Some triathletes with disabilities race with human teammates for support. An athlete with a vision impairment, for example, may swim and run while tethered to a sighted athlete and then ride a tandem bike with a guide. Another athlete with cerebral palsy might race with a partner who pushes a racing wheelchair.
For some athletes with disabilities, that teammate has four legs and fur. Service animals can significantly improve the safety and quality of life for people with disabilities, and the offers certain protections for people who require the assistance of a service dog.
But how does the role of a service dog fit into a triathlon training or racing environment? The question came up at the recent USA Triathlon Together We Thrive Summit on diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Here, we summarize the insights of Keri Serota, executive director of and athletes with disabilities coordinator for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and Chris Murphy, ADA specialist with 聽a member of the U.S. Paracycling National Team, and two-time Paralympian.
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What Is a Service Dog?
Under the ADA, a service dog is a canine that has been individually trained to perform tasks or do work for someone with a disability.
鈥淔or example, somebody who鈥檚 blind, there鈥檚 the classic seeing eye dog, who can provide the way finding for the blind person,鈥 Serota says. 鈥淏ut dogs can also do a lot of other things. For a person with epilepsy, a service animal can be trained to understand the certain signals that their handler鈥檚 body is giving to be able to actually warn that person that they鈥檙e about to have a seizure. They will perform tasks such as jumping up on them and licking their face to say, 鈥楬ey, get safe. You鈥檙e going to have a seizure in just a moment.鈥欌
Service dogs can be utilized for a number of physical and mental disabilities, including blindness, deafness, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, arthritis, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Service dogs that are trained to aid people with these disabilities are protected by the ADA, meaning they can go almost anywhere their person goes鈥攅ven into most places with ordinances that ban pets from entering (such as restaurants or hospitals).
Do Emotional Support Animals Count as Service Animals?
The most important element in defining a service dog is that they have been trained to perform a task directly related to a person鈥檚 disability, such as alerting a deaf person. Dogs that generally help keep people calm or provide a sense of well-being鈥攁lso known as emotional support animals鈥攄o not have this specific training. They are not the same as service animals and as a trained service dog.
鈥淭he ADA says a support animal is nothing more than a pet,鈥 Murphy says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just something that makes you happy just by being there. It doesn鈥檛 actually do anything, though. So that鈥檚 the difference between a service animal and a support animal, is that actual work or task has to be performed by the animal.鈥
If a business or event is unsure about whether a dog is a service animal or emotional support animal, they are allowed to ask two questions:
- Is this dog required because of a disability?
- What task or work is this dog trained to perform?
It is not legal to ask about the person鈥檚 disability or request to see medical documentation.
It鈥檚 crucial that people do not claim an emotional support dog is a service animal. In addition to being against the law, misrepresenting an untrained animal as a service dog can create a stigma against true and necessary service animals.
Can I Race with My Service Dog?
Some running races allow service dogs to participate. There are service dogs completing 5Ks, obstacle course races, and even marathons alongside their humans. But that doesn鈥檛 mean all races allow service animals鈥攏or are they required to.
Though the ADA allows service animals to enter most public places, there are exceptions. This is what is known as 鈥渇undamental alterations.鈥 The ADA does not require organizations to modify policies, practices, or procedures if doing so would 鈥渇undamentally alter鈥 the nature of the goods, services, programs, or activities provided to the public. In other words, if having a service animal present would disrupt the event or cause a safety hazard, race directors are allowed to refuse the animal.
The race cannot refuse the person with a disability, however. They still need to provide some form of accommodation for that athlete, Serota says. 鈥淲e do allow an athlete who is visually impaired to have up to two guide runners at a marathon distance race,鈥 she says. 鈥淥ne year, we got a request from somebody who wanted their guide dog to guide them through the marathon. That conflicted with our policy. We weren鈥檛 denying them accommodation; it鈥檚 just the accommodation we offered was a human guide, but not a dog.鈥
Race directors can also remove a previously approved service dog from the course at any time if the animal starts behaving badly. For everyone鈥檚 safety, service dogs need to be highly trained to perform their tasks without disturbing or harming others in public. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 out of control, if it鈥檚 not housebroken, if it鈥檚 barking incessantly, they can be asked to leave,鈥 Murphy says. 鈥淎nimals should be trained in basic obedience. If they鈥檙e not behaving in a service animal way, then you can ask the animal to leave, but not the person.鈥
Can I Bring My Service Dog to a Triathlon?
It鈥檚 less likely that a service animal will be allowed to race alongside their person at a triathlon. In addition to the obvious health and safety concerns of having a dog in an open-water swim or running alongside a bike, there is also the consideration of whether the animal can actually perform the task while doing such activities.
鈥淥ne of the examples that comes up pretty frequently in our office is somebody wanting to bring their dog into the swimming pool. If the dog can鈥檛 perform a task in the pool, the dog doesn鈥檛 belong in the pool,鈥 Murphy says. 鈥淧eople with service animals don鈥檛 necessarily have the right to bring a dog into a pool unless they can honestly say that the dog can perform that work or tasks they鈥檙e trained to do within the pool.鈥
I鈥檓 a Race Director and Unsure How to Handle Questions About Service Dogs at My Event. Who Can I Talk To?
There are many resources for making races accessible to people with disabilities. A good place to start is the聽. You may also contact your聽, where you can connect with ADA experts like Murphy to answer questions for free and provide guidance on ADA laws and accessibility.
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