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Pets & Service Animals

 

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Pets

  • Emergency Pet Care
    • Patient is emergently hospitalized or in inpatient SUDs treatment and animal is at home: The Animal Rescue League of Boston may be able to help (617) 426-9170.
    • Care of service animals when the owner is hospitalized and animal is here see Service Animal Policy.
    • Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Abuse

  • Pet Food financial assistance- Some Massachusetts food pantries and animal welfare groups offer free pet food to pet owners in need. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) maintains a list of food pantries that may have pet food.
    • Meals on Wheels (MOW)- some MOWs programs partner with local agencies to offer pet food to those receiving Meals on Wheels. Ask the specific MOW program.
    • Tree of Life Pet Food Distribution Program- Provides food for dogs and cats on a first come, first served basis.  Availability is based on donations. Program sites are located in Jamaica Plain and Roslindale. See website above for the current program schedule.      
    • Dakin Humane Society Pet Food Bank - Western MA
    • The Pet Food Stamps program is no longer in operation.

  • Pet Financial Support - Assistance with vet bills and medical care, including vaccines.
    • Lists of Agencies
    • Selected Programs
      • Phinney's helps low-income pet owners with disabling illnesses or other hardships in the Boston area. It provides vet vouchers for medical care as well as daily care such as well dog walking, daily pet care (grooming, litter box changing, nail clipping), emergency pet food, and pet foster care.
      • The Fairy Dog Parents helps prevent dogs from being surrendered to shelter by assisting with the financial burden of dog food, medical assistance, and general wellness. You must reside in Massachusetts and have a financial hardship to qualify. Assistance is temporary and not guaranteed long term. For more information, call 781-264-1081.
      • For residents of the Merrimack Valley: The Shadow Fund provides limited financial assistance for those unable to provide necessary veterinarian care or medical attention for their pet. It cannot be used for routine medical care like annual check-ups, vaccinations, or dental care unless it is an emergency and approved by the Director. For more information call 978-681-0800.

  • Pet End-of-Life Care & Loss

 

 

Service Animals

    Rights
    • MGH Service Animal Policy
    • Key points:
      • Under the ADA, service animals are limited to dogs, and in some cases miniature horses.
      • Hospital staff may not request or require a person to provide medical documentation, special identification cards, licensing or certification documents or a demonstration proving that the animal is a service animal trained to engage in particular work or tasks on the person’s behalf.
      • Hospital staff may request two pieces of information to determine whether or not the animal is a service animal (if it is not immediately apparent):
        • Whether the service animal is required because of the person’s disability, without asking details about the nature of the disability
        • What work or task(s) the service animal has been trained to perform
      • Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. (Distinction between psychiatric service dogs and emotional support animals in next section.)
      • The care of service animals is the responsibility of the patient.
        • In cases where patients are unable to care for their service animals, they are responsible for making arrangements through family members, friends or personal assistants.
        • In situations where other alternatives have been exhausted, the policy lists some emergency resources staff may utilize (see Appendix C- look for the small "Next..." links in the text of the policy at bottom right.)
        • If the service animal becomes out of control and the patient has not brought the animal under control within a reasonable time, the patient or designee must immediately remove the animal from MGH

  • Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA - US Dept of Justice (7/15)

  • Service Animals, Emotional Support Animals and Therapy Animals in MA, Mental Health Legal Advisors, 2/12
  • Service Animal Rights in Public Accommodations and Housing (MA) - Attorney General's office
    • Most public accommodations follow the ADA rules- see link above and MGH Policy above.
    • Psychiatric Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals: Access to Public Places and Other Settings - NOLO, note this is not specific to MA. Excerpts:
      • Psychiatric service dogs are service dogs that provide assistance to people with psychiatric disabilities, such as severe depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Examples of work or tasks that psychiatric service dogs perform include:
        • providing safety checks or room searches for individuals with PTSD
        • blocking persons in dissociative episodes from wandering into danger (for example, traffic), and
        • preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors, such as self-mutilation.
      • Emotional support animals are not specially trained to perform specific tasks directly related to a psychiatric disability. The ADA does NOT grant emotional support dog owners the same right of access to public places (restaurants, the hospital, etc.) that it gives to individuals who use psychiatric service dogs. Emotional support dogs ARE granted right to access to Air Travel and in MA to Housing. See below.
      • Psychiatric Service Dog or Emotional Support Animal? The key distinction is that a psychiatric service animal is actually trained to perform certain tasks that are directly related to an individual’s psychiatric disability. The dog’s primary role is not to provide emotional support. It is to assist the owner with the accomplishment of vital tasks they otherwise would not be able to perform independently. In addition, a psychiatric service dog must not only respond to an owner’s need for help, the dog must also be trained to recognize the need for help in the first place. A dog must be able to respond and recognize to be a service dog.
      • Air Travel- Under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), a commercial airline must permit emotional support dogs and other animals to accompany qualified passengers with a disability on a flight. (But while) (a)irlines cannot require that a passenger traveling with a service animal provide written documentation that the animal is a service animal...the same is not true for an emotional support animal...an individual with a disability will likely need to acquire a special letter from a licensed mental health professional documenting the individual’s need for an emotional support animal.
      • MA law allows emotional support animals in HOUSING - while a 2010 update to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) limited the definition of service animals to dogs and certain miniature horses, MA's fair housing law has retained a broader definition of service animals. State fair housing (and employment discrimination laws) " allow animals other than dogs and miniature horses and animals that do not have training, such as “emotional support animals” if it is a reasonable accommodation for a disability." (-From http://www.mass.gov/ago/consumer-resources/your-rights/civil-rights/disability-rights/information-about-service-animals.html emphasis added.) Unlike in public settings, in the housing context, individuals with assistance animals must first obtain permission to have the animal in a residence or other places that are not open to the public and do not allow animals.  S/he must request a reasonable accommodation to a ‘no pets policy.’ An individual may be required to provide documentation that the animal is needed due to a disability if the disability-related need is not obvious or known to the housing provider.  (Source: Assistance Animals: Rights Under Fair Housing Laws (MA) - MA Office on Disability - unfortunately no longer posted to their website)

  • Caring for Patients with Service Dogs

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  • Service Animals and Employment

    Laws prohibit employment discrimination because of a disability. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation. Allowing an individual with a disability to have a service animal or an emotional support animal accompany them to work may be considered an accommodation. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which enforces the employment provisions of the ADA (Title I), does not have a specific regulation on service animals.

    In the case of a service animal or an emotional support animal, if the disability is not obvious and/or the reason the animal is needed is not clear, an employer may request documentation to establish the existence of a disability and how the animal helps the individual perform his or her job. Documentation might include a detailed description of how the animal would help the employee in performing job tasks and how the animal is trained to behave in the workplace.  A person seeking such an accommodation may suggest that the employer permit the animal to accompany them to work on a trial basis.

    Both service and emotional support animals may be excluded from the workplace if they pose either an undue hardship or a direct threat in the workplace. (Source: https://adata.org/publication/service-animals-booklet, Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals, ADA National Network)

     

    • Get a Service Animal

    • Assistance Dogs International
      • Member Search- searching locally is a good way to start, but for certain needs you may need to travel. Local organizations should be able to guide you to an appropriate organization.

     

    Related News

 

rev 6/18