Service Dog Checklist

Service Animal Rights & Responsibilities (US ADA guidelines, revised May 2011)	Service Animal	Emotional Support Animal	Therapy Animal	Companion Animal
Handler must have a disability (mental or physical impairment)	X	X			http://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm#12102 http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/adaaa_info.cfm
Animal must be a dog	X				http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/factsheets/title2_factsheet.html
Handler must maintain control of their animal at all times while working	X	X	X		http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
Animal must be trained to perform specific disability related tasks	X				http://www.ada.gov/svcanimb.htm http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
Animal must be well socialized to people and situations to do thier job	X		X		http://hpwtdogmom.org/club/info/socialization_guide.html
Is considered a working animal	X				http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
Animal can not have disruptive behaviors like barking, growling...	X	X	X		http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
Animal must be housebroken	X	X	X		http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
Animal is also known as an assistance animal	X				http://www.nh.gov/disability/information/community/serviceanimals.htm
Animal must have current health certificate for certain activities	X	X	X		http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/Part%20382-2008.pdf
Animal must have proof of current vaccination for certain activities	X	X	X		http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/Part%20382-2008.pdf
Animal is allowed access into all public places	X				http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html
Animal is allowed to visit zoos and museums	X				http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_there_anywhere_service_dogs_are_not_permitted
Animal is allowed on Public Transportation	X				http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/newsletters/features/transportation.shtml http://www.deltasociety.org/page.aspx?pid=492
* Animal is allowed in Public Housing	X	X			Some landlords ARE exempt from the regulations of the Fair Housing Amendments Act. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_laws_on_renting_to_a_person_with_service_dog
* Animal is allowed to fly on Commercial Airline with handler	X	X			http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/Part%20382-2008.pdf
Animal provides companionship	X	X	X	X	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_dog
Animal provides comfort and emotional support	X	X	X	X	http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread7204.html
You must provide documentation for housing privileges	X	X			http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/460 http://www.bazelon.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=mHq8GV0FI4c%3D&tabid=245
Animal is used to bring theraputic benefit to others			X		http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapy_dog
Animal must be certified to do their job					http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm
Animal must be trained by a professional trainer					http://www.iaadp.org/iaadp-minimum-training-standards-for-public-access.html You can train your own dog.
Animal can be any breed or size of dog	X	X	X	X	http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
Animal should be spayed or neutered unless part of a breeding program	X	X	X	X	http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100324182636AA4cx9U Early spays and neuters do more than prevent unwanted pregnancies. There are health and social benefits as well.
Animal must be tested before they can do their job					http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/publicaccesstest.php http://www.iaadp.org/iaadp-minimum-training-standards-for-public-access.html Even though you must meet standards of behavior.
Animal is exempt from normal fees and deposits	X	X housing only			http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_support_animal
Owner is responsible to pay for damages done by their animal	X	X	X	X	http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
Animal must carry documentation and/or wear a service vest					Wearing a service vest makes your life easier, and that of businesses, it however is not required.
* with documentation

Depending on the article you are reading, you may find a lot of discrepancy in terminology. The terms Assistance Dogs, Service Dogs, and Emotional Support Dogs are all used to describe a dog trained to assist their disabled partner. The terms Emotional Support Dogs, Companion Dogs, and Therapy Dogs are all used to refer to dogs not trained to perform a task, but have a therapeutic effect, Companion Dogs and Pets are both used to describe an animal that brings comfort and companionship.

For clarification in our documentation, I try to use the terms Service Dog to refer to a dog that has been trained to assist their partner with any form of disability, Emotional Support Dog to refer to a dog that is not trained to perform any specific task, but helps to lessen the effects of their handlers disability, Therapy Dog as a pet that has been socialized and trained to give comfort to others outside of the home, and a dog that lives with a person without a disability as a Companion Animal or Family Pet.

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