SERVICE ANIMAL POLICY AND REQUIRED CHECK-IN
Topaz Farm is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and seeks to provide the best possible experience for our guests. However, certain portions of the farm are restricted areas and anywhere on the farm, if a service animal poses a threat to farm patrons, to the farm animal's health and safety or to the farm’s crops, the farm may refuse entry or remove any service animal. Pets and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are not allowed anywhere on the farm, including the parking lot other than inside brieflhy parked of vehicles.
Definition of service animal
As defined by the ADA, the term “service animal” means any dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of common tasks and work provided by service animals may be guiding the blind, attending the deaf, drafting or pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person experiencing a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack. The work or task a service dog or miniature horse has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.
Emotional support, therapy or comfort animals do not qualify as service animals under the ADA and will not be admitted or allowed to remain on the farm.
Admission procedure
Guests with service animals must check in at the farm's front entrance booth or market. If it is not readily apparent to farm staff that the animal is a trained service dog or miniature horse, staff will ask:
Is the service animal required because of a disability?
If the answer is “yes,” then: What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?
Farm staff will confirm that the service animal is leashed, harnessed or tethered. In the event these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents the use of these devices, the service animal must be under voice, signal or other effective control.
Visitors whose service animals have been denied admittance will be provided with an opportunity to enter the farm if they so desire. Animals may not be left in vehicles unattended.
During your visit: Farm animal behavior and area restrictions
Service animals are not allowed in certain areas of the farm designated, “restricted areas,” due to farm animals and/or farm produce. The following map shows, in areas bordered by red, the areas where service animals are not allowed.
Service animals may not have any contact or enter any area that farm animals are housed or where they freely roam. This includes the "great lawn," which is surrounded by farm livestock animal pens/petting zoo on two sides and on the lawn itself where farm animals freely roam daily. Service dogs cause fear and stress to farm livestock, which are predominantly prey animals. Note there is a “quick-pass” route through this area, as shown with the dotted line. It’s necessary in the quick pass area to pass through as quickly as mobility allows.
If a service animal is allowed in a u-pick area, it must be kept between rows and not be allowed to contact, trample or otherwise damage plants. The animal should only be allowed to defecate or urinate in the grass parking lot. In the event that the animal does defecate in the field, it is the responsibility of the handler of the service animal to report the incident to a staff member. The animal handler will be responsible for any damage or loss caused. For more information on the dangers of zoonotic disease risks, visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Zoonotic Diseases webpage.
Thank you for your cooperation as we strive to provide a safe and positive experience for you, your service animal, farm visitors and animals at the farm. We hope your visit will be an excellent experience. If you need assistance during your visit, please contact any staff member or contact us in advance by email.