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C5

ANIMAL POLICY

Approved:  04/11/2018

The Ypsilanti District Library permits the following animals inside its facilities as outlined in this policy:

  • Service animals
  • Emotional support animals with prior approval from the Library Director as noted below
  • Animals used in law enforcement
  • Animals provided by organizations certified to conduct outreach educational programming in public institutions such as libraries.

No other animals are allowed inside the library.

 

Service Animals

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals are welcomed and permitted in the Library and on Library property. Per ADA, “service animals” are dogs or miniature horses individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.

In regards to a miniature horse, they generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds. Per ADA, size and weight can be factors in determining if the Library is able to accommodate this type of service animal.

Library staff reserve the right to question if the animal is a service animal required because of a disability, and what tasks the service animal has been trained to perform.

 

Emotional Support Animals

If your animal is not a “service animal” but is instead an emotional support animal, you must obtain approval from the Library Director before bringing the animal into the Library Building.  If you wish to bring your animal to the Library as an emotional support or psychiatric service animal, you will need to provide supporting documentation in the form of an original letter on the letterhead of a licensed mental health professional (e.g. a psychologist, psychiatrist or licensed clinical social worker), dated within one year of your visit.  The letter must confirm that:

  • You have a mental or emotional disability recognized by the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).  The letter does not have to indicate the nature of the disability.
  • You need your animal for emotional or psychiatric support during your visit to the Library
  • The person who prepared the document is a licensed mental health professional and you are currently under the care of the licensed mental health professional who prepared the document

The letter must also provide information on the mental health professional’s license (i.e. type of license, date issued, and issuing authority).

Rules Applicable to all Animals

In order to help maintain a pleasant, productive, and safe environment for all Library users and staff, the following behavioral guidelines for service animals and approved emotional support animals are to be observed:

  • Animals must be in physical proximity with their handler and under handler control at all times.
  • Animals may not be left unattended by their handler at any time.
  • Animals must be on a leash or harness at all times unless the use of a leash or harness interferes with the animal’s effective performance of its designated task(s). If the animal cannot be leashed or harnessed, it must be under the handler’s control via voice, signals, or other effective means at all times.
  • Animals must not display disruptive behavior such as barking and growling and must conform to the Patron Behavior Policy
  • Animals must be housebroken and their handler is responsible for any upkeep or clean-up of the animal.

NOTE: If an animal’s behaviors or actions pose an unreasonable or direct threat to the health or safety of others, or do not conform to these guidelines, it may not remain in a Library facility. In accordance with ADA guidelines, non-compliance of guidelines can be grounds for a request to remove a service animal from a Library facility. If the service animal or emotional support animal is excluded from a Library facility, the individual with the disability is welcomed to stay and will be reasonably accommodated by Library staff.