Service animals and emotional support animals
In an effort to create a comfortable, safe, and sterile environment for all patients, Penn Medicine only allows service dogs into its facilities. Service dogs receive training to perform a specific task to aid patients with a disability. They must be leashed or controlled at all times by the patient or their support person. Staff are not permitted to take care of animals at any time including during tests and procedures.
Emotional support animals, pets, and unscheduled therapy animals are not permitted in Penn Medicine buildings. Please leave these animals at home or you may not be able to complete your appointment.
A service dog is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with disabilities. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.
A service dog handler can answer these questions:
- Is the dog required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
Requirements:
- Must always have a handler present with the dog
- Dogs are the only approved service animals
Any animal that provides emotional support such as alleviating anxiety or panic.
- ESAs are not Service Dogs because they do not have special training to perform specific tasks
- Having ESA paperwork does not mean the individual can bring their ESA to medical appointments
- Patients who arrive with an ESA will be asked to remove the animal.
A personal pet is an animal owned by a patient or patient’s family to provide comfort or for recreational purposes. Patients who arrive with a personal pet will be asked to remove the animal
Patients who arrive with an unscheduled therapy dog will be asked to remove the animal.