service dog

[Barb6]

This is from a potential guest.

I have a seizure disorder and have a service animal that is trained to get help and assist me in case of a problem. Autumnis a Lagotto Romagnolo dog ~30lbs. She is extremely friendly and she does not shed at all, and does not produce any dander either. And I just gave her a bath so she smells lovely, even though she doesn't really ever smell bad.
I know that technically I didn't have to say anything and you can't refuse based on the service animal but I just wanted to let you know and will let you decide whether you can accommodate. I hope to hear from you soon!

On Profile page of potential guest.
I am a 4th year medical student. My girlfriend is an attorney. We have an amazing little furball named Autumn. She is a tiny 30lb Lagotto Romagnolo and is training to be a truffle hunter!

I have a no pet policy. What are my choices here? 

[Ky3]

As a service dog owner I want to clarify. I have a very well behaved professionally trained service dog. He is a blue tick coon hound and while first and foremost he is my service dog I understand that dogs can often become bored of working all the time so in the last 6 months i have found scent training classes for I'm to let loose in his off duty time. So just because the dog in question is also being training to find truffles does not at all mean they are not legitimate. While you can not legally ask them what the their disability is you are able to ask how this animal can help mitigate symtoms

[Melanie33]

It does sound a bit dodgy but I think that if the guest arrives and it is clearly not a service dog then you could call Airbnb and ask them what to do as the guests will have booked on false pretences.  Are you happy to accommodate dogs that are not service dogs is what you have to ask yourself in that situation.

Mel

[Marit-Anne0]

@Melanie33

How can you tell it is not a service dog when the guest turns up with an invisible illness ?

@Barb6

I think counterclaiming dog allergy would be your best option.  

[James1]

There is one 'tell' that a dog may not be a true 'service' dog and that is if the owner leaves the dog in your place while they go out sightseeing or to dinner. If it is a true service animal it must be with the disabled owner 24/7 and is allowed anyplace the owner wants to go.

[Astrid-and-Alejandro0]

Not necessarily true, if you are accompanied by someone that can also take care of your illness, like parents or husband, you can leave your dog.

[Barb6]

I found this out........because the fact is that hosts who are in-home hosts and who offer a room in their home (not a whole separate apartment) , and who offer no more than 5 rooms for rent in their home, can in fact legally discriminate based on the presence of a service animal, in the USA at least.

[Dee9]

I see no reason why you cant stick to your no pet policy. (especially since their response to you does not match their profile description about the dog). If it were me I would simply say Im sorry I cannot accomodate you. And I would choose the decline reason as "not a good fit". But thats just me. Good luck.

[Sarah240]

The AIRBNB policy says companion animals are not pets so his statement that technically you can't refuse is correct.  He may be telling a story about himself and his condition  And he contacted you in advance to see if it wouldn't upset you that a companion animal would be coming as a guest as well.

[Dee9]

Well personally I totally disagree that I am not allowed to decline animals in my own home, service dog or not. What if a home is not suitable for animals? What if there are allergies? What if I am scared of dogs? There are lots of justifiable reasons to decline without risk of being in violation of anything. 

[Lori216]

I agree, I have a no pet policy and don’t want any animal in my guesthouse and now I am being forced to have a service dog for 12 nights! I am furious and they mentioned it 2

weeks after booking! Airbnb should not allow people to be able to book places that state no pets.......

[Teresa217]

Service dog is not a pet. A service dog is well trained animal. 

[Ann72]

Can't you just decline by choosing "I'm not comfortable with this guest"?

[Marit-Anne0]

I also think we may decline for all sorts of reasons, but airbnb needs to have this clause in place to cover their own back.  

[James1]

@Barb6 Be very careful with this guest. They already answered the two questions you are allowed to ask, Do you have a disability and is this animal trained to allow you to function normally despite the disability. They know the drill. The one thing they cannot do is leave the dog alone in your place when they go out. If it is a genuine service animal it must be with him 24/7. So the one thing you can say that may discourage them is

"I of course assume, as Autumn is your service dog, you will taking Autumn with you everywhere and never leaving Autumn alone in my place."

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

I believe this guest is posing as disabled and that the dog is not a service dog.  A service dog is not going to be trained to find truffles.  While the dog is truffle hunting the guest is over in the bushes seizuring unattended?  Really?

Some states are making it a misdemeanor with a big fine to pose as disabled and to pose as needing a service animal.

You can find out if the story is true if you choose to do so.  Is the guest the attorney or the medical student?  You can find out from the court/law firm or with the medical school whether the dog accompanies the person at all times.  You would have to be sneaky to do that and may not want to do so but you could.  You could also look on social media and see if the person who is not disabled is shown with the dog while the other person is doing something else.

People who pose as disabled and misrepresent their dog as a service dog are scum.

If you allow the booking, you can require that the dog be leashed and within 6 feet of the disabled person at all times.  Not out in the back yard without the person, not walked by the other person for more than a couple of minutes and never for one second left unattended in your premises.