“I Want to Bring My Emotional Support Iguana to Work.” What Does the ADA Say?

By Gail I. Cohen, JD

Director, Employment Law & Compliance
Matrix Absence Management

We have all been reading about the proliferation of pet buying with the shelter in place and other COVID-19–related orders that have required us to stay close to home. Once employers start welcoming employees back to the workplace, will we see more requests for accommodations involving “emotional support animals”? To help employers navigate those requests, this column will explain what their legal obligations are and how these requests are different from requests for a “service animal” as an ADA accommodation.

When approaching accommodation requests involving animals, employers often get tripped up by preconceived ideas that their employees want to bring pets to work. In general, a service animal is understood to be an animal, usually a dog, that has been trained to perform specific tasks for an individual.

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