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Service dogs help but not all dogs who help are service dogs

Service dogs help but not all dogs who help are service dogs
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September 24, 2025
in Humane Education Column
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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair

Because September is National Service Dog Month, I was prompted to write about service dogs and how they enrich the lives of their owners. Since the publication of that article in The Mountain Mail, on September 19, I have received these questions:

“Are those dogs I see working with a police officer in an airport service dogs?”
“My daughter loves to read to a dog who visits her school. Is Rex a service dog?”
“My friend copes with her anxieties thanks to her beloved emotional support dog, Riley. Is Riley a service dog?”

The answer to all those questions is, “No.” They are not service dogs, but they all are help dogs. Many people use the terms service dogs, therapy dogs and emotional support dogs interchangeably, which causes confusion.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), there are four categories of help dogs, titled as: “Service Dogs,” “Working Dogs,” “Therapy Dogs,” and “Emotional Support Animals.” Each group has its own specific purposes, training, certifications, and legal rights.

In order to begin to address the confusion of these various types of help dogs, this article provides an overview of the four major categories and their specific purposes, as defined by the AKC.

Service Dogs

Service dogs, as defined by the American Disabilities Act (ADA), are individually trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities. These disabilities can be physical, sensory, psychiatric or intellectual/mental. The work of the service dog must be directly related to the handler’s disability.

Examples of service dogs and the tasks they perform include:

Guide dogs help blind people navigate the world. Hearing or signal dogs alert deaf people to sounds. Psychiatric dogs are trained to detect and lessen the effects of a psychiatric episode.

Mobility service dogs allow those in wheelchairs to live more independently by being their arms and legs.

Autism assistance dogs are trained to help those on the autism spectrum sort out sensory stimulation. Medical alert dogs are trained to recognize and provide their owners alerts concerning: seizures, diabetes, and allergies.

There are several other valuable tasks service dogs might fulfill for their owner with disabilities.

Working Dogs

Working dogs are purpose-trained. They learn and perform specific tasks to assist their human companions. Such tasks include detection, herding, hunting, search and rescue, and work with police and the military.

These canines often rely on their superior sense of smell to help out where humans fall short. They can save lives with their search and rescue skills and explosives’ detection. Some even sniff out cancer.

When they are on the job, working dogs should not be approached nor petted, as doing their job properly requires a high level of focus without distractions.

Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs play a different role than service and emotional support animals. They are not trained to live with a specific handler.

With their human teammate, usually their owner, they volunteer in clinical settings such as hospitals, mental health institutions, hospices, schools and nursing homes. Here they provide comfort and affection.

Emotional Support Animals

Not considered service dogs under ADA, these canines may be trained for a specific owner but not trained for specific tasks to aid a person with disabilities, as are service dogs. This should not minimize the valuable support they provide people with psychological disorders.

Considered companion animals, they ease anxiety, depression, some phobias and loneliness. To be recognized as an emotional support pet, their support must be prescribed by a mental health professional. For patients diagnosed with psychological or mental disorders, such as anxiety disorder, major depression or panic attacks, their companionship is life-altering.

All categories of these special animals help in amazing but different ways. The purposes they fulfill are invaluable. Their training, certifications, and legal rights differ. The precious animals of each category have their own more complete and richer story to tell.

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