Therapy dog vs. service dog vs. ESA

In the US:

Service dog must be tasked trained for someone with a disability. It must be trained to do tasks that the person can not do for themselves- just being a comfort does not count. It must also behave in public. It is allowed in public.

A therapy animal is just a PET that is allowed to visit some public places such as hospitals, nursing homes to provide comfort to many people.

An ESA (emotional support animal) is a PET that provides comfort for a disabled person. They require no special training - besides common manners/housebroken in some cases. They are allowed in housing (even no pet housing) and on planes with their owner in most cases. They are not allowed in public places where pets are not allowed.


The problem is that even legit people may not always use the right terms.

When someone brings their dog to a place where pets are not allowed the staff is ONLY allowed to ask two questions-

(1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability,

and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform.

Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

I would inform them to ask those two questions next time. If the person answers yes then there is nothing they can really do unless the dog is misbehaving & causing a disturbance.

Revised ADA Requirements: Service Animals

You are correct in the definitions.

Therapy dogs are pets that are trained enough to pass CGC and registered with a therapy animal program in order to work with people in hospitals or 'homes.' They are not allowed to go anywhere any other normal pet dog can't. They do not get housing or air travel accommodations.

Emotional support dogs are pets that don't require training who naturally assist their disabled owners with things like lowering anxiety simply by existing through things like petting and cuddling. They are not allowed to go anywhere any other normal pet dog can't. They can get housing and air travel accommodations, with a note from a health practitioner clarifying the disability of the owner and the need for the dog.

Service dogs are animals that are specifically trained to perform tasks to assist their disabled handlers. They are allowed to go places normal pet dogs are not allowed to go (barring places like restaurant kitchens or operating rooms, for sanitary reasons). They can get housing and air travel accommodations.


This guy was just bringing his pet to a private area where pets aren't allowed and used improper terminology in an attempt to fake having an assistance animal to bring the dog with him. End of story. The ADA in regards to service animals is universal in the US with exception to housing and air travel (covered by separate laws) and certain federal/government/military locations.

Also, service animals can be denied if they are unruly (causing a ruckus, barking, lunging, etc.), pose a perceived threat, or could be considered to alter the functionality of the location in question. In housing circumstances, they can also be denied accommodation if the insurance for the housing doesn't cover a breed that the dog is. Landlords are not required to spend extra money to cover additional insurance for a service dog of a breed they are not insured for, as that is not legally considered reasonable accommodation. Service animals may also be denied accommodation if the landlord owns less than four buildings and lives in one of the buildings (such as a private home where the homeowner is renting out a portion of the home).

Depending on the certifying organization, therapy dogs have more specific training than that required simply by the CGC test because they need to be comfortable in specific situations that might occur in hospitals, schools, nursing homes etc. that other dogs might never encounter. They are not allowed anywhere that a dog is not typically allowed except for the facilities they visit, and even then, different facilities have different requirements regarding orientation etc. before handler/dog teams are allowed to visit. Some have no extra orientation training and some may have quite a bit. Some may even require that staff be with the handler/dog team when they visit, such as some pediatric units, where, frankly, it can be helpful to have hospital staff there if, say, a small child needs help being moved so that he/she can interact with the dog.

I don't believe there is any kind of standardized testing for ESA animals exists, and they are not allowed to go just anywhere either. They cannot be discriminated against in terms of housing or public transportation, however.

Service animals are the only animals allowed to go anywhere anyone else is allowed to go.