Therapy dog vs Service dog
A therapy dog is a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas. A therapy dog's primary job is to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with it and to enjoy that contact. Children in particular enjoy hugging animals; adults usually enjoy simply petting the dog. The dog might need to be lifted onto, or climb onto, an individual's lap or bed and sit or lie comfortably there. Many dogs contribute to the visiting experience by performing small tricks for their audience or by playing carefully structured games. Therapy dogs do not have legal rights to enter public places under the Americans with Disability Act of 1990.
A service dog is a type of assistance dog specifically trained to help people who have disabilities including visual or hearing impairment, and also to help people with mental disabilities including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and severe depression. Some dogs are even trained to help with medical conditions such as recurrent seizures or diabetes. In the United States, the Code of Federal Regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 define a service animal as "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.". Service dogs are working dogs with legal rights.
To certify your dog as a therapy dog, the two major agencies for this purpose are:
Therapy Dog International www.tdi-dogs.org
Delta Society www.deltasociety.org
American Kennel Club also has involvement in therapy dog activities. They offer Canine Good Citizen test which is the foundation of certified therapy dog work.
It is always necessary to be respectful to all involved when preparing a canine for the above two mentioned activities. Business owners do have the right to supervise their livelyhood. Not all people are dog lovers and this must be respected. Service dogs are working dogs, not pets. They assist disabled people to live a fulfilled life in society and are protected by law.
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