Print

[Piccahoe]

Hi, I hope I posted this in the right spot. I was wondering if pets were ever allowed in the convention center or was it a new rule? This year, I did see a sign that said no pets and (correct me if I'm wrong, I could had misread it.) not even service dogs are allow.
I might of seen a sign that said no pets last year but I don't quite remember...

Thanks.

[TC X0 Lt 0X]

I remember seeing a service dog on the con floor this year.

[Rurutie8]

I doubt that the convention center can deny entry to service animals.  With few exceptions, facilities that are open to the public are required to accommodate people with disabilities.  Service animals are considered extensions of the owners' bodies, like canes, wheelchairs and hearing aids.

[c2chaos]

I've noticed people that actually need their service animal know the laws and regulations, and often reach out to the event providers beforehand or when they arrive, and it is often the people that decide to bring their pet(s) on a whim that seem to make a huge stink about it when they are told to remove their animal from the premises.

If you are an attendee with a service animal I highly recommend that you reach out to Policy Relations or Attendee Relations so that they may be able to provide you with the best information and/or provide for you disability services. Their contacts are available on the FanimeCon website. https://www.fanime.com/info/attendee-services/

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. ADA regulations have a separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is allowed to go. A public accommodation may ask an individual with a disability to remove a service animal from the premises if the animal is out of control and the animal's handler does not take effective action to control it; or the animal is not housebroken.

Pets and emotional support animals do not meet the definition of "service animal," and therefore, are not allowed into the convention center.

However, if you are bringing a pet or ESA, you can have them accompany you outside of the convention center, such as the plaza, sidewalk, or over at Cesar Chavez Park, granted that you are following San Jose's leash laws and your animal is under control.