A Business Owner's Guide to Accommodating Guide Dogs and Their Owners
If you own a business, you need to be able to accommodate customers or clients who enjoy your services with the assistance of a guide dog. Similar to the reasons installing tactile warning systems is so important, you need to create a space that is legally sanctioned and that everyone can enjoy. Here is a brief guide to accommodating guide dogs and their owners:
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Express Your Willingness to Accommodate: Provide your customer, employee, or client with assurance that any signs barring pets from the premises do not apply to his or her guide dog. You can obtain a “Service Dogs Welcome” sign from any guide dog training school and post it by the entrance to your business to prevent any confusion in the future.
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Mediate Any Tension: Incidences can arise if other visitors to your business or your own employees have a fear of dogs or are allergic to them. You can intervene in this situation appropriately by kindly asking if the owner would mind sitting in a different space away from the other person. Since they are not legally required to do so, you can also ask your employee to work on a different task for a while.
- Treat the Guide Dog with Respect: Although it may be tempting to scratch the dog’s ears or feed him or her a treat, you need to understand that it is a professionally trained animal. The guide dog needs to be left to fulfill its duties, and you should instruct your employees to refrain from interfering as well. Guide dogs are incredibly disciplined and need to maintain their daily regimen without disturbance.
It is important to accommodate a customer with a guide dog by providing the same level of courtesy and interest that you would to any other customer. At ADA Solutions, Inc., we provide business owners with all the tools and resources they need to ensure accessibility and comfort to all customers, including tactile warning systems. Call us today at (800) 372-0519 to learn more.
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