Senate panel introduces bill defining any animal as a ‘support animal’

The Senate Health & Welfare Committee introduced a bill this afternoon proposed by Richelle Vannoy, the mother of a 13-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome, to broaden Idaho’s definition of “assistance dogs” for disabled people to cover any kind of “support animal.” Vannoy, who said her son could be helped by a Savannah cat – a cross between a serval and a house cat that’s known for walking on a leash, being trained to fetch, and tolerating water including showering with its owner – in part because he can’t be around dogs.

Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, noted that she’s extremely allergic to both dogs and cats. “True service animals I understand, but there are a lot of people out there that in my experience, bring an animal into a situation, and they’re not really service animals, they just want to bring them along,” she said. “I’m not quite sure if we have the balance right, between the needs of the person who has the service animal, and the needs of the public.”

The proposed bill would allow anyone with a disability to be accompanied on a bus, in a hotel or motel, in a café or elevator, or in housing for sale or rent by a “support animal,” where current law says “assistance dog.” It also would specify that anyone being treated for a mental or emotional disability can be accompanied by a support animal in any place of public accommodation, from planes and trains to amusement parks and resorts; that the disabled person or the person’s parent would be liable for damage done by the animal; and that on request, they’d need to provide written documentation from a licensed health care provider that the animal helps the person with their symptoms.

Before the committee’s vote to introduce the bill, Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise, commented, “I want to be there when you take this cat into the shower.”