Animal Policy
It is the policy of the Hartland Public Library to prohibit all animals from entering Library facilities, with the exception of service animals, service animals in training, and animals featured for marketing purposes or in programs sponsored by the Hartland Public Library.
Definitions
Under Wisconsin state law, a service animal is defined as: “a guide dog, signal dog, or other animal that is individually trained or is being trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, including the work or task of guiding a person with impaired vision, alerting a person with impaired hearing to intruders or sound, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items." Wis. Stat. §106.52(1)(fm)
Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals do not qualify as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and/or Wisconsin state law.
Additional Considerations
If it is not obvious that an animal brought into the library is a service animal, a staff member may only ask the following question:
- Is the service animal required because of a disability?
A staff member attempting to ascertain whether a dog is a service animal may not ask about the nature of a person's disability, nor what kind of work the service animal has been trained to do. While most service animals, or service animals in training, will have identifying capes or harnesses, they are not required to have any kind of identification under state and/or federal law.
According to the ADA, service animals must be under the immediate control of their handlers at all times. Therefore, service animals which are not housebroken, bark, are uncontrolled, or are otherwise disruptive will be required to leave the premises. Animals may never be left unattended on Library grounds.
Service animals are not allowed on Library furniture or fixtures, and must remain on the floor or be carried (as appropriate) by their handlers at all times.
Adopted 6/8/2023