# What's The Difference Between a Service Dog, Therapy Dog and an Emotional Support Dog



## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

The link below goes to one of the best videos that I have seen on the topic. Just this point -- a SD does not have any type of rights over those normal rights given to canines in a specific location, such as proper care of a dog. When speaking of "Public Access Rights" (Civil Rights) you need to remember that the rights belong to the disabled person to take their SD into this location with them. 
-- Example: A SD is not allowed into a no-pets-store by itself or with a friend or family member of the handler. The SD receives its legal standing by virtue of working for a person with a disability for whom the dog was individually trained.
Bottom line is the PA rights belong to the disabled handler and not to the dog.

I bring this point up as it is a major thing to remember when reading any law dealing with a SD. It is also a huge point in the law if someone ever finds that they are involved in a legal dispute.


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Except a trainer or someone training the SD is allowed to do PA with a service dog in training.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

konathegsd said:


> Except a trainer or someone training the SD is allowed to do PA with a service dog in training.


Depends on the state. Some states grant SDiT the same public access rights as trained SDs other states do not.


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

I thought this video would talk about the people the dog helps rather than just laws. Could someone explain that? I understand like a blind person or a person in a wheelchair would have a service dog obviously, but what about the other 2

I've seen dogs that are trained to help people with specific conditions and helps calm them. One example was a girl who would start hitting herself and the dog would force itself between her body and arm. The other example was a soldier who has PTSD related anger and when he starts to get very angry, the dog will get up on his lap and lick his arms and face to calm him

What kind of service dog would those people have? (I use "service dog" as more of the general description of the dog regardless if they're actually a service dog or just emotional/ therapy dog)


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Armistice said:


> I thought this video would talk about the people the dog helps rather than just laws. Could someone explain that? I understand like a blind person or a person in a wheelchair would have a service dog obviously, but what about the other 2
> 
> I've seen dogs that are trained to help people with specific conditions and helps calm them. One example was a girl who would start hitting herself and the dog would force itself between her body and arm. The other example was a soldier who has PTSD related anger and when he starts to get very angry, the dog will get up on his lap and lick his arms and face to calm him
> 
> What kind of service dog would those people have? (I use "service dog" as more of the general description of the dog regardless if they're actually a service dog or just emotional/ therapy dog)


In both scenarios you mention, those would most likely be service dogs... not all have an all encompassing descriptive name such as guide dog, mobility dog, seizure alert dog (although one could say they’d fall under medical alert dogs).

An emotional support dog is a dog with no task specific training and it’s mere presence helps their owner who may have depression, anxiety, etc, but not to a debilitating degree.

A therapy dog is one who’s presence provides comfort to others, not their handler.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

To compliment my above post.


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

Fodder said:


> In both scenarios you mention, those would most likely be service dogs... not all have an all encompassing descriptive name such as guide dog, mobility dog, seizure alert dog (although one could say they’d fall under medical alert dogs).
> 
> An an emotional support dog is a dog with no task specific training and it’s mere presence helps their owner who may have depression, anxiety, etc, but not to a debilitating degree.
> 
> A therapy is one who’s presence provides comfort to others, not their handler.


Thanks. That was a lot more help than the video was 

Infographic is great


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

voodoolamb said:


> konathegsd said:
> 
> 
> > Except a trainer or someone training the SD is allowed to do PA with a service dog in training.
> ...


The one good thing about me living in California lol


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Armistice said:


> I thought this video would talk about the people the dog helps rather than just laws. Could someone explain that? I understand like a blind person or a person in a wheelchair would have a service dog obviously, but what about the other 2
> 
> I've seen dogs that are trained to help people with specific conditions and helps calm them. One example was a girl who would start hitting herself and the dog would force itself between her body and arm. The other example was a soldier who has PTSD related anger and when he starts to get very angry, the dog will get up on his lap and lick his arms and face to calm him
> 
> What kind of service dog would those people have? (I use "service dog" as more of the general description of the dog regardless if they're actually a service dog or just emotional/ therapy dog)


those sound like psychiatric service dogs

My partner will be training a medical alert and mobility dog next year.


