Pet dogs occupy a special place in the heart of the owners. They are so beautiful, innocent, playful and loyal to the core. But if you have got an Airbnb property and one of the guests decided to bring their pet dog along then there are chances that pet dog might end up cause destruction to your Airbnb.

So, as an Airbnb owner either you can tell your guests that there is a strict no pets’ policy, or you can ask them to keep their pets under control.

Things take a different turn when those animals are not pets but service dogs. In that case you can not outrightly refuse the guests because that service dog is not a pet.

So, what is a service dog? As per Americans with Disabilities Act Network, they define service animals as: “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental Disability”

However, this is to be remembered that only specially trained dogs could be categorized as a service animal. Some states have also begun to categorize miniature horses as service animals. The animals that are kept providing emotional support to their owners are excluded from the gamut of service animals.

Service animals are allowed in all public and private places and Airbnb is not an exception. But if you find that the service dog is causing any major nuisance and destruction then as a property owner you can ask the dog owner to keep the dog under control or even remove it. The dog owner could also be made liable for any damages done by the service dog.

But the biggest hindrance is how to ask the guest if they suffer from a disability or the dog they have brought along is a service dog?

As per The Americans with Disabilities Act, you are legally allowed to ask the following questions:

“Is the animal required because of a disability?”

“What work or task has this animal been trained to perform?”

That’s it, you can ask dog owners to give a demonstration of the service that dog performs. Also, since the dog is a service dog, you can not charge the pet dog fee from the dog owner.

All the Airbnb owners must be aware of this difference between the pet and service dogs and keep their property safe, clean and increase its popularity!