What Is The Difference

Between Service Animals

and Therapy Animals?

Sara Simonich
 Why Am I Asking This Question?

I am asking this question because I have multiple family friends who use service and
therapy animals and I am interested in the difference between the two and how
those animals are trained.
 What I Already Knew

The animals go through extensive training.

The animals are used to perform tasks for a person usually with a disability.
 What I Wanted To Learn

What are the differences between service and therapy animals?

What kinds of animals can be service and therapy animals?

How are service animals trained?

 How I Went About My Search

When I first started I didnt know where to look for valid information. So I started
by googling.

I went on the Service Animal Association website, National Service Animal Registry,
and the ADA website to get the basic information about the service animals and how
they are trained.
What I Learned:
 Service Animals

A service dog is individually trained to perform tasks that mitigate the disability of
his owner.

The following do NOT count as trained tasks:

-protection
-emotional support
-companionship (even for agoraphobia or anxiety)
 Emotional Support Animals

An emotional support animal belongs to a person who is disabled.

The persons doctor has determined that the presence of the animal is necessary for
the disabled persons mental health and written a prescription stating the pet is
necessary in the persons home, despite any no pets regulation of the landlord, for
the persons health.
 Therapy Animals

A therapy dog is a pet that has been trained, tested, registered, and insured to
accompany his owner to visit patients and residents of facilities like hospitals and
nursing homes to cheer up the people living there.

A therapy dog is legally a pet. It is not permitted to go anywhere that pets arent
without permission from the facility owner.
The Main Types Of Animals That Can Be Service Animals

The only animals allowed to serve as service animals are any breed of dog and, in
some cases, miniature horses.
 The Main Types Of Animals That Can Be ES Animals

Common ESAs include dogs, cats, birds, mice, rats, hedgehogs, rabbits, snakes,
miniature pigs, monkeys, and more.

The owners are protected by federal law for the most part and cannot be
discriminated against this is most commonly used on airplanes like that one time
a service turkey was allowed his own seat on a a Delta flight.
Turkey On A Plane
 How Service Animals Are Trained

The animal must obey basic verbal and/or hand signal obedience commands such as
Sit, Stay, Come, Down and Heel. When off leash, your animal must come when
called.

It generally takes 12 years to train a service dog. The dog must be trained to
mitigate the disability, and must behave appropriately in public to avoid being
removed. This means there are two main facets of service dog training: (1) public
access behaviors, and (2) disability-related work and tasks.
 Reflection

I learned the distinct difference between service, emotional support, and therapy
animals. I was shocked to find that there are few requirements for the training of
those animals. There are few protections for people with service animals as
business owners are able to turn away those patrons.
 Works Cited

"Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA." Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA.
N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

"Service Dog Facts." Service Animal Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

"Frequently Asked Questions." National Service Animal Registry - FAQ. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

Wang, Yanan. "Someone just used a federal law to bring a live turkey on a Delta flight." The Washington Post. WP Company, 15 Jan.
2016. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

"Service Dog Training FAQ: Owner Training, Cost, Basics." Psychiatric Service Dog Partners. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.