability? What is it trained to do for you?' Then 'Thank you, right this way.' Calling it across a full room puts the customer on display.
Has anyone else on staff already asked this customer?
Why ask it
Being questioned at the door, again by the host and a third time by the server feels like being followed around, even when each person meant well. Decide who asks, usually whoever greets, and have them tell the floor that the dog has been cleared.
What do we do if the handler will not answer either question?
Why ask it
The federal FAQ does not spell this case out, so settle it with your lawyer ahead of time and write the answer into the policy. Whatever you decide, stay polite, say that these are the only two things you will ask, and do not fill the silence with a request for papers.
Off limits
Can I ask what the person's disability is?
Why ask it
No, according to the ADA guidance: the nature of the disability is off limits. That includes the sideways versions, such as 'what is it for?' or 'you do not look like you need one'. If a customer volunteers it, thank them and do not pass it on to colleagues.
Can I ask to see a certificate, an ID card or registration papers?
Why ask it
Staff may not make documentation a condition of entry, and the Department of Justice says the certificates and registrations sold online carry no weight under the ADA. So a laminated card proves nothing and its absence proves nothing. Train staff not to ask for one and not to be reassured by one.
Can I ask the handler to show me what the dog does?
Why ask it
A demonstration is ruled out by name in the federal guidance. Many tasks could not be shown on request anyway: a dog trained to alert to low blood sugar has nothing to do until it happens. Take the spoken answer.
Can I ask for a doctor's letter?
Why ask it
Not at a shop, restaurant or hotel under the public access rules. Letters come up in housing and in workplace accommodation requests, where different laws apply. A front desk that asks for one has usually borrowed a rule from the wrong setting.
Can I ask for vaccination records or a dog license?
Why ask it
The federal FAQ says service dogs come under the same local vaccination and licensing rules as other dogs, and also that a business may not make documentation a condition of entry. Enforcing the first is the city's job, not the host's. If your setting has a clinical reason to want more, such as a hospital ward, have that reviewed before staff ask anyone.
Can I ask who trained the dog or where it came from?
Why ask it
It sounds friendly, but from staff it lands as a check on whether the dog is legitimate. The ADA guidance notes that people may train their own service dogs, so there is no right answer to listen for. Leave it for the customer to bring up.
Does the dog have to wear a vest, a patch or a special harness?
Why ask it
The ADA does not require any of them, so a dog in a plain collar can be a service dog and a dog in a bright vest can be a pet. The gear is not evidence either way. Watch what the dog does in your space.
Can I turn a dog away because of its breed or size?
Why ask it
Breed is not a reason to refuse under the ADA: the federal FAQ rules out excluding a service dog on assumptions about how its breed behaves. What counts is what this particular dog is doing in front of you. If your city or your insurer has a breed rule, ask how it applies to service animals before anyone relies on it at the door.
Can I charge a pet fee, a deposit or a cleaning fee?
Why ask it
For a service dog the ADA's answer is no, including for shed hair. Check that your booking system does not add a pet fee on its own when a guest ticks 'traveling with an animal': a charge added by software is still a charge you made.
Can I seat the handler in a separate area or offer only a 'pet-friendly' room?
Why ask it
The Department of Justice says handlers may not be isolated from other patrons or treated less favorably, and that a hotel guest with a service dog gets the same choice of rooms as anyone else. Offering a quieter corner is fine if the customer is free to say no. Steering every handler to the patio is the kind of habit that gets reported.
Can I pet the dog, talk to it or offer it a treat?
Why ask it
Ask the handler first and expect to be told no. A working dog that is distracted may miss the cue it is there to catch. Give staff, and other customers' children if it comes to that, the same instruction: admire it from where you are.
Before removal
What exactly is this dog doing that is a problem?
Why ask it
Name the behavior in a sentence you could repeat to the owner tomorrow: jumped on a guest, growled at a child, wandered between tables. The federal guidance allows a business to ask that a dog be removed when it is out of control and the handler does not correct it, or when it is not housebroken. 'It made people uneasy' is not on that list.
