Everything You Need to Know About Service and Assistance Dogs

You have probably heard the terms service dog and assistance dog before, but do you know what these terms truly mean? Generally speaking, a service dog or assistance dog is a working dog specially trained to help a person or group of people with a disability or specific needs. However, there is a bit more to the definition of a service dog, especially in the eyes of the law. A service dog is a type of working dog but is very different from other working dogs like police dogs, cadaver dogs, and search-and-rescue dogs.  

How Does the Law Define a Service Dog?

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, "service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." The dog must not be a pet, but be specially trained to assist the handler with something directly related to his or her disability. Neither emotional support dogs nor therapy dogs are considered service animals in the eyes of the law. 

The ADA also notes that their definition of a service dog "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."

Under the ADA, service dogs cannot be denied entrance to businesses, even food service establishments, state and local government facilities or nonprofit organizations that serve the public. However, service dogs must be under control at all times. This generally means they should be leashed or harnessed—unless these get in the way of the dog's duties, in which case the dog must still be under the handler's control. 

The ADA mandates that a disabled person cannot be asked questions about his or her disability. The staff of businesses can only ask two questions to the handler of a service dog: 

 

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Source One: The Administratives 

Source Two: Takiya Ghoshal DA