Therapy, Service and Support Dog

Therapy, Service and Support Dogs can be all kinds of levels of training.  

• Emotional Support Dogs need to have a good temperament & behave in public places  

• Service or support Dog owners are required to have any doctors note.

• Therapy dogs are required to be accessed for temperament to be considered a therapy dog.

Most Common Reasons Listed For Emotional Support Dog Needs.

Stress Related, Adjustment Disorders, Generalized anxiety disorder, Social anxiety disorder, Phobias, Panic disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Separation anxiety, Dissociative Disorders, Factitious Disorders. Eating Disorders, Impulse-Control Disorders, Mental Disorders, Neurocognitive Disorders, Mood Disorders, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Personality Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders, Sleep Disorders, Somatoform Disorders, Substance Related Disorders, Suicidal Thoughts.

Most Common Reasons Listed For Service Dog Needs.

Arthritis, Ataxia (Poor Balance), Autism, Blindness (or Poor Vision), Cancer, Cardio/ Pulmonary Disease, Cerebral Palsy, Deafness Or Hearing Impared, Diabetes, Medical Alert Needs, Multiple Sclerosis (MS),Pain Related, PTSD, Physical Mobility Issues, Psychiatric Disabilities, Seizure Disorders, Severe Allergy Alert, Spina Bifida, Spinal Cord/Head Trauma, Stroke,

Registering  and Training:

Therapy Dog

Therapy dogs are dogs that are used to bring comfort and joy to those who are ill or under poor conditions, such as those who have been affected by a natural disaster. Many people are able to connect with dogs and feel the love that they provide, and this has a therapeutic effect on them. People with social anxiety, ADHD, Autism etc benefit greatly from ESA.

Therapy dogs are generally very calm and well-behaved, so that they do not upset or make uncomfortable those around them.

Many people confuse Therapy Animals with Service Dogs. 

A therapy animal is most commonly a dog (but can be other species) that has been obedience trained and screened for its ability to interact favorably with humans and other animals. The primary purpose of a therapy animal is to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospices, disaster areas, and to people with learning difficulties. 

Therapy animals are privately owned and tend to visit facilities on a regular basis. A therapy animal is only half of the equation, however. A responsible, caring handler is an important member of the therapy animal team. At the end of a visit, therapy animals go home with their owners. Most commonly, therapy animals are dogs that have shown they like people and have the temperament to work with them.

Although therapy animals provide a very important therapeutic service to all kinds of people in need, they are NOT considered “service animals” and they and their handlers have no protections under law (Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act, etc.). Some places, however, have laws that afford therapy animals and their handlers rights and protections.

Programs like The St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program offer screening for therapy dogs.

This program reaches out to thousands of people across Canada on a daily basis bringing comfort, joy and companionship to members of the community who are sick, lonely, reside in long-term care and mental health facilities; are in hospitals, schools and library settings. Program participants reap the therapeutic benefits of the unconditional companionship of a four-legged friend.

Emotional Support Dog

An emotional support animal (ESA) or support animal, is a companion animal (pet) that provides some benefit for a person disabled by a mental health condition or emotional disorder. Emotional support animals are typically dogs, but are sometimes cats or other animals.

People who qualify for emotional support animals have verifiable psychological disabilities that substantially interfere with major life activities, such as anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, or panic attacks.

An emotional support animal differs from a service animal. Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks[1] (such as helping a blind person walk), while emotional support animals receive no specific training. (It therefore stands that in the setting of mental illness, whether or not the animal is a “service animal” vs. an Emotional Support Animal would hinge on whether the dog is formally trained to do something specific to mitigate the mental illness.) Any animal that provides support, well-being, comfort, or aid, to an individual through companionship, non-judgmental positive regard, and affection may be regarded as an emotional support animal.[2]

In the US, disabled people with emotional support animals are exempted from certain rules against having animals in most housing and travel situations. To be afforded protection under United States federal law, the owners of emotional support animals must meet the federal definition of disability and must have a letter from their healthcare providers stating that they are being treated for a disabling condition and that their emotional support animals improve or benefit some component of the disability.  

In Canada the rules are regional. Emotional support animals in Canada have the right to travel with their owners for free but don't have any of the other access rights to public spaces that service dogs do. This is largely because there's no guarantee they've been trained to behave themselves in public.
Although many areas in of the emotional support animal Canada laws are gray areas, here is a guideline to get you started on finding out more about your ESA rights in your province:

Alberta: Human Rights Act Section 5

British Columbia: Human Rights Code Chapter 210

Manitoba: Manitoba Human Rights Code Chapter H175

New Brunswick: Human Rights Act of New Brunswick Chapter H11

Newfoundland and Labrador: Human Rights Act Chapter H14

Nunavut and Northwest Territories: Human Rights Act

Nova Scotia: Human Rights Act Chapter 214

Ontario: Human Rights Code Chapter H19

Prince Edward Islands: Prince Edward Islands Human Rights Act Chapter H12

Quebec: The Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms & Quebec Handicapped in the Exercise of their Rights

Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Human Rights Code Chapter S24.1

Yukon: Yukon Human Rights Act

Service Dog

Service dogs are dogs that have been individually trained to perform a specific task for individuals who have disabilities. The disabilities can vary greatly, and so do the tasks that the service dogs perform.

Service dogs are often identified by wearing a service dog vest or tag, letting the public know that it is a service dog; otherwise, their handlers will find themselves having to explain everywhere that they go that their dog is a service dog.

Most Common Reasons Listed For Service Dog Needs.

Asthma (or other breathing problems) Allergy Alert Blindness (& partial blindness)Cancer Deafness (& partial deafness) Cardio Vascular Stroke Diabetes Dizziness/Balance problems Epilepsy General Hearing Difficulty Mobility Problems Neurological Problems Paralysis Physical Weakness Speech Problems Seizures General Medical Alert

Service dogs can be trained by their owners or in any other manner the owner desires to assist them with their disability.