therapydog

What is a Therapy Dog?

A Therapy Dog is defined as a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in
hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, mental institutions, schools, and stressful
situations such as disaster areas. A Therapy Dog has received special training to work
with the public. They are well groomed, trained, up to date on all vaccines and of
course, very friendly. Therapy dogs can do a variety of things. They can help with many
activities or can assist a therapist when working with a client.

Therapy Animals Are Not Service Animals
Many people are under the mistaken impression that therapy animals and their handlers
have the same rights of access as people with disabilities and their service animals. In
some cases, people have their animals evaluated and registered as therapy animals with
the intention of insisting on access to public spaces with their animals, as if the animal
were a service animal. They may be trying to have their animals accompany them on
airplanes, in stores, or in restaurants that have "no pets/animals" policies. Essentially,
this is fraudulent and, in many areas, illegal. Unless the handler meets the definition of a
person with a disability and the animal meets the definition of a service animal, the
team has no more rights of access than a person with a companion animal or pet. *

Karma Dogs will not tolerate anyone who fraudulently pass off their therapy animals as
service animals.

A service animal is defined as follows:
Service animals are legally defined (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990) and are trained
to meet the disability-related needs of their handlers who have disabilities. Federal laws
protect the rights of individuals with disabilities to be accompanied by their service
animals in public places. Service animals are not considered "pets."

*defined by The Delta Society