Laws & Regs
Types of Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs are dogs that provide a specific therapeutic or assistive role for their owners or person. Not all assistance dogs are service dogs (but all service dogs are assistance dogs). In general, assistance dogs are dogs that help their owners in physical, emotional, or psychological ways. Each has different levels of training and different legal protections under the law.
See Chart Service Dogs vs Therapy and Emotional Support Dogs. There are several different levels of assistance dogs:
Service Dog
Service dogs have the highest level of training of all assistance dogs. They are specifically trained to do several tasks that their person cannot do for themselves. There are mobility dogs, psychiatric dogs, guide dogs, diabetes dogs, and seizure alert dogs. Service dogs not allowed to be pet. They must focus completely on their handlers while they are working. They do not sniff, poop, pee where they are not supposed to or react to other people or other dogs.
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act, 1997) mandates that service dogs have access to any place their owner can go. However, there is no official licensing or certification for service dogs.
Therapy dog
Therapy dogs provide comfort and affection to individuals in a variety of places like hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, and even airports. They like to be around people and trainers work with them to develop a pleasant temperament. Organizations usually require the dogs undergo some training before they can be a therapy dog. You’ll see this as “certified” by these organizations and usually the therapy dog can be covered under their liability insurance. Still, therapy dogs do not have federally granted legal access (ADA) the way service dogs do.
Therapy dogs should be able to pass theAKC Canine Good Citizen test, but it is not required.
Animal Assisted Therapy Dog
Animal assisted therapy dogs are trained for a specific therapeutic purpose, and usually seen in courtrooms and medical facilities. They are not covered under the ADA and must have permission to enter any building/area.
Emotional Support Dog
Emotional Support dogs do not have any specific training and are considered pets. They are not service dogs, but do provide comfort and emotional support. What makes emotional support dogs special is that they can stay with their person in “no dogs allowed” areas if they have a doctor’s note. Some emotional support dogs might have “papers”, but they are not classified as service dogs, do not have any rights under the ADA, and are not allowed public access.
Assistance dogs are dogs that provide a specific therapeutic or assistive role for their owners or person. Not all assistance dogs are service dogs (but all service dogs are assistance dogs). In general, assistance dogs are dogs that help their owners in physical, emotional, or psychological ways. Each has different levels of training and different legal protections under the law.
See Chart Service Dogs vs Therapy and Emotional Support Dogs. There are several different levels of assistance dogs:
Service Dog
Service dogs have the highest level of training of all assistance dogs. They are specifically trained to do several tasks that their person cannot do for themselves. There are mobility dogs, psychiatric dogs, guide dogs, diabetes dogs, and seizure alert dogs. Service dogs not allowed to be pet. They must focus completely on their handlers while they are working. They do not sniff, poop, pee where they are not supposed to or react to other people or other dogs.
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act, 1997) mandates that service dogs have access to any place their owner can go. However, there is no official licensing or certification for service dogs.
Therapy dog
Therapy dogs provide comfort and affection to individuals in a variety of places like hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, and even airports. They like to be around people and trainers work with them to develop a pleasant temperament. Organizations usually require the dogs undergo some training before they can be a therapy dog. You’ll see this as “certified” by these organizations and usually the therapy dog can be covered under their liability insurance. Still, therapy dogs do not have federally granted legal access (ADA) the way service dogs do.
Therapy dogs should be able to pass theAKC Canine Good Citizen test, but it is not required.
Animal Assisted Therapy Dog
Animal assisted therapy dogs are trained for a specific therapeutic purpose, and usually seen in courtrooms and medical facilities. They are not covered under the ADA and must have permission to enter any building/area.
Emotional Support Dog
Emotional Support dogs do not have any specific training and are considered pets. They are not service dogs, but do provide comfort and emotional support. What makes emotional support dogs special is that they can stay with their person in “no dogs allowed” areas if they have a doctor’s note. Some emotional support dogs might have “papers”, but they are not classified as service dogs, do not have any rights under the ADA, and are not allowed public access.
