Service Dog Questions Answered
Service Dogs are becoming an increasingly popular method of treatment for individuals with disabilities. There are several misconceptions about service dogs including what’s required to call a dog a “service dog”, how to tell a service dog from a pet, and what businesses are allowed to do when a service dog enters their building. First thing’s first;
What is a service dog?
A service dog is defined by the ADA as “a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.” These tasks must do something to mitigate the handler’s disability. Examples of tasks include guide, allergen detection, blood sugar alerts, heart rate alerts, deep pressure therapy, crowd control, seizure alert, item retrieval, and many, many more. Providing comfort is not considered a task under the ADA.
We’ve got a definition for service dogs, but what is the difference between a service dog and an emotional support animal?
Emotional Support Animals (ESA)
Emotional sport animals can be any species of animal and provide comfort to their owners to help them better cope with something. These animals are not specific to those with a disability like service dogs are, so anyone can have one. ESAs are not given any public access rights, which means that ESAs are restricted to “pet friendly” spaces.
Wait, what’s “public access” and why do only service dogs get it?
Public Access
”Public Access” means that a service dog can go wherever the public is allowed to go and is not restricted to “pet friendly” spaces. This means that service dogs can accompany their handlers on outings where they’re needed. People often think that anywhere a person can go is considered “public access” and a dog should be allowed. This is not the case for areas in which the dog could be at risk or could put others at risk. For instance, many zoos restrict where a service dog can go for the safety of the zoo animals, the mental health of the animals, and the well being of the service dog.
Why do only service dogs get Public Access?
Service dogs are considered medical equipment and therefore must be allowed to accompany their handlers. Service dogs are trained to a very high standard so that they can navigate our world and provide their handler with the care they need. Service dogs are trained to ignore strangers, ignore food, ignore smells, ignore other animals, focus on their handler, and trained to perform tasks that mitigate their handler’s disability. Service dogs go through 1.5-2 years of training so that they can work effectively in public. ESAs do not perform tasks, mitigate a disability, or go through the same kind of training so they are not granted the same kind of public access rights.
When can a service dog be asked to leave?
The staff of a business can ask that a service dog be removed if it is causing a disturbance or is not under the control of the handler. Only the staff of the business can ask the handler to remove the dog, not the other customers. However, if a business refuses service to a handler just because they have a service dog with them (and the dog is behaving appropriately), that can be considered discrimination which isn’t allowed.
Do service dogs have to be labeled as service dogs?
Service dogs don’t have to have anything on them that identifies them as service dogs, but many handlers choose to have their dog wear something that says “service dog” for ease of access and to help keep the public from distracting their dog.
How do you get a service dog?
The first step to getting a service dog is having a disability. Service dogs are specifically for people with disabilities. These disabilities are not restricted to being physical disabilities. Once you’ve determined you have a disability, you can go through an organization to get a service dog or train one yourself with the help of a dog trainer.
People can train their own service dog?
Yes. The ADA allows disabled individuals to train their own service dog, but the dog must still meet the criteria. The dog must be trained to perform tasks that mitigate their handler’s disability. Remember, just providing comfort is not a task. The dog must also behave appropriately and they must be potty trained.
So can any dog be a service dog?
Yes and no. Any breed (or breed mix) of dog can be a service dog, but we look for specific traits when looking for a dog to train as a service dog. The combination of traits we look for can be hard to come by, and many dogs that begin service dog training wash out of training. If you think you may have found a dog suitable to be a service dog, reach out to a service dog trainer to have the dog evaluated.
Do service dogs have to be registered or certified?
No. There is not an ADA recognized certification or registry for service dogs. On the ADA FAQ it says “there are individuals and organizations that sell service animal certification or registration documents online. These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a service animal.” A handler can not be asked to prove their dog is a service dog by providing certification or registration.
Service dogs are an incredible tool for disabled individuals. They give their handlers some of their independence back. The more the public learns about these incredible animals, the easier it will be for them to do their job. Thank you for reading and if you have any other questions you’d like answered, please feel free to reach out.