Disney Springs is a popular destination for anyone visiting Orlando, Florida. Whether you’re visiting Walt Disney World Resort and adding Disney Springs to your itinerary or taking a trip to this entertainment destination, knowing pet policies is critical for those traveling with their dogs.
In this article, we’ll review Disney Springs’ pet policies to determine if dogs are allowed in one of the most popular attractions in Florida. Continue reading to the end to learn if your dog can join the fun with you at Disney Springs.
What Is Disney Springs?
Disney Springs is a large outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment destination at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It’s a vibrant, family-friendly area where guests can shop in unique stores and enjoy live entertainment without needing an admission ticket.
Disney Springs offers a wide range of entertainment options. There’s something for everyone, including large families, couples, and solo travelers; the themed areas offer something unique and appeal to every visitor.
What Is the Disney Springs Pet Policy?
Disney Springs has a strict no-pet policy. Pets, regardless of type or size, aren’t allowed to enter Disney Springs. This means that individuals and families wanting to visit Disney Springs can’t enter with their dogs.
The same applies to pets in carriers and strollers. You can’t enter Disney Springs even if your dog is in a small carrier or confined to a stroller. Unfortunately, you’ll need to leave them at home or your accommodation before visiting Disney Springs.
Are Service Dogs Allowed in Disney Springs?
When it comes to service dogs, visiting Disney Springs is a little different. Here’s everything you need to know about service dogs in Disney Springs.
What Is a Service Dog?
A service dog is a dog that’s trained specifically to assist an individual with a disability. These dogs perform a wide range of tasks to assist their handler in their daily life, performing tasks that range from retrieving objects from the ground to providing deep pressure therapy during a panic attack.
Service dogs don’t require training or certification from a professional dog training organization. As long as the service dog is trained to assist someone with a disability, even if the dog performs just one specific task, they will have what it takes to become a service dog. This makes it possible for individuals to train a service dog themselves rather than rely on the help of professional dog trainers.
Considering that individuals with disabilities who rely on their service dogs need them to be with them at all times, they have public access rights to support their handlers in their day-to-day lives, as per the Americans with Disabilities Act. This ensures that an individual with a service dog can enter most public places that typically don’t allow pets.
Taking Your Service Dog to Disney Springs
Disney Springs must allow service dogs, thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to federal law, Disney Springs and all other businesses that serve the general public must allow service dogs. Therefore, the no-pet policies of Disney Springs don’t apply to service dogs.
The federal law also has a say in how Disney Springs employees can determine if a dog is a service dog. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, businesses can only ask the following two questions.
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
Other than these two questions, Disney Springs employees can’t ask the individual with a service dog to demonstrate what the dog is trained to do or require any documentation that proves the dog’s status as a service dog – doing so is a violation of the ADA.
If you want to minimize interactions with Disney Springs employees, consider investing in a service animal vest that will identify your dog to workers immediately. This way, they will know that your dog is a service dog at first sight and may not even inquire about your service dog at all.
Note that putting on a service animal vest or other identifying equipment like service dog collars or badges isn’t a legal requirement. It is up to the handler to decide whether their dogs wear such gear. Keep in mind that placing this gear on a pet and attempting to pass them off as a service dog can be considered a misdemeanor in most states, so refrain from doing this.
Can Disney Springs Deny a Service Dog?
Although service dogs are allowed in Disney Springs, there are some instances where a service dog may be denied entry or asked to be removed. If the service dog poses a threat to others, they are barking excessively, or they are growling at strangers, Disney Springs can legally ask for the service dog to be removed from the premises.
Disney Springs can also legally deny a service dog if the handler isn’t in control of the animal. Service dogs must be under the handler’s control at all times. If a service dog tries to lunge at other customers or harasses them in any other way, and the owner can’t get their service dog under control, Disney Springs can ask the handler to remove the service dog.
Service dogs must also be housebroken. If the service dog urinates or defecates somewhere that they shouldn’t, such as indoor buildings, you may be asked to remove your service dog. It is important for those planning to take a trip to Disney Springs with their service dogs to know that service animals are allowed to use open outdoor areas for relief. As long as you pick up the waste and leave the area clean, you won’t need to leave Disney Springs for potty breaks.
Are Emotional Support Dogs Allowed in Disney Springs?
Emotional support dogs are just as popular as service dogs. However, there are clear distinctions between these two types of animals that assist their owner in different ways. Below, we’ll discuss all these differences and answer whether emotional support dogs are allowed in Disney Springs.
