Support Animals

Two of the most frequent questions Project Canine receives are: "Can you help me get a service dog?" and "Can you help me train my dog to be a service dog?" Unfortunately, the answer to both questions is, no. Project Canine does not train, place, or match service or emotional support dogs. Service and emotional support dogs and therapy dogs provide very different services and their training and focus differ greatly as well. We are sorry, but we cannot answer individual requests for information about service and emotional support animals.

Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs):
Understanding the Differences

There is a lot of confusion about what constitutes a service dog as opposed to a therapy dog. Even mainstream media and credible journalists mix these terms up and use them incorrectly. There is also a third designation, Emotional Support Animal or ESA, which is different than therapy dogs and service dogs. Below you can read definitions for the different types of support animals and access additional resources. You can also download our information sheet of service dogs and the law and service dog training resources. We update this information frequently.

Definitions

Therapy Dogs

Are pets trained with a handler to provide comfort and support to many people in either an individual or group setting. They are legally designated as pets and have no special rights under federal and state law.

Service Dogs

Are not legally defined as pets and are rigorously trained to help one person negotiate their world with a specific disability. Training usually requires service dogs to learn to perform specific tasks related to their handler’s disability. They have guaranteed rights under federal (Americans with Disabilities Act) and state law.

Psychological Support Dogs

Can be protected under the ADA if they are trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a psychological impairment; for example, a dog is trained to remind a person with depression to take medication at a certain time, or a dog is trained to alert a person to an on-coming anxiety attack.

Emotional Support Dogs

Are pets that provide therapeutic psychological support to their handler. While expected to be well-behaved and under control at all times, they do not require special training. ESA’s have some housing rights, but as of January 2021 airlines are no longer required to accommodate ESAs. Some states may have additional protections for ESAs that are not provided by federal law.