Has the handler had the chance to bring the dog back under control?
Why ask it
Say what you saw and ask the handler to settle the dog before you say a word about leaving. Most will, quickly, and that ends it. Removal only comes up if the behavior carries on after they have tried.
Was that one bark, or barking that does not stop?
Why ask it
The guidance draws this line itself: a single bark, or a bark because someone provoked the dog, is not out of control, while repeated barking in a quiet place can be. Some dogs also bark as their trained alert. If you cannot tell which you heard, ask the handler whether everything is all right.
Did the dog have an accident, or am I worried that it might?
Why ask it
A dog that is not housebroken is one of the stated grounds for asking it to leave, and a worry that it could happen is not the same thing. One accident from a dog that is plainly unwell is worth handling with some grace: offer cleaning supplies and ask whether they need a moment outside.
Is the dog off its leash for a reason?
Why ask it
Expect a harness, leash or tether unless it gets in the way of the dog's work or the person's disability prevents it, and in that case the federal rule asks for control by voice or signal. So a loose dog that stays close and comes back on a word may be working exactly as trained. A loose dog visiting other tables is not.
Is another customer's allergy or fear of dogs my real reason?
Why ask it
The Department of Justice tells businesses that allergies and fear of dogs are not grounds for refusing a service dog, and that both people should be accommodated, usually with distance. Move the two parties apart or offer the other customer a different table. Where an allergy is severe, ask your lawyer in advance how to serve both.
Is there any part of our premises where a service dog cannot go?
Why ask it
Very few. Service dogs generally go wherever customers go, and the exceptions the Department of Justice gives are narrow: the part of a zoo where the animals on show are a dog's natural prey or predators, or an operating room where a sterile setting would be compromised. A dining room, a shop floor or a hotel lobby is nowhere near that. If you think you have such a space, get it confirmed in writing before a customer tests it.
How will I offer this person what they came for without the dog?
Why ask it
When a dog is properly excluded, the guidance says the person must still be offered the goods or services without it. Have the offer ready before you speak: the order brought to the door, a later appointment, a refund. Asking the dog to leave and asking the customer to leave are two different things.
Who makes this decision, and who writes down what happened?
Why ask it
A removal should be a manager's call, not a new hire's. Afterwards, note the time, what the dog did, what the handler was asked and what was offered, while everyone still remembers. If a complaint arrives months later, that note is most of what you will have.
What will I say to the other customers who complained?
Why ask it
Something short that gives away nothing about the handler: 'That is a service dog and it is welcome here. Can I move you to another table?' You do not owe anyone an account of why the dog is needed, and you should not have one to give.
ESAs and other rules
How do I tell an emotional support animal from a psychiatric service dog?
Why ask it
By training, not by diagnosis. In the federal FAQ a dog trained to sense an anxiety attack coming and take a specific action is a service dog, while an animal whose presence alone is a comfort is not. You find out through the task question and nothing more, so never assume that a mental health condition means the dog is 'only' emotional support.
Does my state or city protect more animals than the federal rule does?
Why ask it
Some state and local laws let emotional support animals into public places or add penalties for refusing access, and the federal guidance itself tells businesses to check with their state and local agencies. Do that once, properly, and note the date you checked, because these laws get amended.
Does a service dog in training get the same access?
Why ask it
This one depends on where you are. The ADA covers dogs that are already trained, while a number of states extend access to dogs in training, sometimes only with a trainer or with conditions attached. Look up your state's rule and put the answer in the staff guide.
What if the service animal is not a dog?
Why ask it
Under the ADA a service animal is a dog, with a separate provision in the regulations for trained miniature horses where a facility can reasonably take one. Cats, birds and rabbits fall outside it for a shop or restaurant, though housing and state rules can differ. Find out which rule applies to your setting before you refuse.
