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Understanding Service Dogs
Understanding Service Dogs
What Is a Service Dog?
What Is a Service Dog?
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is generally a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.
Service dogs are working animals. Their training is specifically focused on performing tasks that directly assist their handler with their disability.
A service dog may be trained to perform tasks such as:
Retrieving items
Opening or closing doors
Providing mobility assistance
Providing balance or stability assistance
Alerting a person to certain medical conditions
Interrupting or redirecting certain disability-related behaviors
Creating physical space or providing other trained assistance
Performing other specific tasks related to a person's disability
The tasks a service dog performs are individualized to the needs of their handler.
What Can a Service Dog Do?
What Can a Service Dog Do?
A service dog can provide much more than companionship.
Depending on the individual's disability and the dog's specialized training, a service dog may help their handler perform everyday tasks, navigate their environment, respond to specific medical or disability-related needs, and live with greater independence.
For some people, a service dog can mean being able to leave the house, attend school or work, participate in community activities, or complete everyday tasks that might otherwise be difficult or impossible.
The goal is to create a trained partnership that helps a person live more independently.
What a Service Dog Is Not
What a Service Dog Is Not
Understanding what a service dog is and isn't is important!
A Service Dog Is Not Simply a Pet
A Service Dog Is Not Simply a Pet
Service dogs are working animals specially trained to assist a person with a disability. Although they may be deeply loved family members, their role goes beyond companionship.
A Service Dog Is Not an Emotional Support Animal
A Service Dog Is Not an Emotional Support Animal
Emotional support animals can provide comfort and emotional support, but they are not the same as service dogs under the ADA.
A service dog must be individually trained to perform specific work or tasks related to a person's disability.
A Service Dog Is Not a Therapy Dog
A Service Dog Is Not a Therapy Dog
Therapy dogs are generally trained to provide comfort and companionship to other people in settings such as hospitals, schools, or facilities.
They are different from service dogs, which are trained to assist a specific person with a disability.
A Service Dog Is Not Untrained or Uncontrolled
A Service Dog Is Not Untrained or Uncontrolled
A service dog is expected to be trained to behave appropriately in public and to perform the tasks for which they were trained.
Training, reliability, temperament, and the dog's ability to safely work with their handler are all important components of a successful service dog partnership.
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