Littler and Canine Companions For Independence®, a non-profit organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities at no charge, have formed a strategic partnership to address issues related to accommodation requests in the workplace.
Accommodating requests from employees and customers to bring service animals into their workplaces or facilities has become increasingly complex for companies. The issue is intensified by the rise in instances of people using fake vests to pass family pets off as service animals, which undermines the acceptance of legitimate service dogs and creates headaches for companies. As part of this partnership, Littler and Canine Companions are working together to address this issue and provide guidance for companies on managing service animal accommodation requests in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
About Canine Companions for Independence®
Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs to children, veterans and adults with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has six training centers across the country in Northern CA, Southern CA, NY, OH, FL and TX. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. Since its inception, Canine Companions has placed 6,000 assistance dogs with people with disabilities. Give Independence—and Give a Dog a Job®.
Resources
- Dear Littler: How Do You Address Employee Service Animal Accommodation Requests Under the ADA? (video)
- Help Prevent Service Dog Fraud (.pdf)
- A Service Dog Is More Than a Vest (.pdf)
Wes III
As part of Littler's partnership with Canine Companions, Littler was given the opportunity to name one of Canine Companions' new service dogs. You can follow the adventures of Wes III (named in memory of our colleague and dear friend Wesley J. Fastiff) and the other service dogs in training on the Canine Companions website.
