Dr. O here. Boo loves her cardboard and is a bit distracted again.

Yes, I don't mind talking about my journey with depression. I think it's important to bring awareness to mental health issues, especially because the veterinary profession has more than our fair share. It's a tough job, and we appreciate our understanding clients. 

But that's not what this blog is about. This episode is supposed to help people understand the differences between a Service Dog, Emotional Support Animal, and a Therapy Dog. These are vastly different things, and it really is important to know the difference. 

Service Dogs (and sometimes mini horses/ponies) have highly specialized training. For a person can to get a SD, they must have an ADA recognized disability. No disability - no service animal. Second, the animal must be highly trained to behave impeccably in public. No searching for crumbs on the ground, barking at strangers or strange dogs, asking for pets. They need to be 100% focused on their person. Third, in addition to general training, a service animal must be trained to do tasks that help the person with a disability. Some of the ones that are more familiar are guide dogs who help visually impaired people regain some independence, and seizure alert dogs. But there are many more. Gluten alert dogs can signal to their owners that gluten is or isn't present in food they get at a store or restaurant. Psychiatric service dogs can alert their owners to an impending panic attack so they can get somewhere safer and quiet, and may also provide DPT (deep pressure therapy) by lying or sitting on top of them until it passes. Diabetic alert dogs can detect high and low blood sugar. Large dogs and mini horses can provide mobility and balance support. 

The reason these animals have public access is that they are legally considered medical devices. No different than crutches, wheelchairs, hearing aids, etc. But even “service dogs" can be denied public access if they are not well behaved, which is why they require so much training. A dog who urinates or defecates inside, or causes a disturbance (barking, lunging, growling) may legally be asked to leave a public location. 

Most of the time, legitimate service animals are inconspicuous. At restaurants they lie under the table quietly. At stores, they remain next to their handlers (not in the cart!) and ignore everyone else - because they are focused on their tasks.

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are not service animals. They do not need any specific training, and they are not expected to perform any tasks. ESAs provide emotional support just by their presence. A person can qualify for an ESA if they have a letter from their health care provider stating that they need one. Rental agencies are not allowed to turn away renters with an ESA, even if the housing they provide does not normally accept pets.

ESAs do not have public access rights. They are NOT universally permitted in stores or restaurants, although there are some pet-friendly stores and restaurants with outdoor seating that welcome well behaved pets. In the past, airlines welcomed ESAs on flights. In the past several years, travelers have taken advantage of this and brought badly behaved, sometimes dangerous animals, on flights. Some airlines have started restricting animals on flights because of this.

Therapy pets are generally not owned by the people they provide service for. And they do not have any public access rights, although individual facilities may allow them to do therapy visits. Before I became a veterinarian, I used to regularly take one of my dogs to hospitals, nursing homes, and groups of special needs children to visit. I also had a therapy cat that did quite a few visits also. There are organizations that can verify pets as therapy animals - I'm familiar with Therapy Dogs International and the Delta Society. There are therapy animals that visit schools and libraries to “listen" while children learn to read, and therapeutic riding centers that help children and adults to learn how to ride horses. Boo came to me as a rehome from someone with a therapeutic riding center. Apparently her naughty little self couldn't stop chasing horses. My life is so much richer with her in it - I am so grateful for her previous owner returning her to her breeder. 

Anyhow. I hope that clears things up a bit about service animals, emotional support animals, and therapy pets. Hopefully all of our pets provide us emotional support - but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are ESAs, and it doesn't mean that they can "go everywhere” with us, as much fun as that might be. Poorly behaved pets in public can literally ruin a well trained service dog or prevent them from alerting to a potentially life-threatening health concern - so leave your dog at home unless you’re going to a pet-friendly space.

It's just a thought. Have a good day, 

- Dr. O