Service Dog
Service Dogs are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for persons with disabilities such as alerting people that are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, turn on lights, open doors, get help, or perform specific tasks for individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders. The dog is individually trained to help a person with disabilities to enhance their lives, improve their activities of daily living, and improve their independence. Service dogs are working dogs and NOT Pets. Under the Americans with Disability Act businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animal into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. Refusal to provide equal access is a federal civil rights violation and violators can be required to pay monetary damages & penalties.
Therapy Dog
Therapy dogs are not service dogs and do not fall under the ADA Laws. The dogs are trained to provide affection, entertainment and comfort to individuals in such places as VA & other hospitals, support and learning centers, retirement homes, hospices, or schools to provide assistance in reading programs, Therapy Dogs are also finding their way into courtrooms to provide comfort, as well as providing comfort to disasters victims. The dogs must love being handled in a variety of ways & environments, overcome many sounds & erratic movements, handle a variety of smells & odors, be comfortable around wheelchairs, cane, crutches, walkers and other adaptive equipment. A visit from a Therapy Dog demonstrates a calmness, happiness, and overall emotional feeling of well-being in the patients they visit. Therapy dogs have been known to lower high blood pressure and enhance recovery in patients they visit. They play a vital role in the special needs community.
