Assistance dog

Terminology

'Assistance dog' is the generic term for a dog that provides assistance to a disabled person and is task-trained to help mitigate the handler's disability. In English, assistance dogs are also commonly referred to as service dogs or service animals.

Assistance dogs are distinct from therapy dogs. The term 'therapy dog' can designate dogs working with healthcare professionals to perform animal-assisted therapy, or be dogs of volunteer handlers who visit hospitals, nursing homes, libraries or schools the later can also be called a visitation animal or facility dogs. Therapy dogs can be specifically trained and certified but are usually not covered by the same laws as assistance dogs. Service dogs are also distinct from emotional support animals, dogs used for personal defense, dogs used in public services such as police dogs and pet dogs.

Types of assistance dogs

Various types of assistance dogs are trained to compensate various disabilities: guide dogs help to lead visually impaired people, hearing dogs are trained to listen to sounds for people with hearing impairment, mobility assistance dogs help physically disabled people, medical response dogs (for allergies, diabetes...) and seizure response dogs are trained to alert and provide help during medical episodes, psychiatric assistance dogs or autism assistance dogs helps their handlers to cope with psychiatric or mental disabilities.

Assistance dogs International taxonomy uses three categories : guide dogs, hearing dogs, and service dogs (which includes dogs helping with physical disabilities, medical responses and psychiatric conditions).

Training process

Assistance dogs have traditionally been trained by organizations. In a few countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, assistance dogs can also be trained by their handlers but in most countries, only dogs trained and certified by an officially recognized organization can be recognized as assistance dogs and enjoy the associated legal protections.

A prospective assistance dog candidate will go through socialization and desensitization training, where the dog is exposed to unfamiliar locations, sounds, scents, and other stimuli. This training sets the foundations for the assistance dog to remain focused while working. An assistance dog prospect will also go through obedience training to ensure they remain under control of the handler.

After completing obedience training, an assistance dog commences specialized task training. During this training, the assistance dog will learn to perform tasks that will aid their disabled handler. The tasks that an assistance dog is trained to perform will differ based on the handler's disabilities and needs.

Examples of tasks include alerting to a fire alarm or doorbell, retrieving a medication during a medical episode, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving an item that has been dropped by the handler, and turning on lights. Some tasks may require a larger dog with healthy joints, while others (e.g. alerting to a sound) can be performed by a dog of any size.

Legal frameworks

Not all countries have established specific legislations for service dogs. When there is a legislation, it generally allows service dogs to enter spaces where dogs are usually not allowed in. Legislations varies regarding the mandatory training, certification, equipement and registration that service dogs should have to be officially recognized and benefit from public access rights. However, assistance dogs are usually expected to meet the following criteria:

1. The dog's handler meet the legal definition of disability in the country or region.
2. The dog is trained to mitigate the handler's disability in some way,--e.g. opening doors, detecting high blood sugar or allergens and notifying of such, alerting to a ringing phone or other audible stimuli, assisting handlers with PTSD, assisting those who are visually impaired, helping individuals with disabilities that affect their mobility, and much more.
3. The dog is docile and well-behaved, as well as clean and healthy. Individual countries and regions will have specific laws and regulations, with these international criteria having broad recognition across the globe.

United States

In the United States, the Americans with Disability Act states that there is no formal certification or registration required for a dog to become an Assistance Dog, but that the dog should be trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities. State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is normally allowed to go.

In the service dog community, the issue of "fake service dogs" create ongoing debates about whether service dogs should go through a formal certification. Assistance should not be confused with emotional support animals (ESAs), which are generally not protected by the same laws and typically have little to no training compared to an assistance or service dog.

European Union

The European Union do not have international directive regarding service dogs, however each country may have national legislation for service dogs. There is however a European committee working on standardizing notions around vocabulary, dog welfare, competencies of assistance dog professionals, dog training requirements and recommendations for accessibility of public and private spaces for assistance dog teams. The norm resulting from the work of this committee is the CEN/TC 452 norm.

In France, people with disability having disability card can ask to benefit from a service dog. Only dogs trained and certified by non-profit organisations recognised by the State benefit from legal protection and are authorized to enter everywhere, notably in public spaces and transportation. Assistance dog owners can under certain conditions apply to receive payement to cover their dog food and veterinary care (around €50 per months).

In Austria, assistance dog are considered within the Austrian Federal Law for Disabled People. Assistance dogs needs the recognition of an official coordinating authority having the relevant expertise and appointed by the government. Since 2014 the Messerli Research Institute is the official authority established by the republic of Austria and hosts the inspection center for assistance dogs. Austrian legislation states the requirements service dogs should meet in term of health condition, behavior, and working performance. To be qualified and recognized as an assistance dogs, the candidate service dogs must pass two assessements : before and after being handed to their final owner. Qualified service dogs are registered on their owner disability card, can enter public buildings and do not have to be leashed or muzzeled.

Australia

In theory, the Australian Disability Discrimination Act (1999/2009) recognize service dogs/animals as animals which are accredited under the law, accredited by an animal training organisation recognized by the regulation and properly trained to assist a person with disability and meet appropriate hygiene and behavioral standards compatible with entering public spaces. In practice, organisations training the assistance animal often certify them too.

Japan

In Japan, the Act on Assistance Dogs for Persons with Disabilities (2003, amended in 2007) allows people with disabilities having a service dog to enter public spaces, private businesses serving the general public and workplaces. The law recognise three types of assistance dogs: guide dogs, service dogs, and hearing dogs. Service dog teams have to be certified after an assessment. Dogs are evaluated on sociability and obeidience and suitable dogs are trained to become service dogs. Beneficiaries are evaluated on their aptitude and medical needs. Then dogs and their partners are matched and go through additional team training before a final certification. Depending on the type of assistance dogs, dog training organization have to be registered at a local prefectural government or the National Public Safety Commission, and organisations certifying assistance dogs are designated by the Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare or the National Public Safety Commission. Assistance dogs and their partner must carry their certification papers and the dogs should carry a mandatory sign to access public spaces.

Russia

In 2022, Russian legislation only recognized guide dogs and not other types of assistance dogs. Guide dogs have been officially recognized as "assistive technology" in 2005. The legislation does not offer official definition of a guide dog, but state they should have a "Guide Dog Passport" in order to have public access rights (there is no regulation about access to workplaces). Only organizations approved by the Federal Government can certify guide dogs and only two guide dog training schools were recognized in 2022. Guide dog owners can apply to receive an annual payement to cover veterinary care from the Federal Government.

References

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