At the 46th Annual INTIX Conference & Exhibition in New York City, a session on welcoming service animals into live event spaces explored obligations and valuable customer service best practices. “Let’s Raise the Woof!” emphasized that creating accessible environments for everyone and understanding the specific needs of service animal handlers goes beyond fulfilling legal requirements. Ticketing professionals must also focus on encouraging front-line staff to release anxiety, stigma and insecurity while building confidence and ensuring safety for all patrons.
The session was led by accessible customer service expert Dani Rose, Managing Director of Art-Reach, and service animal handler Nae Vallejo, Project Director at Art-Reach. Rose, who identifies as neurodivergent, is a certified Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator for Title II, covering state and local government. She also holds additional certificates for Title III, which addresses places of public accommodation. Vallejo, who identifies as neurodivergent, autistic and hard of hearing, joined Rose in sharing their expertise and personal experiences throughout the presentation.
Nae, their service animal, Roady, a black lab, and Dani standing outside the conference room before their presentation at INTIX 2025.
Service Animals and the ADA
Rose explained that the ADA provides clear guidance on what qualifies as a service animal. Specifically, they are task-trained to support a person with a disability. They can be any breed or size of dog and can be trained by an organization, their handler or both. The ADA requires no professional training or certification.
“To help differentiate working service animals from companion pets, it is advised that you use the term service animal,” emphasized Vallejo. “The ADA does allow for one other type of animal to be used in service and protected under these laws, and that is a miniature pony, although it is not very common. Otherwise, a working service animal is a dog.”
They continued, “The ADA regulations exist for you in customer service … and the ADA details that you cannot ask questions about a person’s disability.”
The two questions you can legally ask are:
- Is the animal required because of a disability?
- What task/tasks is the animal trained to perform?
“A legitimate service animal handler will be ready to answer [these questions],” Vallejo explained. “Your concern should be less about the legitimacy of a service animal and more about the safety of the service animal, their handler and the rest of your guests.”
The ADA requires that service animals remain under the control of their handler, but this does not mean using specific gear. In fact, regulations do not mandate a particular type of leash, harness, tether or vest, nor do they require that any of these items be used or worn at all times. Sometimes, a leash may interfere with the animal’s ability to perform its tasks, such as retrieval assistance or seizure alerts, which may require the service animal to work off-leash. There are also no restrictions on where service animals can go within a venue. If the public is allowed in a space, the service animal and handler must also be allowed access.
Vallejo acknowledged a common concern: "The next question you may be thinking is, ‘How else will I know if the person is telling the truth? How can I prevent fraud or bad actors who just want to have their cute teacup poodle with them?’”
Misinformation creates a frustrating cycle for people with disabilities. Since some individuals falsely present companion pets as service animals using illegitimate certifications they purchased online, many businesses mistakenly believe these documents are required. As a result, legitimate service animal handlers sometimes feel pressured to carry fake paperwork just to avoid conflict. “It becomes easier to go along with a lie when everyone is insisting it’s true,” Vallejo explained. “This is also why a lot of service animals wear an identifying vest. [It is] not because they have to, not necessarily because it helps them perform a task, but they identify themselves so that you will notice and protect their rights.”
Now that you know what is and isn’t protected under the ADA, you can become access champions, advocating for inclusive policies, practices and procedures for admitting service animals into live events and entertainment venues. This responsibility includes refraining from addressing, touching, or interacting with a working service animal. “Remember,” says Vallego, “No touch, no talk, no eye contact.”
They continue, explaining that if you find it difficult to resist, “Stop and remind yourself that no amount of love you may have for your own dog or dogs in general supersedes the relationship between a service animal and their handler.” Always ask for the handler’s consent before engaging with a service animal.
Rose said, “We know that the ADA does not require specific harnesses or leashes, so a great way to detect a companion [pet] over a service animal is the manner in which the animal arrives to you. Being carried? Red flag. Are they independently walking? Okay. Are they listening to verbal commands? Okay. Are they in a stroller? Red flag. Is the handler letting strangers pet or interact with the dog? Red flag.”
It might be tempting to allow guests with emotional support animals into your venue or outdoor sites, but it presents a danger and an additional barrier to a task-trained service animal, explained Rose. “Inclusion of emotional support [animals], companions, pets, animals other than canines, or animals that have not received task training … puts a task-trained service animal required to support disability in a risky situation and sometimes, prevents them from performing their task.”
Rose continued, “I have worked at outdoor sites and garden sites that are lax with their policies and procedures, allowing all dogs or all dogs wearing a vest to be on the site, and we want to discourage that … While it may seem like good customer service, the definition of service animal was crafted intentionally to protect a service animal and their handler in public spaces.”
