We love to welcome Service Animals and Guide Dogs at Mermaid Cottages and it’s our pleasure to assist all of our guests, including those with disabilities.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), privately owned businesses that serve the public, such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities, are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The ADA requires these businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed.
The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.
A Service Animal is not a pet. Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. Guide dogs are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But, there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include:
* Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds.
* Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.
* Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance.
Our guests with any type of service animal are welcome in each of our cottages and there’s never any type of service charge or pet fee.
Mermaid Cottages is honored to accommodate persons with disabilities and Guide Dogs and Service Animals, too! Proceeds from our own Beach Bum Biscuits help us sponsor puppies to be trained as Guide Dogs and Service Animals.
We very much enjoy our guests with Guide Dogs and Service Animals. Give us a call and we’ll help plan your visit, too!
