We love Animals at Middle Path Counseling! In fact, most of us have a dog or cat or something that enhances our lives. While we love them, we constantly get asked about Therapy and Service animals. Here is a quick breakdown of the different types:
Service Animal: A service animal is specifically trained to perform tasks that mitigate a disability for an individual with a disability. These animals, typically dogs, are trained to assist individuals with a wide range of disabilities, including visual impairments, hearing impairments, mobility limitations, and certain medical conditions. Service animals are granted legal protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States and are allowed to accompany their handlers in public places where pets are generally not allowed.
Therapy Dog: A therapy dog is trained to provide comfort, emotional support, and companionship to individuals in various settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and disaster areas. Unlike service animals, therapy dogs do not have legal access rights to all public places. They work as part of a therapy team with their handlers, who are responsible for managing their interactions and ensuring they meet the specific requirements of each facility they visit.
Good Citizen Dog: The term “Good Citizen Dog” typically refers to a dog that has completed a training program focused on basic obedience and good manners. These programs, such as the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program, aim to promote responsible dog ownership and well-behaved dogs in the community. Good Citizen Dogs have demonstrated proficiency in commands like sit, stay, come, walking on a loose leash, and behaving appropriately around people and other dogs. While having a well-trained dog is beneficial for everyday life, being a Good Citizen Dog does not grant the same legal privileges as a service animal.
In summary, the key differences between these terms are:
- Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks to assist individuals with disabilities and have legal access rights to public places.
- Therapy dogs provide comfort and emotional support to people in therapeutic settings but do not have the same legal access rights as service animals.
- Good Citizen Dogs have undergone training to exhibit good behavior and manners, but this designation does not grant any legal rights or access privileges.
Just a reminder, we do not write ESA(Emotional Support Animal) letters at Middle Path Counseling.
Here are some websites that will help you get the correct documentations:
https://fastesaletter.com/emotional-support-animal-letter-missouri
Middle Path Counseling MO 