Assistance dogs 101

In this day and age, several countries legally recognize the power of professionally trained dogs to help with people’s mental health. In this blog post, we will go over what kinds of assistance dogs are available and what an amazing job they are doing!

A Bit of History

There is evidence throughout history dating back to ancient civilizations of dogs supporting humans with disabilities. The modern concept of assistance dogs began with guide dogs for the visually impaired starting in the early 20th century and gaining traction after WWII when veterans returned with blindness due to mustard gas attacks.

Throughout the 80s the concept of using assistance dogs for a variety of disabilities ranging from autism to deafness to post traumatic stress disorder evolved. Countries all over the world began passing legislation giving rights to people with disabilities to acquire an assistant dog as well as have their furry companions accompany them everywhere they went.

Definitions

Service Dog

A service dog is a dog that is trained to perform a specific task to assist individuals with disabilities. The concept is to help support their autonomy and independence through the help of a dog. There are several different types of service dogs. Here are a few examples:

Guide dog for visually, hearing, or mobility impaired
Psychiatric dog for people suffering from effects of severe mental disorders such as PTSD
Alert dogs that are trained to alert their humans who have seizures or diabetes
Allergy detection dogs who are often partnered to help children not be exposed to foods they are allergic to
Autism support dogs

Emotional Support Animal (ESA)

An ESA is a fairly new concept under the American Disability Act (ADA) in the U.S. ESAs do not exist as a legal status in other countries. They are prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to a person who is significantly mentally impaired. They must show that the presence of this animal is essential for treatment. ESAs are not to be confused with above mentioned psychiatric service dogs, as they are not trained to perform a specific task. ESAs also do not have the same access privileges as a service dog. For example they are not allowed into restaurants with their humans.

Therapy Dog

Therapy dogs require training and certification, but they perform entirely different jobs than service dogs. They are usually used in various settings to help provide emotional or physiological support to people other than their own humans for a short period of time. They can be used in hospital, schools, or nursing home settings for example to help people. Their human usually accompanies the therapy dog to these settings.

Education, Awareness, & Barriers

Many people around the globe and many cultures are not aware of the benefits of dogs or training a dog to be able to provide physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual support. Therefore, raising awareness and getting educated is essential.

One of the main barriers for folks acquiring a service dog is finance. If you are someone with a disability and are interested in learning more abut service dogs here is a list of organizations that can help you do so:

International: