St. Mary’s County Library welcomes customers with service animals. Service animals are welcome in all areas of the Library where members of the public are normally allowed to go. This policy also applies to service animals in training. Service animals are limited to dogs and miniature horses that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities.

No animals other than service animals are allowed in the Library building. Persons bringing in animals other than service animals, except in connection with Library programs expressly soliciting the participation of animals, will be asked to remove them from the Library building.

A service animal must be under the control of its handler. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual’s disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of tasks. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls. Owners of service animals are solely responsible for the supervision and care of the service animal while on Library property.

If the service animal is not under the handler’s control, and the handler is unwilling or unable to take effective action to place the service animal under control, the animal is not housebroken, or if the service animal’s behavior fundamentally alters the nature of a Library program or service, the handler may be asked to remove the service animal from the Library.