Helpers & Heroes: Understanding Service Animals

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a service animal as one who provides assistance to a person with a disability. Within that larger definition, there are quite a few variations of what a service animal is and does. Different types of assistance animals perform different tasks, require different types of training, and have different legal rights. To help make sense of this confusing topic, we’ve put together an infographic outlining the most common types of service animals and what they do.

Note: Any animal can be a service animal, from cats to ducks to ferrets to snakes. However, the majority of service animals are dogs. For the sake of simplicity we’ve limited this information to dogs, but we recognize that all animals have the capacity to offer humans support and love.

Tagged Emotional Support Animal, Infographic, Service Animals, Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs