Service dogs, therapy dogs, seizure response dogs, guide dogs, hearing dogs, diabetes alert dogs, emotional support dogs – the list of working dogs goes on and on! What’s the difference, and does it matter?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines assistance (service) dogs as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” The ADA further clarifies that the “work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.
Therapy dogs are trained to provide comfort to multiple individuals in various environments. They do not just help or work with one specific person.