I am a landlord. Which law covers an animal in a rental?
Why ask it
Housing in the US generally comes under the Fair Housing Act, not the public access rules, and the category it protects is wider: assistance animals can include emotional support animals. The two-question script is the wrong tool for a tenant's request. Read what HUD currently publishes, or ask a housing attorney or your local fair housing agency.
What may a landlord ask for when a tenant's need for the animal is not apparent?
Why ask it
Housing rules have generally let a landlord request reliable information supporting the disability-related need, which is more than a restaurant may ask and far short of medical records. What counts as reliable, and how letters bought online are treated, has shifted over time and differs by state. Get the current position before you design a form.
Can a no-pets clause, a pet deposit or pet rent apply to an assistance animal?
Why ask it
Usually not in the way they apply to a pet. An assistance animal has generally been handled as an accommodation, so pet charges are not simply added, while the tenant typically stays responsible for actual damage. Confirm how your state and your lease deal with it before you quote a fee.
What can an airline ask of a passenger flying with a service dog?
Why ask it
More than a shop can. Flights come under the Department of Transportation's rules and each airline's own process, which can include forms sent in ahead of travel, and emotional support animals are not treated on planes as they are in housing. If you work a gate or a check-in desk, your carrier's procedure is the answer; if you are the traveler, read the airline's page well before the day.
An employee wants to bring a service dog to work. Who handles that?
Why ask it
That is usually an accommodation request under employment law, a different process from a customer walking in: it goes through HR, involves a conversation and can involve documentation. A manager who answers on the spot, with the two public questions or with a flat no, has skipped that process. Pass it the same day to whoever handles accommodations.
Your policy
Do we have a written service animal policy, and has every shift read it?
Why ask it
One page is enough: the two questions word for word, the things nobody asks, the grounds for removal and who to call. A good sign is that the newest person on staff can say both questions from memory. A worrying one is a policy that exists only in the owner's head.
Does our 'no pets' sign say that service animals are welcome?
Why ask it
A bare 'no dogs' sign tells a handler to expect an argument and tells new staff that turning dogs away is the job. Adding 'service animals welcome' costs almost nothing and sets the tone before anyone speaks.
Does the health code we work under say something different?
Why ask it
Food businesses often assume the health code bans every animal. The ADA guidance says service dogs go where customers go, self-service food lines included, while leaving rules such as no dogs in pool water in place. Ask your local health department how it reads the two together and keep the reply.
Where does the dog go at a table, in a shopping cart or at the counter?
Why ask it
On the floor or carried is the general rule in the federal FAQ: a business need not let a dog sit on a chair or be fed at the table, and in a store the dog generally stays out of the cart. Say so once, politely, with the reason. A small alert dog worn in a chest pack is being carried, not breaking the rule.
What are staff expected to do for the dog?
Why ask it
Nothing: under the guidance the handler feeds, toilets and supervises it. A bowl of water is a kindness to offer if the handler wants it. Do not agree to mind the dog while the customer steps away, and do not let staff walk it.
What happens if the dog breaks or soils something?
Why ask it
Treat it as you would if a guest without a dog had done the same: the same charge, the same conversation, nothing extra. The guidance allows the damage fee you charge everyone and not a blanket animal fee. Take a photo and write down what was damaged before it is cleaned up.
What happens when someone arrives with two service dogs?
Why ask it
Some people work with more than one dog, each trained for a different task. The federal FAQ lets staff ask the two questions about each dog and says both should come in where there is room; its own example of a limit is a small crowded restaurant where the second dog could only lie in the aisle. Decide ahead of time who judges that, so nobody improvises it at the door.
What do we do after one of us gets it wrong?
Why ask it
Have a manager apologize plainly, without reciting the rule the employee thought they were following, and invite the customer back. Then go over the two questions with that shift the same week and write down what happened. Silence after a wrongful refusal is what can turn a bad afternoon into a formal complaint.
Who do staff call when they are not sure, and who do we call?
