{"id":257,"date":"2018-10-03T14:20:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T19:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/?p=257"},"modified":"2018-10-03T14:20:16","modified_gmt":"2018-10-03T19:20:16","slug":"service-animals-and-their-handlers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/service-animals-and-their-handlers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Privileges and Protections of Service Animals and Their Handlers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-258 size-full\" title=\"A Golden Retriever wearing a Service Dog vest is leading a person using a cane\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/iStock-918341388.jpg\" alt=\"Service animals are working dogs that help people.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/iStock-918341388.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/iStock-918341388-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>Animals have certainly earned their place as some of our most trusted confidants and allies, but many dogs provide their human companions with much, much more. In fact, service animals (typically dogs) are equipped with life-saving skills to help their handlers. These highly-trained animals are simply amazing at their jobs! <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Groundbreaking Legislation<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. As a result, state and local agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations were required to make reasonable modifications to accommodate \u2013 and even benefit \u2013 people with disabilities. Even establishments with strict \u201cno pet\u201d policies were no longer able to ban service animals. However, the ADA prohibits people from asking for proof of training or certification.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Fine Print<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As defined by the ADA, service animals are those trained to perform certain tasks for individuals with disabilities. They can be any breed, age, or color. You may see any of the following types of service animals in public:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing eye or guide dogs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hearing dogs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetic alert dogs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Animals that detect seizures and know how to seek help<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Psychiatric service animals (PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism support animals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/pet-allergy-testing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allergy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> detection dogs<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike service animals, the following animals are beneficial but are not protected under the ADA:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Therapy animals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 These animals can be extremely helpful to kids, the elderly, and people in hospitals. Employed to help relieve stress and boost happiness and wellbeing, therapy animals are typically well-trained.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Emotional support animals <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These companion animals may be recommended by medical professionals to help those with certain emotional or mental disabilities. They\u2019re not allowed in restaurants, but they can travel on planes and live in housing units that otherwise do not allow pets. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Wait!<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, while the ADA defines what a service animal is\/isn\u2019t, it does not dictate requirements for training, registering\/licensing, or documentation. In a way, this loophole enables many imposters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pets who pose as service animals lack the extensive training that\u2019s required to save or assist people with disabilities. They can be disruptive in public, and they indirectly delegitimize real service animals.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protecting Service Animals and Their Handlers<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many states have laws that punish people who attempt to pass off their pets as service animals. The bottom line is that many people with disabilities depend on service animals and deserve to have their rights and privileges protected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s always an honor to see these <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/canine-veterans\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">working animals in action<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Remember, service dogs should never be distracted from performing their job duties!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have any questions about these amazing animals, please <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/about-us\/contact-us.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">give us a call<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Our friendly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/about-us\/veterinarians-staff.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">veterinarians and staff<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are always here to help!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Animals have certainly earned their place as some of our most trusted confidants and allies, but many dogs provide their human companions with much, much more. In fact, service animals (typically dogs) are equipped with life-saving skills to help their handlers. These highly-trained animals are simply amazing at their jobs! Groundbreaking Legislation In 1990, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[169,135],"tags":[186,184,185],"class_list":["post-257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-training-behavior","category-you-your-pet","tag-faking-service-animals","tag-service-animals","tag-therapy-animals"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Privileges and Protections of Service Animals and Their Handlers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/service-animals-and-their-handlers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Privileges and Protections of Service Animals and Their Handlers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Animals have certainly earned their place as some of our most trusted confidants and allies, but many dogs provide their human companions with much, much more. In fact, service animals (typically dogs) are equipped with life-saving skills to help their handlers. These highly-trained animals are simply amazing at their jobs! 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