What is the difference between a Therapy Dog, an ESA Dog, and a Service Dog?

Therapy dogs are special pets that have been certified to visit various locations and provide comfort and joy to individuals who are in need of emotional support. While therapy dogs aren’t typically allowed in public places without specific permission, they are welcome in settings where they are actively engaged in providing pet therapy.

An example of this would be a dog that is allowed to visit nursing homes, hospitals, and libraries to provide comfort, peace, and social interactions. Therapy dogs require permission from the establishments.

On the other hand, emotional support animals are pets that offer crucial assistance to individuals dealing with disabling mental health disorders, helping them feel comforted and calm in challenging situations.

An example of this would be a dog that is allowed to fly in the cabin of an airplane, and allowed to live in housing that would otherwise typically not allow animals.

An ESA Dog can be very beneficial to those who struggle with anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, certain phobias, etc.

A letter from a Doctor is needed for an ESA Dog to have these privileges.

A service dog is defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform task(s) for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.

The Americans With Disabilities Act protects the rights of people with disabilities to access public places, including stores, restaurants, hotels and hospitals, with their service dogs.

For example, more and more hotels are becoming pet friendly. Guests are even encouraged to bring their pets (for an additional fee of course), and often provide special accommodations for the pet such as a dog bed and treats in the room. Some hotels continue to prohibit pets.

• The pet friendly hotel CANNOT charge an additional fee to a guest accompanied by a service dog.

• The hotel that prohibits pets CANNOT deny access to a service dog nor can they segregate a guest and their service dog to sub-standard accommodations. They must provide the same quality accommodations to a guest with a service dog that they would provide to a guest without one.