“Assistance dog” means a dog that is or has been trained by a licensed or certified person, organization, or agency to perform physical tasks for a physically challenged person. Assistance dogs include guide or leader dogs that guide individuals who are legally blind; hearing dogs that alert individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to specific sounds; and service dogs for individuals with disabilities other than blindness or deafness, which are trained to perform a variety of physical tasks, including, but not limited to, pulling a wheelchair, lending balance support, picking up dropped objects, or providing assistance in a medical crisis.
“The guide dog or service dog must be identified as having been trained by a school for seeing eye, hearing, service, or guide dogs.”
Every totally or partially blind person shall have the right to be accompanied by a guide dog, and every physically disabled person and every deaf person shall have the right to be accompanied by a service dog in public places and accommodations, and shall have full and equal access to all housing accommodations.
Every person engaged in the training of a guide dog or service dog for the purpose of accompanying a person shall have the same right to be accompanied by such dog so long as such trainer is identified as an agent or employee of a school for seeing eye, hearing, service, or guide dogs.
Denial or interference is misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,000.00, imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both.
Any person whoknowingly and intentionally harasses or attempts to harass an assistance dog, knowing the dog to be an assistance dog, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Punishable by imprisonment for not less than 90 days or a fine not to exceed $500.00, or both.
Any person whoknowingly and intentionally allows his or her dog to harass an assistance dog, knowing the dog to be an assistance dog, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Punishable by imprisonment for not less than 90 days or a fine not to exceed $500.00, or both (second violation punished as a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature).
Any person whoknowingly and intentionally allows his or her dog to cause death or physical harm to an assistance dog by rendering a part of the assistance dog’s body useless or by seriously disfiguring the assistance dog, knowing the dog to be an assistance dog, shall be punished as for a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature
. Ga. Code Ann., § 16-11-107.1
The driver of every vehicle shall yield the right of way to any blind pedestrian who is carrying a walking cane or stick white in color or white tipped with red or who is accompanied by a guide dog.
Copyright © 2020 USA Service Dog. All rights reserved.
