One of the most frequent questions we receive is about the difference between service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs. While all of these animals can bring immense value to the lives of humans, their roles and rights vary significantly. Let’s break it down.
Service Dogs
Service dogs are specifically trained to assist individuals with disabilities. To be considered a service dog, two criteria must be met:
- The handler must have a recognized disability.
- The dog must be trained to perform specific tasks (on cue) that mitigate the handler’s disability.
Service dogs are trained to reliably perform specific behaviors that directly assist their handler in particular contexts. For example:
- Mobility Assistance Dogs: Trained to stabilize a handler or provide a “brace” behavior for balance.
- Guide Dogs: Taught to navigate obstacles for individuals with vision impairments.
- PTSD Dogs: Trained to wake up their handler from nightmares or interrupt anxiety episodes.
- Medical Alert Dogs: Capable of detecting low blood sugar and alerting their handler to take action.
A crucial distinction is that a dog is not “trained” simply because it exhibits certain behaviors occasionally or without context. For instance, a dog jumping into a lap to comfort an anxious handler must do so only on cue, in specific scenarios, to qualify as a service task.
Legal Protections and Public Access
Service dogs do not require formal “certification.” Their legitimacy is based on their training and role in assisting someone with a disability. Public access laws allow service dogs to accompany their handlers in places where the public is permitted, such as stores, restaurants, and transportation. However, they may be restricted from areas like hospital operating rooms or food preparation spaces.
It’s worth noting that not every dog is suited for public access work. A service dog must be calm, reliable, and well-behaved in all situations. Dogs that cannot meet basic benchmarks, such as passing the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, are unlikely to be ready for public access.
Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
While companion animals bring immense joy and comfort, emotional support animals (ESAs) serve a specific purpose: providing support to individuals with emotional or psychological disabilities.
Unlike service dogs, ESAs are not trained to perform specific tasks. Their primary role is to offer comfort simply through their presence. As such, they lack the same legal protections as service dogs and are generally treated as pets. This means their access to public spaces is at the discretion of the establishment owner.
If your emotional support animal is trained to perform a specific task related to your disability, they may meet the criteria for a service animal. Otherwise, they remain wonderful pets but do not enjoy the same rights as service dogs.
Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs play a different role altogether. They provide comfort and companionship to others, often in group settings such as hospitals, schools, or nursing homes. Unlike service or emotional support dogs, therapy dogs are not designated to assist a specific handler. Instead, their purpose is to spread joy and calmness wherever they go.
The standards for therapy dog programs vary. Many grassroots organizations facilitate therapy animal visits in their communities, while larger organizations, like Pet Partners, ensure a higher degree of consistency and professionalism through rigorous certification processes.
Why Choose a Recognized Therapy Program?
Enrolling in a well-established program, such as Pet Partners, offers several benefits:
- Consistent behavior standards for therapy animals.
- Liability insurance coverage for handlers.
- Increased access to facilities that recognize reputable therapy animal certifications.
We’re fortunate to have a local Pet Partners community branch in Vermont. They conduct annual evaluations in Killington to certify new therapy teams. If you think your dog has the temperament and training to become a therapy animal, we encourage you to explore Pet Partners’ requirements at petpartners.org.
Join Our Therapy Dog Prep Program
To help local dogs and their handlers prepare for therapy work, we’re excited to offer a Therapy Dog Preparation Program starting in January. This course will help you and your dog get ready for the Pet Partners in-person evaluation.
For more details or to express your interest in the Killington evaluations, contact us at [email protected]. Let’s work together to spread the love and joy that therapy dogs bring to our community!
Service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs each have unique roles. Understanding these distinctions ensures we respect their purposes and rights while celebrating the amazing contributions they make to our lives.
