Bringing service animals to a public place is a valuable resource which can provide people life savings services and the freedom they would not have otherwise. On top of this, they are very hard working and often provide much needed companionship and comfort to their owners.
Some individuals may need more than one service animal, for example, bringing service animals when having a physical and mental illness and need one dog for each struggle. Or perhaps they have two mental illnesses that are very different and need two dogs to do specific tasks in relation to each.
Perhaps they just need two dogs to do very different tasks at the same time in relation to one disability they have. Can these individuals bring both service animals out in public with them? Is there a limit to how many you can have?
What is a Service Animal?
Service animals are protected as necessary medical equipment under the ADA and can be taken virtually anywhere with their owner. They are defined as a dog who is trained to do a specific task in relation to a disability or illness their owner has. Service dogs for those with mental illnesses, specifically, are called psychiatric service dogs.
How Many Service Animals Can You Have?
There is technically no limit on how many service animals you can have. However, under the ADA, any service animal accommodation must not cause others undue hardship or financial burden. Bringing service animals for example, more than two with you would take up considerable space, cause much more disruption to others, and has more potential to cause other problems to business owners or patrons. This element of having multiple service animals must be taken into consideration as well.
Other Things to Consider When Bringing Service Animals With You
Other things to consider include the care and keeping of multiple service animals. Making sure that they are all walked, fed, watered, groomed, and cared for can be a lot of work and responsibility, as well as expensive. This may add stress to someone who is already physically or mentally struggling.
In conclusion, bringing service animals is allowed and sometimes needed if someone has a variety of tasks they need the animals to perform for potentially multiple different struggles. There is no limit on how many service animals you can have as long as they do not cause hardship or difficulty to the people surrounding you.
Also, take into consideration the work of caring for more than one animal and the potential expense. Talk to a medical or mental health professional today to find out if having more than one service animal is the right choice for you. You can get service animal certification quickly and easily from our experts at United Support Animal. Contact us today!
