Collection: All About Therapy Dogs

Therapy Dogs and their Handlers have no Legal rights. A Therapy Dog provides affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas. Institutions may invite, limit, or prohibit access to therapy dogs. If allowed, these institutions will have their own requirements for Therapy Animals.

Therapy dogs are not Service Animals or Psychiatric Service Dogs. A Service Animal or Psychiatric Service Dog has a skill which directly reduces the effect of a disability and so can legally accompany their disabled handler anywhere they can legally go.

In the United States, Service Animals are legally protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. As Therapy Dogs do not provide direct assistance they are not protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. – click to learn more about Service Animals and Psychiatric Service Dogs.

Additionally Therapy Dogs are not protected by the laws which grant access to Emotional Support Animals – click  to learn more about Emotional Support Animals.