What's the Difference Between Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, and Emotional Support Animals?
There is controversy surrounding the roles of animals in the lives of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Many of us have observed the posts online about registering your animal as an emotional support animal with a little fee, and having the ability to keep your animal in a no pets allowed setting. https://wellnesswag.com/ has led people to question the legitimacy of all service animals and their roles. A sense of distrust among individuals who don't realize the difference between these animals, and the rights that accompany them, has been emerging as more folks utilize these services.
Service Dogs will be the most protected and trained of the 3 forms of dogs. Even though many people make reference to all 3 types as "service animals", the state names because of this type is Service Dog. These dogs are legally considered medical equipment and also have a price tag to match, which range from $10,000- $50,000. They're intensively trained for 1.5-2.5 years, needing to pass a number of tests to be serviceable including, but not limited to, opening cupboards, retrieving dropped objects, staying calm in public, etc.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Service Dogs are allowed anywhere their handler is, and cannot be turned from an establishment or refused to go to use their handler. DOT's Air Carrier Access Act, and DOJ/HUD Fair Housing Act and Federal Rehabilitation Act cover other circumstances that the ADA doesn't. While there is a difference between Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals, there exists a gray area for dogs which are used to calm anxiety attacks under ADA rules. Psychiatric Service Dogs are covered beneath the ADA only when they perform a specific action in order to avoid or lessen an attack. If they're just there for comfort then they are considered an Emotional Support Animal.
Therapy dogs are sort of the opposite side of exactly the same coin as Service Dogs. Rather than offering physical aid with their handlers, they provide psychological or physiological therapy to others and are accompanied by a handler who doesn't usually need their service. The very best exemplory case of a therapy dog would be dogs that head to children's hospitals to bring comfort, or dogs that work in school systems.
These animals, just like the Service Dogs, require extensive training. Therapy dogs may also be encouraged to be very social and interact with many different people, unlike Service Dogs who need to focus on their handler. Therapy dogs may be trained by anyone, but they need to meet standards to be certified. Therapy dogs don't have exactly the same rights as service dogs, though many places will allow a therapy dog to accompany their owners, they are not required to by law.
The last type we have been discussing are Emotional Support Animals. That one is the most vague and open-ended. An Emotional Support Animal does not have to possess any special training & most of that time period is registered by its owner because it brings comfort. Also, an Emotional Support Animal does not have to be always a dog. These animals are not protected under the ADA and cannot accompany their owners in establishments where there are no animals allowed. Owners with a registered support animals can keep them in housing that otherwise does not allow pets in line with the Fair Housing Act.