With a change in the FEDERAL ADA rules in 2010 and several state legislatures changing their own ADA rules, miniature horses who have been trained to service persons with diabilities are now covered as service animals and may be required to be allowed in apartments, schools and YES, airplanes.
Miniature horses are gaining in popularity because they have excellent eyesight AND they live three times longer than dogs. The cost of training a "service dog" can exceed $20,000 so for someone with a permanent disability such as being wheel-chair bound or blind, having a longer term service animal is a great benefit.
The factors that determine if a miniature horse can be a service animal are:
The miniature horse is housebroken
The miniature horse is under the owner's control
The facility can accommodate the minature horse's type, size and weight
The miniature horse's presence will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for the safe operation of the facility
According to the IAADP http://www.iaadp.org * The International Association of Assistant Dog Partners * the definition of a service animal under the ADA from the US Department of Justice have two training requirements....the service animal must be individually trained to perform tasks or work for the benefit of a disabled individual; AND the service animal must be trained to behave properly in places of of public accommodation. In appropriate behavior that disrupts the normal course of business of threatens the health and safety of others is automatic grounds for excluding the team from the premises.
Lastly, "service dogs in training" are excluded from the ADA since they have not completed the 2,000 hours of training over the 2 years of the training program.
.....so when your new tenant prospect shows up with a "service animal"...ask about the animal's training * how old the animal is and how long the training lasted and don't be fooled by the dog's FAKE ID!
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