In order for an animal to qualify as a service animal under the ADA, it
has to perform a TASK. A hotel may ask if the person is disabled (not
what the disability is) and what task the animal performs to assist
the disabled person. A task can be alerting a person who is deaf of a
ringing phone, alarm or door knock. It can be retrieving an item or
guiding a visually impaired person. In all of these cases the animal
performs an actual task. The word task is the key to an animal
qualifying under the ADA as a service animal. IMHO it would be pretty
much impossible to have a ferret certified as a service animal--they
just aren't going to perform actual tasks 100% of the time.

Therapy animals, those who provide comfort or allow people with various
emotional disorders to be able to feel comfortable in unfamiliar
surroundings, are not protected under the ADA as they do not perform
an actual task. A hotelier is within their rights to deny access to
animals who are not service animals--ie don't perform actual taks.
Ferrets often make great therapy animals.

That said, there are many hotels that are animal friendy. I've traveled
many times with my ferrets, and as long as you plan in advance, it's
not at all difficult to find a hotel that welcomes your furkids.

Hope that answers your question.

Anne

[Posted in FML 5791]