Glossary

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.

Also called: service animal, ADA service dog, task-trained dog, psychiatric service dog, service dog certification, service dog vest

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service animal is a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Examples are guiding a person who is blind, alerting to a seizure or pulling a wheelchair. A dog that only provides comfort does not qualify.

Service dogs may go with their handlers into most places the public goes, including stores, restaurants and hotels. Staff may ask only two questions: is the dog required because of a disability, and what work or task has it been trained to perform. They may not ask for proof, a certificate or a demonstration. A vest is not required, and an online registry confers no legal status.

A service dog is not the same as an emotional support animal, which has no task training, or a therapy dog, which visits others. The broader term assistance dog includes guide, hearing and other dogs.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

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. 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. 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.