What Is an Emotional Support Dog?
An emotional support dog is a type of animal that comforts an individual with a psychiatric disability or other mental health condition. These animals provide companionship and are recommended by a mental health professional to ease the owner’s symptoms.
Emotional support dogs don’t perform any tasks or have training requirements. These dogs simply provide companionship to the handler to ease their symptoms. While assisting an individual with a disability can sound a lot like service dog work, these two types of animals are different.
Emotional Support Dog vs. Service Dog
The primary difference between emotional support dogs and service dogs is their training requirements. Emotional support dogs don’t require any training to be valid; they only need an ESA letter written by a licensed mental health professional. Service dogs, on the other hand, don’t require any documentation but must undergo training to assist someone with a disability.
Another main difference between these two support animals is their legal rights. While service dogs have public access rights, emotional support animals don’t have the same privileges. This is because the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t recognize emotional support dogs as service dogs. Therefore, they are subject to pet policies in businesses that serve the general public.
Considering this difference, it is safe to say that emotional support dogs aren’t allowed in Disney Springs. They don’t have the same privileges as service dogs. Even if you carry your ESA letter to certify that your dog is legally your emotional support dog, they won’t be exempt from the no-pet policies of Disney Springs.
Other Legal Protections of Emotional Support Animals
While emotional support animals don’t have public access rights like service dogs, they are protected under the Fair Housing Act. This federal law ensures that owners can live with their emotional support animals in no-pet housing and aren’t discriminated against when applying for housing due to their emotional support animals.
With an ESA letter, owners of emotional support dogs can request accommodation for their emotional support animals, such as living with their ESA despite a no-pet clause in the lease or rental agreement. However, there may also be state laws that grant additional protections to emotional support animals. For instance, California ESA laws allow owners to bring their emotional support animals to work if their presence won’t cause a safety or health risk at the workplace.
Tips for Bringing a Service Dog to Disney Springs
Now that you know only service dogs are allowed in Disney Springs, here are our expert tips for ensuring a safe, entertaining trip to Disney Springs with a service dog.
Get a Service Animal Vest
Service animal vests are a worthy investment for service dog handlers. Although service dogs aren’t required to wear equipment that identifies them, it can be useful in crowded places like Disney Springs. It will also ensure that you won’t need to explain that your dog is a service animal to Disney Springs employees; they will know it immediately.
These vests will also let others visiting Disney Springs know that your dog is a service dog, not an ordinary pet. This can eliminate unwanted attention to your service dog, as most people are aware that they shouldn’t reach for pets or distract a service dog. Some service dog vests also come with detachable “Do Not Pet” signs that come in handy when entering crowds.
Practice Real-Life Scenarios
Disney Springs will be full of crowds, so it is best to practice real-life scenarios. This is particularly important if your service dog has no experience navigating through crowds or isn’t accustomed to loud noises. You can expect lots of people at Disney Springs, especially on the weekends.
If your service dog isn’t familiar with the situations Disney Springs can present, they may easily be overwhelmed and act in ways that a service dog shouldn’t. Practicing real-life scenarios before heading to Disney Springs, such as giving them commands near strangers and walking on busy sidewalks, can be a great practice run for your service dog.
Keep Your Service Dog Under Control
Lastly, keep your service dog under control at all times during your visit to Disney Springs. If your service dog hasn’t been exposed to large crowds of people before or has just graduated from service dog training school, this will ensure you can control your service dog in case they become overwhelmed with all the stimuli.
Keeping an eye on your service dog will also prevent possible accidents. Since not everyone expects to see a dog in places that don’t normally allow dogs, someone can accidentally bump into your dog. This is particularly important for those with a small service dog, as their size makes them difficult to notice in crowds.
Dogs in Disney Springs
Unfortunately, dogs aren’t allowed in Disney Springs due to no-pet policies. Even if your dog is in a carrier or stroller, Disney Springs won’t allow entry to your dogs. The same also applies to emotional support dogs, even if you have a valid ESA letter that you can present to the employees. Support animals, similar to pet dogs, aren’t allowed in Disney Springs.
The only dogs that are allowed in Disney Springs are service dogs. These dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and granted public access rights to enter businesses that serve the general public. Unless you have a disability and your dog is trained to assist you with a disability-related task, they can’t enter Disney Springs.