Information and Laws
Types of Assistance Dogs
Assistance/Service Dog: is individually trained to assist a person with one or more disabilities. They may provide such services as guide work, mobility assistance, retrieval of items, alerting, signaling, open doors, pull a wheelchair, activate switches, backpacking, provide stabilization, tasks related to emotional support and psychiatric disabilities, and many other tasks.
HERE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES
Other than the more common Guide Dog for the Blind
Hearing Dog: is trained to work with an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing. These dogs respond to everyday sounds and noises as well as emergency alerts.
Assistance Dog: for persons with Brain Disorder, previously referred to...
Psychiatric Service Dog: is trained for public access skills and to assist a person with brain disorders, including emotional support by empowering their disabled partners by increasing their safety, mobility and independence. Some dogs may provide safety and stabilization for a person both through alerting, calming as well as assisting through a crisis as well as afterwards. See below on this page and the following page for further information on Psychiatric Service Dogs.
Seizure Alert Dog: is trained in area of alert and assisting its human partner who experiences seizures. It may help with stabilization, responses and backpacking as well as other tasks.
Balance/Mobility Dog: is trained to assist a person with their disability that interferes with their ability to walk.
Specialty Dog: sometimes referred to as a specialty dog, a dog is trained to work for more than one disability within one person or may work for more than one individual with a disability, such as if more than one person in a family has disabilities.
A WORD ABOUT LAWS:
The Americans with Disabilities Act covers public access laws for persons with disabilities and their service animal in public places. Please check out the Frequently Asked Questions link for more information on this.
For more information on laws in your state pertaining to service dogs/animals, you may want to do a search for your state's statutes about access for service dogs and their handlers. Some states include access for service dogs in training and some do not.
For information regarding definitions about what a disability is and what the definition of a service animal is according to the ADA, go to this link and see section 36.104.
For more exact information on the laws and what a business can ask please refer to this link.
If you would like to get support in your local region, refer to your ADA Regional Office. If you are in the NW you can visit the NW ADA Information Center website and also attend one of their informational seminars on service animals.
Meet Different Kinds of Assistance Dogs At Work
Psychiatric Service Dog Society
Sample Tasks for Psychiatric Service Dogs
National Fair Housing Advocate
About Service Dogs and Training Standards
Doris Day Animal League--housing issues relating to service dogs and emotional support animals