Dogs have filled various roles for people over the years but
the most common is as a companion dog. Companion dogs' primary purpose is to
provide companionship, comfort and loyalty to their owners. Unlike service
dogs, who are trained to help with specific tasks, companion dogs simply make
their person's life better by providing friendship and unconditional love.
Here's a short glossary to help you distinguish between the
different kinds of dogs, including companion dogs, service dogs, emotional
support dogs and therapy dogs.
Companion Dogs
Most household pets fall under the category of a companion
dog. These dogs have not been specifically trained to assist their owners with
tasks and they do not receive any special treatment in the public. Companion
dogs and their owners must abide by any rules set in place by businesses, such
as “No Animals Allowed.”
Service Dogs
Service dogs have been trained to assist their owners with a
variety of tasks based on the owner's disability. Examples of this type of dogs
include seeing eye dogs for the blind, hearing dogs for the deaf and dogs that
assist people with autism, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and seizures. Some of
these tasks include pulling a wheelchair, alerting a person to a noise,
reminding someone to take their medication or notifying them of an oncoming
seizure.
The rights of service dogs and their owners are protected
under the Americans
with Disabilities Act. No public establishment may refuse service to a
person and their service dog, even if the place regularly prohibits dogs.
Emotional Support Dogs
Dogs that provide comfort as a medical treatment for
depression, anxiety and other conditions are considered emotional support dogs.
Although these dogs may be prescribed by a doctor, they are not considered to
be service animals under the ADA because they have not been trained to learn
specific tasks to help with a disability.
People with emotional support dogs may still be able to
bring their dogs in public, however. For instance, emotional support dogs are
allowed to accompany their owners on flights.
Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs are often used in a clinical setting to help
patients improve physically, socially or emotionally. Typically, therapy dogs
can be found in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes and schools.
Although occasionally therapy dogs may also be service dogs,
most do not qualify as service dogs and are therefore not protected under the
ADA. Public places are not required to allow therapy dogs but may choose to
allow them at their own discretion.
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