[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

There are two questions that a landlord is allowed, by law, to ask a prospective tenant with a dog:

1. IS this a "Service Animal" as defined by law? (the only answer the tenant is obligated to give is yes, or no)
2. What service is this animal trained to perform? (you can't ask what it's trained to perform *for the tenant* - only what is it trained to perform, generally).

Everyone with a legitimate service animal has been instructed on this law, they know that these two questions may legally be asked, and they have to answer the questions if they're asked.

If someone says "I don't have to tell you that!" then you don't have to rent the property to them. If someone says "he's trained to sit and stand and he rolls over great" then you don't have to rent the property to them. If someone says "He is a PTSD dog trained to alert a patient to the onset of a panic attack" then yes, that is a valid answer and you'd rent the property to them. Even if that dog is a retired service dog, who is trained to do that, and is now someone else's pet - it's still a legitimate and honest answer and there's nothing you can do about it. The upside to a retired service dog who's now a pet - it means it's an incredibly well-trained pet who is likely to never give the landlord a problem.

Personally, I think a landlord should be able to prohibit dogs from residing in their rental house.