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## Armistice (Oct 12, 2017)

konathegsd said:


> those sound like psychiatric service dogs
> 
> My partner will be training a medical alert and mobility dog next year.


Cool. The most I'll do is CGC


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

*US Federal Law*

Service Dog -- Legal DOJ Definition signed into Federal Law

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...d-dept-justice-definition-service-animal.html

-----

SERVICE ANIMALS ADA REQUIREMENTS
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section
JuLY 12, 2011

Quote: 
The Department of Justice published revised final regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for title II (State and local government services) and title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) on September 15, 2010, in the Federal Register. These requirements, or rules, clarify and refine issues that have arisen over the past 20 years and contain new, and updated requirements, including the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards).

*Overview*

This publication provides guidance on the term "service animal" and the service animal provisions in the (Department's) new regulations.
...

*How "Service Animal" Is Defined *
Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a sizure, reminding a person with a mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task that a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person's disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

This definition does not affect or limit the broader definition of "assistance animal" under the Fair Housing Act or the broader definition of "service animal" under the Air Carrier Access Act.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The legal term "Service Dog" is the proper term to use when discussing points of law under the ADA. Terms such as "Mobility Dog", "Wheelchair Dog", "Medical Alert Dog", "Diabetic Alert Dog", "Psychiatric Service Dog" and others are not terms used in ADA discussions or within the DOJ regulations. These are terms that are used in peer discussions or where someone is just taking a short cut instead of saying "My Service Dog who does medical alert tasks." The point is to remember that the inclusive term is "Service Dog". All service dogs are equal under ADA federal law.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

To take another path to explain what the video is explaining:

Quote:
The Department of Justice continues to receive many questions about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to service animals. The ADA requires State and local government agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations (covered entities) that provide goods or services to the public to make “reasonable modifications” in their policies, practices,or procedures when necessary to accommodate people with disabilities. The service animal rules fall under this general principle. Accordingly, entities that have a “no pets” policy generally must modify the policy to allow service animals into their facilities. This publication provides guidance on the ADA’s service animal provisions and should be read in conjunction with the publication ADA Revised Requirements: Service Animals.

*Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA*
U.S. Department of Justice
*Civil Rights Division*
_Disability Rights Section_

Q3. Are emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals considered service animals under the ADA?
A: No. These terms are used to describe animals that provide comfort just by being with a person. Because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. However, some State or local governments have laws that allow people to take emotional support animals into public places. You may check with your State and local government agencies to find out about these laws.

Q4. If someone’s dog calms them when having an anxiety attack, does this qualify it as aservice animal?
A: It depends. The ADA makes a distinction between psychiatric service animals and emotional support animals. If the dog has been trained to sense that an anxiety attack is about to happen and take a specific action to help avoid the attack or lessen its impact, that would qualify as a service animal. However, if the dog’s mere presence provides comfort, that would not be considered a service animal under the ADA.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

So all these fake service dogs as well as emotional support dogs are not allowed in grocery stores and restaurants?


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Nurse Bishop said:


> So all these fake service dogs as well as emotional support dogs are not allowed in grocery stores and restaurants?


Yup

I see it all the time too, just yesterday actually.

The employees don’t care and are too afraid to ask anything beyond “is that a service dog” they never ask what task the dog is trained for to help mitigate your disability


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Walmart now has signs next to the shopping carts that say No Dogs Are To Ride In the Carts. I personally had complained to WM headquarters about the health concerns, that is, dogs sitting in grocery carts where people put food that goes into their refrigerators.

I wish people would not bring these imposter and fake animals into places where food is kept or served. But you are right, no one asks. They should have to have a tag such as disability tag like they have so they can park in disabled parking spaces. If people fake those parking tags it is serious trouble.


