Service Animals

Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions

• General
• Service Dogs
• Monkey Helpers

General

• If you have a service animal, you are encouraged to inform the Security Officer that the animal accompanying you is a service animal and not a pet. This will provide you with an opportunity to move to the front of the screening line since the Security Officer may need to spend more time with you.



• It is recommended that persons using an animal for assistance carry appropriate identification. Identification may include: cards or documentation, presence of a harness or markings on the harness, or other credible assurance of the passenger using the animal for their disability.



• At no time during the screening process will you be required to be separated from your service animal.



• Security Officers have been trained not to communicate, distract, interact, play, feed, or pet service animals.



• The Security Officer should ask permission before touching your service animal or its belongings.



• You must assist with the inspection process by controlling the service animal while the Security Officer conducts the inspection. You are required to maintain control of the animal in a manner that ensures the animal cannot harm the Security Officer.



• If you need to leave the secure boarding area to relieve your animal, you must undergo the full screening process again. Inform the Security Officer upon your return to the security checkpoint and she/him will move you to the front of the screening line to expedite the screening process.

Service Dogs

• Advise the Security Officer how you and your dog can best achieve screening when going through the metal detector as a team (i.e., whether walking together or with the service dog walking in front of or behind you).



• If the walk through metal detector alarms in the situation where you and your service dog have walked together, both you and the dog must undergo additional screening.



• If the walk through metal detector alarms on either you or your service dog individually (because you walked through separately), additional screening must be conducted on whoever alarmed the walk through metal detector.



• If your service dog alarms the walk through metal detector, the Security Officer will ask your permission and assistance before they touch you service dog and its belongings. The Security Officer will then perform a physical inspection of your dog and its belongings (collar, harness, leash, backpack, vest, etc.) The belongings will not be removed from your dog at any time.

Monkey Helpers

• When a service monkey is being transported in a carrier, the monkey must be removed from the carrier by the handler prior to screening,



• The service monkey must be controlled by the handler throughout the screening process.



• The service monkey handler should carry the monkey through the walk through metal detector while the monkey remains on a leash.



• When the handler and service monkey go through the walk through metal detector and the detector alarms, both the handler and the monkey must undergo additional screening.



• Since service monkeys may likely draw attention, the handler will be escorted to the physical inspection area where a table is available for the monkey to sit on. Only the handler will touch or interact with the service monkey.



• Security Officers have been trained to not touch the service monkey during the screening process.



• Security Officers will conduct a visual inspection on the service monkey and will coach the handler on how to hold the monkey during the visual inspection.



• The inspection process may require that the handler to take off the monkey’s diaper as part of the visual inspection.

From: The TSA Blog on Service Animals