Service dogs and emotional support dogs can both help people with disabilities. Choosing the right dog will depend on your needs, their training, and a lot more.
In general, emotional support animals (ESAs) are far more common. The APA says that one in every five American pet owners has an ESA. However, the service dog vs. emotional support dog debate goes a lot deeper than availability.
What Qualifies as a Service Dog?
A service dog is any dog trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities. This includes both physical and mental disabilities.
Other than dogs, only horses can do work as service animals. This is a key difference between service animals and ESAs, which can be any type of animal. Some common service animal benefits include:
- Alerting people who are deaf
- Leading people who are blind
- Reminding people with mental illness to take medication
- Calming people with PTSD during anxiety attacks
Service Dog Rights
Under the law, service dogs must always have access to public spaces. This rule applies even if that place has a "no pets" policy. A service dog can also stay in your residence without being subject to pet fees or deposits.
People aren't allowed to ask the dog to demonstrate its abilities. Similarly, they can't ask you to provide your medical documentation. The only exception is before boarding a plane, when you might need to submit specific forms.
Service Dog Training
Training a service dog is mandatory, though professional training is not (but it's fairly commonplace). For example, psychiatric service dogs are often trained to assist people with PTSD. Learn more on PTSD Service Dogs for Sale if you don't qualify for charity.
What Qualifies as an Emotional Support Dog?
An emotional support dog can alleviate one or more symptoms of someone's disability. Their services may include the following:
- Relieving loneliness
- Providing companionship
- Helping with anxiety and depression
You may need a letter from a mental health professional to access the rights afforded to ESAs. The letter must confirm that you have a disability that would benefit from having an ESA around you.
Emotional Support Animal Rights
According to emotional support animal laws, ESAs aren't guaranteed acceptance in public places. For instance, if an establishment has a "no pets" policy, it would be within their rights to turn away your emotional service dog as well.
At the same time, ESAs have some key housing protections. Since these dogs aren't considered pets, pet fees and deposits don't apply to them. They also don't count toward a pet limit imposed by landlords or HOAs.
Emotional Support Animal Training
Unlike service dogs, ESAs don't usually undergo training. After all, the differences between support animals would make this law tricky to execute. Instead of doing tasks, an ESA generally improves your life by being a calming presence.
Service Dog vs. Emotional Support Dog: Which One to Get?
Once you get down to it, the differences between a service dog vs. emotional support dog are fairly obvious. Service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks, whereas emotional support dogs are simply there to provide comfort.
Thinking of getting a service dog or ESA? Keep reading our pet-related content for tips on which animal would suit your needs best!
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