What is a Therapy Dog ?
Many people confuse the term Therapy Dog with Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal.
Therapy Dogs and their Handlers have no Legal rights. A Therapy Dog provides affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas. Institutions may invite, limit, or prohibit access to therapy dogs. If allowed, these institutions will have their own requirements for Therapy Animals.
Therapy dogs are not Service Animals. A Service Animal has a skill which directly reduces the effect of a disability and so can legally accompany their disabled handler anywhere they can legally go. In the United States, Service Animals are legally protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. As Therapy Dogs do not provide direct assistance they are not protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. – click here to learn more about Service Animals.
Additionally Therapy Dogs are not protected by the laws which grant access to Emotional Support Animals – click here to learn more about Emotional Support Animals.
For complete information visit our FAQ page.