Nae and their service animal, Roady, a black lab pictured above, accompanied Dani on an accessibility consultation to a 42-acre sculpture park. They provided perspective for Dani on how the New Jersey site prepares for service animals.
Where Service Animals Are Allowed
Under the ADA, businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities anywhere the public is permitted, including areas where food is served. Employees with service animals must also be granted access to all areas where they work.
A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove their service animal from the premises unless it is out of control and the handler does not take action to correct this or if the animal cannot control their waste relief. “Out of control” refers to failing to respond to commands, not simply being off leash. Barking is not inherently considered “out of control” either, as service animals may use controlled barking to assist their handler. “An out-of-control or non-stop bark might give you a reason to check in with the handler if the animal is okay, or if they are okay,” stated Rose.
If a service animal must be removed by their handler, staff must still offer services to the individual without the animal present.
Common Tasks That Service Animals Perform
While it is impossible to provide a complete list, Vallejo and Rose shared examples of tasks that a canine service animal may perform. These include:
- Hearing service animal.
- Seeing-eye-guide service animal.
- Seizure alerts.
- Mobility or ambulatory assistance, such as pressing buttons, holding items, opening/closing doors or pulling wheelchairs.
- For individuals with autism, help with life skills (e.g., dressing/undressing), social interactions or sensory overload.
- Bracing or stability support to replace the use of a cane or support their handler’s weight for a short time.
- Detection of allergens such as gluten or dairy.
- Retrieval of items, including water bottles, keys or other essentials.
- Cardiac alert for heart rate fluctuations (too high/low).
- Medication reminders or retrieval.
- Medication management, including when to take specific medications.
- PTSD support, such as interrupting anxiety symptoms or performing a “get help” command.
- Public access, ensuring safe and confident navigation in various environments.
- Crowd control to manage the handler in public.
- Deep pressure therapy to bring someone to the ground or into a sitting position and apply pressure during a medical event.
- Multi-purpose support, performing multiple tasks and learning new ones as disabilities evolve.
In the case of miniature ponies, they typically provide bracing or stability support, assist with ambulation and serve as sighted guides.
“I rescued Roady [in November 2022 when he was three months old] while visiting family in Texas,” Vallejo told INTIX conference attendees. “When Roady was six months old, we started out with a professional dog trainer before I took over Roady's training and we became an owner-trained duo and have been now for over a year. My needs at the beginning of our working together were mostly crowd-control and sensory overload oriented as I can become anxious around large groups of people and loud/overlapping sounds at times. Roady was first trained to offer deep pressure therapy, front-facing guard and back-facing guard positions, left and right side heel, and interrupting anxiety-induced tremors. It is also important to mention that my disabilities have evolved and my needs along with them, leading to an expansion of more task training with Roady. Roady is now trained for medication alert and retrieval. [He is] also [able] to retrieve water and alert me to panic attacks, heart arrhythmia, hypertension, knocking at the door and phone calls, just to name a few. Oftentimes, Roady is alerting me of something before its onset, letting me know what to expect.”
Dani, Roady and Nae walking under blooming Princess Trees at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Photo by Wide Eyed Studios.
Customer Service Interactions
“As we've learned, the ADA protects the rights of service animal handlers, ensuring they can use a service animal to meet their disability-related needs and access requirements in public spaces,” said Rose. “The primary purpose of ADA regulations concerning service animals is to help businesses understand how to uphold and protect these rights.”
The most effective way to do this is by focusing your actions on ensuring the safety and comfort of handlers and their service animals.
Remember the importance of “no touch, no talk, no eye contact,” which can distract service animals from their work. Also, keep the two specific questions you can ask under the ADA in mind. As a reminder, they are:
- Is the animal required because of a disability?
- What task/tasks is the animal trained to perform?
“For reserved seating environments, it can also be helpful to ask whether the animal will sit beside or in front of the handler’s seat to ensure appropriate arrangements are made,” emphasized Rose, reiterating that it is never okay to ask questions about the person’s disability.
Other key considerations for customer service interactions include:
- “Acting as if.” Treat the service animal as though they are not there, allowing the handler to enjoy their experience like any other guest.
- Requesting additional access. Ensure there is a clear process for handlers to request further accommodations should they need them.
- Managing other guests. If other visitors express discomfort, such as fear of dogs or allergies, encourage them to “act as if” the service animal is not there. Remember, service animals are protected under the ADA, while allergies to dogs are not. If concerns about allergies arise, your responsibility is to relocate the individual with allergies, not the service animal handler.
