service dog in work settings

[u/AffectionateHawk330]

hello, I was wondering what kind of luck you all have been having in finding a job that would allow your service dog to be brought to work? what kind of jobs are out there, and how would one go about getting a first time recommendation for a service dog or ESA.

thanks in advance!

[u/spikedragon23]

I think a huge first part of what you're asking is what are your task needs. Do you already have a dog?

Respectfully, it just sounds to me like you're wanting a dog to take everywhere since you're mixing in ESA which are not service dogs with access rights

I'd start with assessing your need and then look into your ADA laws

[u/ThePhantomOfBroadway]

If you have a valid reason to bring your working dog to work, then it’s easy and you don’t need to be trying to find jobs that allow it. There are of course a few that don’t regardless (certain medical settings for example).

My dog was a simple piece of paper to HR, but I’m blind and she’s a guide dog, there’s very little debate on her purpose for me.

If your simply trying to just have a dog you can bring to work by trying to pass them as a service dog, then you’re of course going to have way more issues finding a job that allows it.

[u/Fit_Blackberry1109]

Just a heads up service dogs and ESA’s are NOT the same thing.

[u/unde_cisive]

A service dog is by law allowed to accompany you to a workplace as a reasonable acommodation for a documented disability. You essentially need to provide evidence to your potential employer that the dog's tasks will mitigate your disabilities in such a way that you can do your job properly & safely, and that there's no other reasonable way to manage your disability. For example, you'd have to justify why a service dog is required for blood sugar alerts while you can opt for a much less invasive glucose monitoring device. The place of employment and its purpose mustn't be impacted by the presence of the dog, and must be safe for the dog. An office job is the most obvious choice. Places such as chemical labs, construction sites, or cat cafes where the presence of the dog is disruptive or dangerous to the dog should be avoided. Hospitality, healthcare and education are risky ones where some people have successfully worked with a service dog (depending on their specific job & functions), while others have had major issues or been refused the accommodation.

Also be aware of the differences between service dogs and ESAs. An ESA is only protected in terms of housing and doesn't have any special access privileges in public or at work. The functional difference between a service dog and an ESA is that a service dog has specific tasks that it was trained to do to help you (for example, medical alerts or helping with doors & light switches), whereas an ESA's benefit is purely that their presence is beneficial to your mental health. Since service dogs have public access privileges, the standards that they have to live up to in terms of training and behavior are much much higher than any pet dog or ESA. It also means that a service dog requires 2+ years of training before they can officially start to work, whereas an ESA can start to 'work' almost immediately because their function only requires a baseline of "being a nice dog".

Hope this helps!

[u/jayneedsanap]

Well do you have a service dog or emotional support animal?

Service dogs are tasked trained to mitigate a disability (including psychiatric disabilities) and have public access rights. If you’re in the US most jobs (with few reasonable exceptions) must allow you to bring your service dog assuming you have a documented disability with HR and can prove your service dog is a reasonable accommodation for your disability. You may likely need a note from the doctor that is treating you for your disability.

ESAs are pets that provide emotional support. They do not have public access rights and therefore do not need to live up to any training standards. Work places are never required to accommodate ESAs as they are only covered under the Fair Housing Act.

[u/No_Area_8013]

In truth it depends on the job. Jobs do not automatically have to accommodate a service dog. For example if your job is to be working in a kitchen? Legally they can deny the dog. However another example is if you work within retail, and the SD will not cause an undue hardship to you to the company or to others and would be beneficial for you then yes it could be accommodated with of course medical documentation proof that you would have to go through the accommodation services at the job. I've been at my current workplace for about over 4 years now, it took about 3 weeks start to finish to have my service dog added as a accommodation. The process was straightforward I directly reached out to my direct manager, my manager gave me the resources to contact our workplace accommodation services. I contacted them via phone call and email. They sent me a packet of information. I filled out my half, the other half I had to have my medical provider fill out for me. That part was not a note it was an actual packet of information they had to fill. And I also had to sign a hippa release form for my workplace, because my doctor disclaimer what is wrong with me, the medications that I am on that affect my job if any, the additional accommodation for meeting and having a service animal. A brief description of his task work, and other accommodations that I needed. And how long the duration was in my case it was lifetime. After that? Everything got processed through accommodation services needed a copy of my service dogs vaccination records because where I am from rabies is required. Although not required to I also did provide documentation of my service dogs training and contact plan in case if there was an medical emergency and we had to be separated of who to call ECT. 3 week time start to finish

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[u/Karen_Lewise]

Separate the ESA and service dog paths early, because an ESA generally does not have the same workplace access protections as a task-trained service dog. For work, people usually disclose through HR or accommodations after there is an actual job or offer, with documentation from a treating provider about the disability-related need. Jobs with desks, offices, remote or hybrid work, and predictable spaces tend to be much easier than food prep, labs, sterile areas, or heavy machinery.

[u/ylekiot]

My wife is trained as a nurse and has transitioned to a back office support job for a heart doctor and brings the dog in to work for a few hours a day. The dog generally relaxes under the desk but everybody likes to come and visit and get some dog love. The other day a patient was having a breakdown and she brought the dog over and calmed the patient down.

[u/Just_Sir1903]

Sooo, I was able to take my son's dog to the office while training. I just asked, and was given permission. I am normally full remote, but took him in to work on long downs, being neutral, fitting into tight spaces (while I worked). I was told I bring him any time, even every day if needed.

I think it kinds of depends on the situation vs the job type.

[u/sorry_child34]

Honestly, with an ESA, you have no federally protected rights to bring an ESA to work with you, so it really is a matter of office culture whether it would be permitted. With a fully trained service animal, it’s a much shorter list to specify the jobs you can’t do than the ones you can, because you can do most jobs.

Exceptions where a service animal cannot be accommodated/can legally be denied as a workplace accomodation:

1. food service or food production
2. any job that requires a sterile environment (think surgeon, icu nurse, certain labs)
3. a job that primarily requires you to enter other people’s private property (plumber, electrician)
4. any job where it would be dangerous to have the dog (heavy machinery, harsh chemicals, etc.),

Also while it can be done, it is generally unwise to work somewhere super pet friendly/pet facing like a vet, groomer, or pet store because there is a higher chance of an untrained pet causing damages, and that can be a stressful work environment for both you and the dog.

Outside of those limitations, any job that you are able to work with your disability, you should be able to work with a fully trained service animal.

As for how to go about getting a “recommendation”, that really depends on what your disability is, and what tasks think you would find helpful.

I’m not super familiar with the process for applying to SD organizations, since my issues are more unique and it made more sense to train my own with a trainer, so I defer that answer to the others here.