Animals in the Library

Multnomah County Library does not allow animals into its buildings EXCEPT for the following circumstances:

1. The animal is part of a County pre-approved event;
2. The animal is trained to assist persons with recognized disabilities under the law (i.e. a service animal as defined below);
3. The animal is a service animal in training accompanied by the trainer; or
4. The animal is assisting public officials and their agenda, such as law enforcement, fire service, or search and rescue and is accompanied by its handler.

With the exception of those animals on-site in the course of library-approved events, animals on library premises must be in compliance with Multnomah County ordinances. All “service animals must be under the control of their handles, by leash, harness, or other source of affirmative means. If a leash, harness or other affirmative means cannot be used (e.g. the handler’s disability prevents them from using a leash) then other effective means such as voice control or hand signals are permissible.” For further information, see RSK-27 animals on Multnomah County premises, the animals in county buildings FAQ, and Multnomah County code, chapter 13-animal services. Service animals that are not under control of the handler may be excluded from library premises.

When a patron makes the decision to leave an unattended animal outside a Multnomah County Library building, they are placing the animal “at large” and are in violation of the County ordinance. Multnomah County Library does not promote or condone its patrons being in violation of Multnomah County ordinances off library premises. Animals may not block access to doors, book drops or patron approaches to the library. Occasionally, patrons attempt to bring dogs or other animals into library buildings claiming they are service animals. Use the guidelines below to determine whether or not the animal should be admitted.

Service Animals

Definition of a service animal

The current definition of a service animal by the U.S. Department of Justice is “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the handler’s disability.

Service animals are working animals, not pets. Service animals do not need to have any sort of identifier showing them to be service animals, nor do handlers of service animals need to provide any documentation that the animal is a service animal.

Note: Not all service animals users will call their animal a service animal. The patron may call a valid service animal an “assistance,” “companion,” “prescription,” “social,” or “therapy” animal. In these cases, follow up with the question below regarding individual training. Non-service “assistance,” “companion,” “prescription,” “social,” or “therapy” animals do not have the legal status of service animals and will not be admitted into the building. Some people are not aware there is a difference between ADA service animal definitions and the definitions in housing and transportation law. An animal that is allowed in housing as a “therapy” animal may not meet the ADA legal definition of being “individually trained.”

Note: Miniature horses are not service animals, but the library may need to allow miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities into library facilities where reasonable. There are four assessment factors that the library must consider in determining whether miniature horses can be accommodated in a library facility: (1) whether the miniature horse is housebroken; (2) whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control; (3) whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight; and (4) whether the miniature horse’s presence will compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility.

Allowed questions to ask patron regarding their service animal

1. Is your animal required because of a disability? And
2. What work or task is your animal trained to perform?

What you cannot ask regarding a service animal

1. Proof of their disability
2. Proof or certification of training

When in doubt, err on the side of admitting the animal, provided the patron makes a reasonable explanation of the service the animal is trained to provide and the animal does not present a health, safety, or disruptive risk to other patrons in the library.

It is not necessary to ask the above two questions when it's readily apparent that the animal is trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability (e.g. the animal is guiding a vision-impaired person or the animal is assisting to balance a person with an observable mobility issue).

Refusing entry to a valid service animal

If you are considering refusing entry to a valid service animal, consult with the PIC at your location or the Central PIC for backup (503.969.3839). You may also consult with the Multnomah County Diversity and Equity Office (ext.83399), or give this contact information to patrons who are in disagreement with the enforcement or definitions of the county policy. If you exclude a service animal for behavior or other reasons, have your supervisor contact the Safety & Security Manager and the County Attorney’s office.

Service animal accommodations

The library will permit service animals to consume food and water on library premises. PICs and security personnel may work with patrons to help ensure this activity does not occur in an area or in a manner that seems likely to interfere with safety or library operations.

Disruptive service animals

• If a service animal becomes disruptive and its owner/handler cannot regain control of it, or the animal is directly threatening the health and safety of staff or others, the PIC or security personnel may ask the handler to remove the service animal from the building. The person shall be given the chance to use the building without the service animal. Any individual asked to remove a service animal from a County building should be offered contact information for the County ADA Compliance Officer and advised of rights to appeal.
• Information on “not under control”
  • ADA.gov FAQ 25: “[I]f a particular service animal is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it, or if it is not housebroken, that animal may be excluded.”
  • See also FAQ 27: “Under control also means that a service animal should not be allowed to bark repeatedly in a lecture hall, theater, library, or other quiet place. However, if a dog barks just once, or barks because someone has provoked it, this would not mean that the dog is out of control.”
• If an authorized service animal creates a significant disruption the animal will be excluded immediately until the behavior is corrected. Patrons should  be given the opportunity to demonstrate that the animal has been trained and will be under control the next time they attempt to access library services in the building.
• If a PIC or security personnel has asked a person with a valid service animal to remove it from the building for directly threatening the health and safety of staff or others, the PIC or security personnel shall contact one of the director’s designees.
• The contacted designee shall notify the County Attorney’s office and risk management (503.988.5015) as soon as possible and inform them of the incident. Injuries to or caused by the animal while on library premises must be reported to the appropriate person, and contact should be made with Risk management as soon as possible regarding the incident.