This article was written by Sopris Sun youth reporter Arthur Cherith.
Emotional support animals and service animals are two different things. But what fully defines each?
Service animals are dogs that, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) website, ada.gov, “are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” Under ADA, only dogs are legally recognized as service animals.
Service animals are trained to perform tasks specific to their owner’s needs. For example, some dogs are trained to alert a person with epilepsy before they have a seizure, or help protect a person who is experiencing a seizure. Service animals can also be trained to perform tasks like pulling a wheelchair or guiding people who are visually impaired.
Basically, service animals are trained to assist with a task that is specific to their owner’s disability. The types of services they perform are commonly within the realm two categories: alerting and physical support. Warning someone of an impending seizure or simply reminding another to take their medication are examples of alerting. Physical support might be guiding someone safely or assisting with mobility — like opening doors.
Emotional support animals, on the other hand, are not necessarily trained to perform a specific task, but rather can offer a sense of security. They are beneficial for individuals who struggle with psychological or emotional disorders, and can help to alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety or even post-traumatic-stress disorder. Unlike service animals, emotional support animals can be any animal, but they are not covered under ADA.
However, there are service dogs who assist people with psychological disorders and can be trained to give medication reminders, perform deep pressure therapy, interrupt impulsive or harmful behaviors, redirect attention in a panic attack or alert others when their person is in the midst of a crisis.
“The ADA makes a distinction between psychiatric-service animals and emotional support animals,” clarified the frequently-asked questions page of the ADA website. “If the dog has been trained to sense that an anxiety attack is about to happen and take a specific action to help avoid the attack or lessen its impact, that would qualify as a service animal. However, if the dog’s mere presence provides comfort, that would not be considered a service animal under the ADA.”
In an interview with Garfield County Environmental Health Specialist Rebecca Rogers, she pointed out that “A service animal is a working animal. Because they are specifically trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability, they are working all the time.” She continued, “Whereas [with] an assistance animal, there isn’t anything defined in the regulations.”
In Colorado, a business owner is permitted to ask two specific questions if they are unsure whether a dog is a service animal or not: “Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?” and “What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?” A service-dog owner is not required to provide documentation for the animal or proof of the nature of their disability.
In fact, “There is no such thing as a certification or a license or a registration for a service animal,” clarified Rogers. “There are a lot of individuals and organizations who sell animal certification or registration documents online, [but] these documents don’t hold any legitimacy.”
Emotional support animals are not permitted the same access as service dogs. “When we are talking about a retail food space, an emotional support animal cannot be allowed in,” stated Rogers.
Falsely claiming that a dog is a service animal can result in a fine up to $500.