What is the difference between Assistance Dogs and Service Dogs?

According to Assistance Dogs International, the term "Assistance Dog" is a broad category that includes guide dogs, hearing dogs, and service dogs. These dogs are specially trained to perform multiple tasks that help reduce the impact of a person’s disability.

Here’s a breakdown of the types of assistance dogs:

• Guide Dogs assist individuals who are blind or visually impaired by helping them navigate their environment safely.

• Hearing Dogs alert individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to important sounds such as alarms, doorbells, or someone calling their name.

• Service Dogs assist people with disabilities other than vision or hearing loss. They may perform a wide range of tasks such as pulling a wheelchair, providing balance support, retrieving items, alerting to medical conditions, and assisting during medical emergencies.

All assistance dogs work directly with one individual to help mitigate the effects of their disability. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), these dogs are legally granted public access rights.

What About Therapy Dogs, Facility Dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)?

These animals fall into a different category, often referred to as support animals, and they do not have the same public access rights as assistance dogs under the ADA.

Here’s how they differ:

• Therapy Dogs provide comfort and emotional support to many people in settings like hospitals, schools, libraries, and nursing homes. They typically must be certified or have completed a training course, and they are only allowed in locations where they have been invited or approved to visit. Therapy dogs do not perform specific tasks related to a disability and do not have general public access rights under the ADA.

• Facility Dogs are professionally trained to perform tasks and respond to cues, similar to service dogs. However, they work in a professional setting with a handler (such as a therapist, teacher, or healthcare provider) to support multiple people, rather than serving just one individual. Their access to public spaces depends on the policies of the facility they work in.

• Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) provide comfort to a person with a mental health or emotional condition but are not trained to perform specific tasks related to a disability. ESAs are not covered under the ADA and therefore do not have public access rights like assistance dogs do.

Quick Comparison

• Assistance Dogs (including service, guide, and hearing dogs) and Service Dogs work for one person and are protected under the ADA with full public access.

• Therapy Dogs and Facility Dogs support many people but do not have ADA public access rights. They only allowed access where they are working

• ESAs support one individual emotionally but are not task-trained and do not qualify for public access under the ADA. They do have rights under the Fair Housing Act.

Use the comparison chart below to better understand the key differences among these working and support animals.