ASSISTANCE DOGS 101: THE BASICS

Assistance Dog: This is the main or “umbrella” term that the different types of dogs  described below fall under. It is also important to remember not all types of assistance dogs (listed below) have access to public places or are protected under ADA laws. Assistance Dog is a generic term for a dog specifically trained to do more than one task to mitigate the effects of an individual's disability. The presence of a dog for protection, personal defense, or comfort does not qualify that dog as an assistance dog.  Assistance Dogs can be Service Dogs, Guide Dogs, Hearing dogs, or Seizure Response Dogs, etc.  However not all working dogs are consider Assistance Dogs, as explained below.

Service Dog:  A dog that works for individuals with disabilities other than blindness or deafness. They are trained to perform a wide variety of tasks including but not limited to; pulling a wheelchair, bracing, retrieving, alerting to a medical crisis, and providing assistance in a medical crisis. Service dogs can also facilitate hand/eye coordination and balance. Service Dogs (in most cases) have public access.

Ø  It is also very important to understand that no 2 service dogs are the same. While the “basic training” of service dogs remains standard, each and every Service Dog is specially trained to meet the exact needs of the client it will be partnered with. The training is very specialized can take up to 2 years depending on what tasks the dog will need to provide the veteran or client. This type of training is also a good way to distinguish good Service Dog agencies from the rest.

Ø  It is also very important that any agency providing a Service Dog to a veteran/client have Assistance Dog International Accreditation (ADI) accreditation, not just “membership.” This will also help you acquire your VA provided benefits for the upkeep of the dog and/or follow current DOD policy for having assistance Dogs on Military Installations. ADI is the ONLY internationally recognized organization that provides proper guidelines and standards for Assistance Dogs. In addition, this is the same organization that helped to write the ADA Laws and works hand in hand with the International Association of Guide Dogs (the equivalent for Guide Dog training). 

Hearing Dog:  Hearing Dogs learn to alert individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to basic sounds such as a smoke alarm, a ringing telephone, a crying baby or a doorbell. The dog is trained to alert the individual of a sound and then lead them to the sound.  For example, if the sound being alerted to is a smoke alarm, the dog then accompanies/escorts the owner out of the building automatically.

Guide Dog: A dog that has been specially trained to guide a blind or visually impaired person. Guide Dog tasks involve curb work, being sensitive to changes in elevation, guiding around clearance issues (pedestrians, overheads, etc.) and guiding a person safely around and through street traffic.

Seizure Response Dog: A dog  trained to (among other things) push life-alert buttons, help and/or comfort a person during a seizure and get help or retrieve the phone for the client. Although most reputable assistance dog agencies do not profess to train dogs to detect seizures, many Seizure Dogs have, after several years with a client, developed the ability to alert their owner of an oncoming seizure.

Skilled Companion Dogs: A dog trained to work with an individual with a disability under the guidance of a facilitator. A facilitator is typically a parent, spouse, or caregiver who handles and cares for the assistance dog and is responsible for the customized training needs of the dog. Though similar to a Service dog, Skilled Companion Dogs usually perform fewer tasks.  Many of these dogs were once in training programs to become Service or Guide dogs. Skilled Companion dogs work only in the home of the recipient and do not have public access.

Therapy or Social Dog: This type of dog does not fall under the “umbrella” of being an Assistance Dog. Social or Therapy dogs’ work is usually focused on providing a change to a person's emotional or psychological state. These dogs provide the wonderful service of bringing joy to people through activities such as visiting hospitals and retirement homes; however, they are not Assistance Dogs and require no specialized training.

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Public Access: The right of a person with a disability to be accompanied by his/her Assistance Dog in all public accommodations. Public access is granted to the person with the disability, not to the assistance dog. This is outlined in American with Disabilities Act law.

Assistance Dogs International - www.assistancedogsinternational.org

ADA Defines Public Access as: "The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees a blind, deaf, or physically disabled person the legal right to be accompanied by a service animal in all areas open to the general public. Service animal (see note) means any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including but not limited to guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.^"

ADA Laws- www.doj.gov

Note: We are not promoting any one organization, we are simply providing the most accurate information & assist you.

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Please remember this in no way represents every type of working dog & only includes the most basic of explanations and definitions. My sincere hope is to educate the general population & federal agencies on all aspects of assistance animals. However, I think it is important that we start with the basics in an effort to move this forward correctly. I believe many problems stem from a general lack of understanding, causing terms to be used incorrectly or interchangeably, as well as contributing to the spread of misinformation on this valuable resource & benefit to our veteran and military populations.

WE CANNOT EXPECT TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE FOR THE BETTER WITHOUT TAKING THE INITIATIVE & ACTION TO EDUCATE!

~Christina M Roof