Café de La Plaza Restaurant Policy on Service Animals And Emotional Support Dogs

Café de La Plaza complies with all Federal laws under the American with Disabilities Act ("ADA") protecting service animals.  Service Animals are welcome to be seated with their owners inside the salon or in our outdoor dining area.  It is important that our clients understand that the ADA only extends to animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for the individual that has a disability.  Due to this distinction, the same laws that govern ADA service animals do not protect emotional support animals.  See below for more details on the laws, health codes, and restaurant procedures and policies.

Difference Between Service Animals & Emotional Support Dogs Under the ADA

A service animal as defined by Title II and Title III of the ADA means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability including physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.  Tasks performed can include pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, altering to sound, etc.

The ADA states that an emotional support animal, comfort animal, and therapy dog is NOT a service animal under Title II and Title III of the ADA.  The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability.  Furthermore, a doctor’s letter does not turn an animal into a service animal.

A person must have a disability as defined by the ADA in order to use their service animal in places of public accommodation or state and local government facilities.  The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Health Codes in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s health codes allow businesses to deny admission to “Emotional Support Dogs” if they pose a health or sanitation problem creating a disturbance. The exception to this rule only applies to Service Animals as defined under the ADA.

Restaurant Procedures

Service Animals: If the service dogs tasks are not apparent then Titles II and III of the ADA allows a business or facility of public accommodation to request that the person answer two questions:

1)   Is the animal required because of a disability?

AND

2)   What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?
 

Emotional Support Animals: The procedures in place to protect service dogs under the ADA do not apply to emotional support animals.  Emotional support animals or psychiatric service animals may need to provide specific documentation if requested by the business or facility of public accommodation.  Therefore, Café de La Plaza may request proof that your dog is an “emotional support dog” in order to seat you in our outdoor dining area. 

Café de La Plaza’s Policy on “Emotional Support Animals”

Due to health codes in Puerto Rico we do not allow "emotional support animals" to be seated in our inside seating area.  These animals include but are not limited to emotional support dogs, cats, rats, iguanas, ferrets, gerbils, guineas pigs, etc. However, we do love animals and we welcome those that are properly licensed emotional support animals to join us in our outside dining area in our al fresco patio.  Our pet friendly servers will be delighted to serve them.