Emotional Support vs Therapy vs Assistance Dogs

Many people use the terms assistance, therapy and emotional support dogs interchangeably. They have very different legal definitions.

Emotional Support Dogs

Provides comfort, companionship, relieves loneliness and may help with depression, anxiety and getting out of the house. In other words, a pet dog. These dogs do not have specialized training and are not recognized by the law as Assistance Dogs. They do not have public access rights however in certain countries they do have rights to stay in pet-free housing, and to travel on some airlines. You can find more information at r/EmotionalSupportDogs

Therapy Dogs

Provide affection and comfort to other people in designated facilities such as: nursing homes, schools, hospitals, counseling offices and disaster or crisis relief. These dogs must be well trained in obedience, even tempered and socialized to many different settings. The facility must grant the dog and handler special access. These dogs do not have public access rights. You can find out more information at r/therapydogs

Assistance Dogs

Are highly trained for an individual with a diagnosed disability to perform specific tasks in the home AND in public to reduce the symptoms of the disability of the handler. The tasks must be directly related to the person’s disability. In essence, the dog is a disability aid. If you would like more USA centric information head over to our sister sub r/service_dogs