Your priority should always be the safety and well-being of the service animal and their handler, including during emergencies. Suppose you encounter a service animal without its handler, particularly if it is barking, nudging or trying to get your attention. This typically indicates that the handler may be in distress or experiencing a medical emergency. Follow the service animal if this happens, as they are trained to seek help for their handler. This is one of the reasons the ADA does not require service animals to wear a leash at all times.
“Additionally,” said Rose, “If you see a person with a service animal who is in an unaware state, please don't interfere. Likely, you are witnessing a medical emergency and the working service animal who is task-trained to handle that emergency. Please allow the person and the service animal to remain where they are. A task-trained service animal will know when it is time to get help from you. They will leave their person. They will come to you and indicate. A service animal typically has an emergency ID card that identifies a person to contact or the correct steps to follow if the person is unaware or unconscious. Please follow the service animal and follow the instructions on the emergency alert card to keep the person safe. Do not automatically call emergency services. Follow the instructions first. For example, I am on the emergency card that Roady carries on his vest. It has my name and number, and it [includes] who to call and who not to call if I don’t pick up.”
Guest Admissions and Interactions
“In a perfect world, a service animal handler would arrive at your venue, show their ticket, engage in your storyline and your event just as anyone else would,” said Rose.
Evaluate whether this is possible with the policies and practices in place at your organization and venue. Ensure there are no additional steps or requirements for service animal handlers when they arrive. If these do exist, put them on your website or notify people in advance. This is especially important for service animals that provide PTSD alerts or for sighted guide dogs. “It is troubling, in fact disturbing, for people to approach the service animal handler and their service animal as if they have already done something wrong simply to enforce a policy that you have put into place,” Rose stated. “Be mindful of the ways in which your policies create barriers.”
Supportive and respectful interactions are essential when engaging with visitors who have service animals. Respond with understanding while maintaining the handler's privacy if other guests ask questions about the animal’s presence. Additionally, there is no need to offer to help the handler unless requested. And after completing any admission protocol, consider how other staff members will interact with the visitor and explore ways to clearly identify that the service animal has been vetted and approved. This will help prevent additional questions from other team members.
Ticketing and venue staff can facilitate comfort and convenience for service animals and their handlers in many ways. This can include being familiar with relief areas and water stations for service animals and offering flexibility in seating if needed.
“A service animal may sit under or beside your chair depending upon the chair,” explained Rose. “In a theater where the under part of the chair is only about 15 inches high, that might not be a great amount of space for the service animal, and therefore the service animal might need more space to the side of the chair. It is also common practice to seat service animals on the aisle, which means their paws, tails and snoots can sometimes end up in the aisle. [They can] therefore [be] kicked, stepped on or disturbed somehow by other patrons walking by. If you are in a reserved-seat environment, be sure to have a conversation with the service animal handler about what seats best suit them and ensure there is enough space around them and their service animal to be undisturbed during the event. If your policy is that a service animal must fit under a seat, be sure to include the information about size in your pre-visit materials.”
Inviting service animal handlers to share any needs upon arrival also fosters a welcoming atmosphere.
Providing Pre-Visit Information
Rose moved on to the importance of pre-visit communication, stressing that service animal handlers often conduct thorough research before deciding to visit a venue or site. They appreciate clear and transparent information about potential hazards, including areas where pesticides are used on your site, noise or sudden sounds and bright or flashing lights.
It is also essential to provide details about designated relief areas for service animals. These areas should offer waste disposal, water stations and spaces where the service animal and handler can rest. Rose recommended that venues include these details on their site map, including features and a picture of the area. She also encouraged venues to consider adding benches, shade and green space, particularly for outdoor venues.
Respecting Privacy and Providing Access to Assistance
The session wrapped up with a call to action for all ticketing and entertainment professionals to respect service animal handlers' privacy and foster an environment where they feel comfortable seeking assistance if needed.
“Equity means creating an experience where handlers feel respected and safe,” Rose said. “For many, this involves maintaining their privacy … [and] allowing them to enjoy your site independently.”
She also recommended that venues make it easy for service animal handlers to access support when needed, whether through your website or ticket counter.
Dani Rose and Nae Vallejo concluded their session by inviting questions from attendees, emphasizing their ongoing commitment to engaging with the INTIX community. They are always happy to provide further insights and are eager to continue supporting conversations and learning. Click on their names to reach out directly!
Editor’s Note: The ADA has a tip sheet on service animals that you can access here.
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