New York Museum of Transportation



DOGS AT THE MUSEUM

It is museum policy to not permit dogs in the museum, on track car or trolley/train rides, or anywhere on the property where contact can be made with visitors. An exception to this restriction is made for service animals such as guide dogs for the visually impaired.

What is a “service animal”?

According to the U.S. Department of Justice Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities), Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.

Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

Emotional support animals may be permitted in housing under FDA regulations, but this does not apply at the New York Museum of Transportation.