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Nurse Bishop said:


> Walmart now has signs next to the shopping carts that say No Dogs Are To Ride In the Carts. I personally had complained to WM headquarters about the health concerns, that is, dogs sitting in grocery carts where people put food that goes into their refrigerators.
> 
> I wish people would not bring these imposter and fake animals into places where food is kept or served. But you are right, no one asks. They should have to have a tag such as disability tag like they have so they can park in disabled parking spaces. If people fake those parking tags it is serious trouble.


walmart doesn’t care at all about dogs in the store. I can’t recall one time I’ve been in Walmart and NOT seen a dog!! 99% of them don’t have a vest either. The manager of Walmart told me straight up that it’s a tough situation so we don’t even ask


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Nurse Bishop said:


> Walmart now has signs next to the shopping carts that say No Dogs Are To Ride In the Carts. I personally had complained to WM headquarters about the health concerns, that is, dogs sitting in grocery carts where people put food that goes into their refrigerators.
> 
> I wish people would not bring these imposter and fake animals into places where food is kept or served. But you are right, no one asks. They should have to have a tag such as disability tag like they have so they can park in disabled parking spaces. If people fake those parking tags it is serious trouble.


Having personally done cultures from swabs of shopping carts... dog butt is the LEAST of your concern :wink2:

Far more likely to pick up a nasty from the human butts that sit in shopping carts. Or the decaying food particles (particularly from leaky meat packages and unbagged produce)

PSA: Don't put food in the top basket of your cart.


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## Kibs (Oct 25, 2017)

Tbh if I go shopping I always treat it as if its not clean without considering where I put it in the cart. Who knows where it was before it came to the shop after all. If it was in storage I'm sure rats and the like aren't strangers to that either. So what does it matter if a dog sat there on top of that?


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/dogs.html click on diseases
Never the less, Walmart does no longer allows emotional support dogs, etc, which really should not be in there at all, to be riding in the grocery carts.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Another definition of a service dog that may be of interest to some:

service dog. A dog obtained from an accredited service dog organization approved by the
Department of Veterans Affairs that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the
benefit of an individual with a physical or mental disability. The dog is trained to respond to a
verbal command or condition of the qualified Service member. Other species of animals,
whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service dogs for the purposes of this
definition. Dogs that are “in training” or whose sole function is to provide emotional support,
comfort, therapy, or companionship are not service dogs

Very important point -- "A dog obtained from an accredited service dog organization approved by the
Department of Veterans Affairs ... "

The above is from 
Department of Defense
*INSTRUCTIONS*

*NUMBER* 1300.27
January 7, 2016

SUBJECT: Guidance on the Use of Service Dogs by Service Members

RELEASABILITY. Cleared for public release. This instruction is available on the Internet
from the DoD Issuances Website at Directives Division

Brad R. Carson
Acting Under Secretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

“ A dog obtained from an accredited service dog organization”

A dog does not have be received from a organization to be a service dog. The most well trained service dogs I know of are owner trained.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

konathegsd said:


> walmart doesn’t care at all about dogs in the store. I can’t recall one time I’ve been in Walmart and NOT seen a dog!! 99% of them don’t have a vest either. The manager of Walmart told me straight up that it’s a tough situation so we don’t even ask


Many SDs do not wear a vest as it is not required by the DOJ for Public Access.


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

ILGHAUS said:


> konathegsd said:
> 
> 
> > walmart doesn’t care at all about dogs in the store. I can’t recall one time I’ve been in Walmart and NOT seen a dog!! 99% of them don’t have a vest either. The manager of Walmart told me straight up that it’s a tough situation so we don’t even ask
> ...


Yes I know, although I think it is good to wear one if it’s a legit Sd, but everyone around here just assumes you can bring your pet everywhere lol.


Even the grocery stores


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

konathegsd said:


> “ A dog obtained from an accredited service dog organization”
> 
> A dog does not have be received from a organization to be a service dog. The most well trained service dogs I know of are owner trained.


That definition is quoted from the Department of Defense (DoD) concerning SDs for active military.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Where do you live Konathegsd where everyone thinks they can bring their pet into the store?


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Nurse Bishop said:


> Where do you live Konathegsd where everyone thinks they can bring their pet into the store?


San Diego


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

konathegsd said:


> San Diego


...and every place else in California


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

Fodder said:


> konathegsd said:
> 
> 
> > San Diego
> ...


Yep!! It’s bad here. Can’t even go to a restuarant without seeing a dog in a purse or climbing on the table lol


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Call the county Health Dept.


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