Why ask it
Inside the business, name one person per shift. Outside it, the Department of Justice publishes its service animal FAQ on ada.gov and runs an ADA information line, and your state's civil rights or disability rights office can speak to local law. For anything that feels like a dispute, use a lawyer who knows your state.
How to ask about a service dog and get it right
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
At the door
Decide whether to ask at all
If the dog's job is plain to see, say hello and seat the customer. The two questions are for the cases where you cannot tell, and even then one person asks, once. Most visits should involve no questions about the dog whatsoever.
Use the same words every time
Staff who improvise drift toward 'what is it for?' and 'do you have papers?'. Print the two questions on the host stand or the back of a name badge and have people say them as written. A script protects the customer from a clumsy question and the employee from asking a forbidden one.
Take the answer and move on
Once you have heard yes and a task, the conversation about the dog is over. Thank the customer and go back to the job you would be doing for anyone: a table, a room key, a place in line. Lingering, or calling a manager over to hear it again, undoes the point of having only two questions.
Rehearse it before it happens
Reading a policy is not the same as saying the words to a stranger. Run it at a staff meeting: one person plays the handler, one asks, and the rest listen for a third question creeping in. Repeat it when new people start.
What the answers sound like
An answer that names a task
'She alerts me before my blood sugar drops.' 'He braces so I can stand up.' 'She wakes me from night terrors and turns on the light.' Each describes something the dog does. You do not need to understand the condition behind it, and you should not ask.
An answer about comfort
'He keeps me calm' or 'she is my emotional support animal' describes the dog's presence, not a trained action, and federal guidance treats that differently from a service dog. Before you act on it, know whether your state or city gives emotional support animals access of their own, and say what your pet policy is without arguing about the label.
A card, a vest or a certificate offered unasked
Some handlers hold out a card because they have learned that it ends the conversation. Do not take it as the answer and do not treat it as suspicious. Say 'Thank you, I do not need to see that' and ask the two questions if you still need them.
An annoyed answer
A handler who has been stopped three times that day may be short with you. That is not evidence of anything. Keep your tone level, ask only what you are allowed to, and let the irritation pass without comment.
When the dog is the problem
Talk about behavior, not about the dog's status
'Your dog has been barking for several minutes, can you settle it?' is a request the handler can act on. 'I do not think that is a real service dog' is an accusation you cannot support and do not need. A service dog that is out of control can be asked to leave, so its status is beside the point.
Give the handler the first move
Describe what you saw and wait. A trained dog having a bad moment is usually corrected in seconds. Only if the handler does not or cannot bring it under control does removal become the next step.
Separate the dog from the customer
If the dog has to go, say in the same breath what you can still do: serve them at the door, hold the table while someone takes the dog home, rebook the appointment. The customer has not been thrown out, and the way you say it should make that clear.
Record it the same day
Write down who was there, what the dog did, what was said and what was offered. Keep it factual and short. Memory fades quickly, and a calm note written that afternoon is far more useful than a reconstruction months later.
Mistakes that lead to complaints
Asking for papers
It feels like the responsible thing to do and it is the one thing federal guidance tells businesses not to require. It also does not work: the documents sold online are available to anyone. Drop the idea of proof and rely on the two questions and the dog's behavior.
Carrying one setting's rules into another
A shop, an apartment building, an airline and an employer each work under different rules about animals. A landlord who uses the restaurant script asks too little, and a restaurant that asks for a landlord's letter asks too much. Know which one you are before you write a policy.
Letting another customer decide
A complaint from the next table is a reason to move someone, not a reason to remove a dog that is lying quietly. Offer the person who complained a different seat. If you ask the handler to move instead, you have made the dog the problem when it was not.
Treating this page as the last word
This is a general summary of federal guidance in the United States, written for the moment at the door. State and local laws add to it, the rules for housing, flights and employment are separate, and all of them change. Have your own policy checked by someone qualified where you operate.