Glossary

Assistance dog

A broad term for a dog trained to help a person with a disability, including guide, hearing and service dogs; wider than the ADA term service animal.

Also called: assistance dogs, assistance animal, hearing dog, seizure response dog, mobility assistance dog, ADI dog

Assistance dog is a general name for a dog trained to help a person with a disability. It covers guide dogs for people who are blind, hearing dogs for people who are deaf, mobility dogs, seizure response dogs, diabetic alert dogs and psychiatric service dogs. The term is common in the UK, Canada and Europe, and in standards set by Assistance Dogs International.

In the United States, the law uses a narrower phrase. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a service dog by what it does: it is a dog individually trained to do work or tasks for a person with a disability. Other laws use the broader term assistance animal, and the Fair Housing Act includes some emotional support animals under it.

So an assistance dog is often also a service dog, but the legal rights depend on the law that applies. A therapy dog that visits others is not an assistance dog.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

Service dog A dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability, and the only dog with public-access rights under the US ADA. Guide dog A dog trained to lead a person who is blind or has low vision around obstacles and safely through traffic, and one of the oldest kinds of assistance dog. Emotional support animal An animal that comforts a person with a disability but is not task trained; protected in housing but not given public access under the ADA. Therapy dog A pet that, with its owner, visits hospitals, schools and nursing homes to comfort others; it has no special public-access rights.