What is Considered a Service Dog
A service dog is a dog that is individually trained to perform specific work or tasks for a person with a disability. These tasks must be directly related to the person's disability and help the individual with daily activities, independence, safety, or other disability-related needs.
Service dogs may assist people with physical, sensory, psychiatric, neurological, and other disabilities. Depending on the individual's needs, a service dog may retrieve objects, provide trained mobility assistance, alert or respond to certain medical conditions, assist with navigation, alert to sounds, interrupt a trained psychiatric response, or perform other disability-related tasks.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is generally defined as a dog that has been individually trained to perform work or tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. The work or tasks must be directly related to the person's disability.
A dog whose sole function is to provide comfort, or emotional support does not qualify as a service animal under the ADA.
Service dogs are trained to work alongside their handlers and should remain under the handler's control in public settings. The ADA does not require service dogs to be certified, registered, wear a specific vest, or carry identification.
Important Facts
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The ADA does not require a service dog to be professionally trained.
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The ADA does not require certification, registration, a vest, or special identification.
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A service dog must be individually trained to perform work or tasks directly related to the person's disability.
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A dog's mere presence or ability to provide comfort does not make it a service dog under the ADA.
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Businesses generally cannot charge an additional fee or surcharge because a person is accompanied by a service dog.
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When it is not obvious that a dog is a service animal, a covered business or public entity may generally ask only two questions:
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Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
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What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
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Businesses and public entities generally cannot require certification, registration, medical documentation, or proof of training as a condition of access.
Note: These statements describe the ADA. State and local laws may provide additional protections or requirements.
How a Service Dog can
Help You
in Supporting Your Daily Life
Service Dog Tasks
Service dogs are individually trained to perform specific work or tasks that directly assist a person with a disability. Examples include:
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Guiding a person who is blind or has low vision
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Alerting a person who is deaf or hard of hearing to important sounds
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Retrieving objects
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Providing trained mobility or stability assistance
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Alerting to or responding to certain medical conditions
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Detecting changes in blood sugar for a person with diabetes
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Providing a trained medication reminder
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Interrupting or responding to certain psychiatric symptoms or behaviors
Examples of Service Dog Types
Guide Dogs – Assist people who are blind or have low vision with navigation and safety.
Hearing Dogs – Alert people who are deaf or hard of hearing to important sounds.
Mobility Assistance Dogs – Assist with certain mobility-related tasks, such as retrieving objects or providing trained assistance with balance.
Medical Alert or Response Dogs – May alert or respond to certain medical conditions, depending on the dog's individual training.
Psychiatric Service Dogs – Perform specific trained tasks for people with psychiatric disabilities, such as interrupting a psychiatric episode or a trained medication reminder.
Service Dogs vs. Other Support Animals
Service Dogs: Individually trained to perform work or tasks directly related to a person's disability. Under the ADA, service dogs generally have access to places open to the public, subject to applicable rules and exceptions.
Emotional Support Animals: Provide comfort or emotional support through their presence but are not trained to perform specific disability-related tasks. They are not service animals under the ADA.
Therapy Dogs: Are generally trained to provide comfort and companionship to multiple people in settings such as hospitals, schools, or nursing homes. They are not service animals under the ADA simply because they provide comfort.
Learn More About Service Dogs and the ADA
For official information about service animals and the law, visit the U.S. Department of Justice's ADA website.
ADA.gov — Service Animal FAQ →
Identifying Your Service Dog Under ADA Guidelines
Registration or certification is not required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
Service dog vests, ID cards, tags, and other identification products may be used by handlers for personal identification, organization, or convenience. However, these items are not required by the ADA and do not, by themselves, establish that a dog is a service animal or provide legal public-access rights.
Important Information
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), there is no official federal certification, registration, or identification required for a service dog. A dog's status as a service animal is based on whether the dog has been individually trained to perform work or tasks directly related to a person's disability.
The products and services we offer are intended for convenience, organization, and voluntary identification purposes. They do not, by themselves, grant legal service-dog status, create public-access rights, or replace the training required for a service dog under applicable law.
We encourage all service-dog handlers to familiarize themselves with applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding service animals.
Trusted Support for Your Service Dog's Needs
Dedicated to Service Dogs
Our products and services are designed to support service-dog handlers with convenient identification, organization, and documentation resources for their working dogs.
Simplifying Life for You
Hassle-Free Support for Your Service Dog
We provide optional registration, documentation, identification products, and support designed to help handlers organize information about their service dogs. Our private registration is voluntary and does not establish legal service-dog status or guarantee public-access rights.
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Our goal is to provide helpful, reliable products and services for service-dog handlers. We are committed to providing a positive experience and resources that support handlers and their working dogs.
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