TOP DOG! Different Types of Working Support Animals

By Birgit Stutz

There seems to be a lot of confusion and lack of knowledge about the different types of working support animals. Let me help with understanding.

Service dogs

A service dog is a highly trained dog that helps a handler with a disabling condition that affects one or more major life activity. A service dog is task trained to help mitigate the handler’s disability, has many hours of public access training, and is trained in advanced obedience. A service dog cannot be aggressive (or protective) towards humans or other dogs.

In Canada, a service dog handler also needs to have a Doctor’s letter stating the need for a service dog in order to legally have a service dog.

Right to public access

Service dogs are allowed to accompany their handlers anywhere the public can go, including non-pet friendly places such as grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, movie theatres, taxis, public transportation, government offices, and non-pet friendly housing. Allergies and fear of dogs are not excuses to deny entry or service to a service dog team. The only places service dogs aren’t allowed are places where food is being manufactured or made such as commercial kitchens and sterile rooms such as operating rooms or burn units.

Service dogs that are still in training are less protected in Canada and have limited public access rights unless given permission by an establishment. Some provinces give certification for trainers to train service dogs in training.

Therapy dogs

Therapy dogs have to have good obedience, and just like service dogs, cannot be aggressive towards humans or other dogs. Therapy dogs provide comfort and support to a variety of people (seniors at a seniors’ home, patients at a long-term care unit, victims of crime, etc.). Therapy dogs have NO public access rights and can only go into facilities when they are invited in. Therapy dogs are usually certified by an organization, which also provides liability insurance.

Emotional support animals

Emotional support animals provide comfort and support to a person at home. They have no legal protection in Canada and have NO public access rights. They require no special training and are not task trained (emotional support isn’t a task). They are basically pets. ESAs may be allowed in non-pet friendly housing.

Rights and responsibilities of businesses

A person with a disability who uses a service dog should not be stopped or questioned unless there is a concern. The best way to recognize a service dog is by observing the behaviour of the dog and handler. The dog should be wellbehaved, well-groomed, not smell, and under the handler’s control (leash or harness). The dog is not required to wear a vest or other visible identifier. However, if there is a concern about the legitimacy of a service dog and/or the disability isn’t visible, businesses can ask for proof that the dog is a service dog (training certification or a Doctor’s note in the absence of a service dog ID). Only three provinces (BC, AB and NS) offer voluntary certification.

Please be aware that the IDs and certificates that you can buy online are not legitimate and hold no legal standing. The only legitimate service dog IDs are issued by the provinces after the service dog passes a public access test as well as IDs from Assistance Dogs International and the International Guide Dog Federation.

If a service dog displays behaviours that are aggressive, damages property or is disruptive to other patrons, the service dog team can be asked to leave, whether certified or not.

That being said, no service dog is perfect and they all make mistakes and have off days, but the handler should immediately correct the dog for any mistakes. If the dog continues to cause a disturbance, a good handler will remove the dog from the business immediately without having to be asked to do so.

Allowing animals other than legitimate service dogs into a business that sells or prepares food is a violation of the Health Code and can result in a fine for the business.

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Why is misrepresenting a dog as a service dog harmful?

If a poorly trained “service dog” misbehaves in public (lunges and jumps at people and other dogs, urinates in stores, sniffs wares, growls and barks, shows aggression towards people and animals, etc.) it reflects badly on the service dog community. It may also cause access issues for legitimate service dog teams as stores are reluctant to allow service dogs into their nonpet friendly establishment after another “service dog” has shown bad behaviour.

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And last but not least, if a dog distracts a legitimate service dog, that service dog could miss an alert, putting its handler in danger (which is an offence under the BC Guide Dog and Service Dog Act).

Under the BC Guide Dog and Service Dog Act it is an offence to represent a dog as a guide or service dog when it is not. A conviction carries a fine of up to $3,000.

So please, don’t bring your pets - therapy dogs - ESAs into non-pet friendly establishments and don’t represent your pet as a service dog when it isn’t.

It is not only illegal, it’s also unethical.

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