The distinction between a service dog and an emotional support animal seems very clear-cut to members of the service dog community. However, given recent events, including an incident where an emotional support dog mauled a passenger on a Delta flight, it has become quite clear that this distinction is not as obvious to the general public.
Let’s get therapy dogs out of the way first. “Therapy dog” is a term often applied to service dogs or ESAs by various kinds of people, most notably journalists who lack research skills. These terms are not interchangeable, and to call a service dog or emotional support animal a therapy dog/animal is quite incorrect. Therapy dogs are pets who are invited to places dogs normally may not be allowed, such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, or libraries. Their handlers have no special rights to take them anywhere that is not pet-friendly. They must be invited. Certification and registration is required by some therapy dog organizations but not all. Usually therapy dogs must pass some test of their temperament and obedience before beginning their work. Therapy dogs help a multitude of people who are not their owner(s).
“Service dogs, under the law, are considered medical equipment. This is why they are permitted to go with their handlers anywhere the general public is allowed.”
Now-retired service dog Juno curled up on the floor of a plane on her red mat wearing her collar and leash. Airplanes are one of the toughest scenarios for service dogs to master.
Service dogs (SDs) and emotional support animals (ESAs) help their owners/handlers, not, as a general rule, other people. Owners of ESAs and handlers of SDs must be disabled. Usually the person will have a doctor’s support for use of a dog or other animal to help with their disability as well. Both SDs and ESAs must be permitted in no-pet housing, and on airplanes. (Why untrained pets are legally permitted to fly uncontained in the cabin of an airplane is a question I have, as of yet, been unable to answer using logic or reason.)
This is about where the similarity ends.
The major difference between a SD and an ESA is training. A service dog, in order to be a service dog, must be individually trained to perform work or do tasks to mitigate the handler’s disability. An ESA is not required to have any training whatsoever. They provide comfort to owners with psychiatric disabilities simply by being themselves, and acting like any well-loved pet. And ESAs are pets. They’re pets whose owners have a few specific, special rights which I have already mentioned, but still pets. Service dogs, under the law, are considered medical equipment. This is why they are permitted to go with their handlers anywhere the general public is allowed.
Service Dog Kaline snoozing at a Tigers game, using a sweatshirt as a pillow. Crowded, noisy ballparks are one of many venues for which service dogs are trained, and ESAs are not.
Service dogs, usually from puppyhood, have undergone extensive socialization, exposure, and training so that they are able to handle any number of highly stressful situations (like flying on a plane) while remaining calm and composed. They are accustomed to being out in public, to crowds, to loud and sudden noises, and all manner of strange things your average pet would never have to deal with. If a service dog is unable to handle the stress of working in public—and make no mistake, no matter how calm a dog is, service dog work is inherently stressful—they are either washed out completely, or used part-time, in specific circumstances they are able to handle in a professional manner.
“Many ESAs are dogs, of course, but the “A” in ESA means that any species can theoretically qualify as a person’s emotional support animal. This is how people gaming the system have gotten animals like turkeys, pigs, and snakes onto airplanes (legally, mind you!). ”
While some conscientious owners may train their ESAs, no training of any sort is actually required. This is why they, like all other pets, are not permitted in places like restaurants, grocery stores, movie theatres, or other such places. They generally don’t have the temperament or training required to handle it. They also may not be dogs. Many ESAs are dogs, of course, but the “A” in ESA means that any species can theoretically qualify as a person’s emotional support animal. This is how people gaming the system have gotten animals like turkeys, pigs, and snakes onto airplanes (legally, mind you!). Only handlers of service dogs or miniature horses have general public access right with their animals; the sheer variety of animals that can function as ESAs is another reason their owners don’t have the right to be accompanied by them in public.
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