Pets at Palisades Tahoe

Under the ADA, service animals are dogs (and in certain cases miniature horses) that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities, including but not limited to: guiding people who are visually impaired, alerting people who are hearing impaired, pulling wheelchairs, opening doors, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets and no other types of animals, including what are commonly referred to as emotional support, comfort or crime deterrent animals qualify as service animals under the ADA.

Service animals are allowed into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go (miniature horses are evaluated on a case-by-case basis).

In California and Nevada, most ski resorts do not allow dogs or other pets on chairlifts. The only exceptions are dogs that are trained in avalanche rescue, are actively working with patrol or mountain safety staff, and are accompanied by their handler.

These avalanche dogs are specifically trained at very young ages on how to ride chairlifts—typically with the same ski patroller for training—and this training takes more than a year to complete.

• Dogs are not allowed on open ski trails or on chairlifts due to safety concerns (e.g., the risk of injury to pets, the unpredictability of dog behavior, the safety of other resort guests on trails below, emergency chairlift evacuation, and the safety of the guest who may lunge to stop / restrain a dog on a moving chairlift).
• No ski area in the U.S. allows dogs or service animals to run alongside their human who is skiing open trails, and the U.S. Forest Service endorses this restriction due to legitimate safety concerns, including collisions with other guests and wildlife concerns.

However, service animals are allowed on the Funitel and Tram, depending on size and other safety concerns. The allowance of service animals at the resort is subject to two exceptions: (1) the animal is out of control and the animal’s handler does not take effective action to control it; or (2) the animal is not housebroken. A service animal shall have a harness, leash, or other tether, unless either the handler is unable because of a disability to use a harness, leash, or other tether, or the use of a harness, leash, or other tether would interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of work of tasks, in which case the service animal must be otherwise under the handler’s control (e.g. voice control, signals, or other effective means).