Service Dogs, Emotional Support Animals and Therapy Dogs
Under US federal rules and in British Columbia, only trained service dogs get public access rights. What the rules say about support and therapy animals.
Written by thecanineledger
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The US Department of Justice says: “Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.” (US Department of Justice, ADA Requirements: Service Animals, last updated 28 February 2020). The ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act.
While an emotional support animal can matter a great deal to its owner, the law treats it differently from a service dog. Online “registrations” don’t change that. This page sets out the US federal rules and the rules in British Columbia. It doesn’t cover other countries, provinces or US states.
Our note: This page covers US federal law and British Columbia only. US state law may differ.
1. What a service dog is in the US
The definition. “A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.” The task “must be directly related to the person’s disability.”
Examples. The page lists guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair and helping during a seizure, among others.
What staff can ask. “Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform.”
What staff can’t ask. “Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.”
When a dog can be removed. Only if “(1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken.”
State law can differ. “Some State and local laws also define service animal more broadly than the ADA does.”
2. Flying in the US
The 2020 rule. The US Department of Transportation changed the rules for air travel in December 2020. The rule took effect on 11 January 2021 (US Department of Transportation, Traveling by Air With Service Animals, Federal Register, 10 December 2020).
Support animals. “Carriers are not required to recognize emotional support animals as service animals and may treat them as pets.” That means an airline may charge pet fees and apply its pet rules.
Service dogs. The rule covers “a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks” for a person with a disability, including a psychiatric disability.
Forms. Airlines may ask for “a form, developed by DOT, attesting to the animal’s training and good behavior”. For flights of eight hours or more, they may also ask for a form on how the dog will relieve itself.
Two dogs at most. The rule lets airlines limit each passenger to “two service animals.”
Our note: We read the 2020 rule. Each airline’s own pet policy may also apply.
3. British Columbia
Certification is voluntary. The province’s page says: “certification under the Act is voluntary.” (Government of British Columbia, Guide Dog and Service Dog Certification, last updated 9 October 2026). The Act is the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act.
Without certification. Handlers who don’t certify “may be protected from discrimination under the BC Human Rights Code”.
Support and therapy animals. “Therapy animals and emotional support animals, including dogs, are not eligible for certification under the Act.”
Passing a dog off. “It is a Guide Dog and Service Dog Act offence to represent a dog as a guide or service dog when it is not.”
Our note: We haven’t checked other provinces.
4. Therapy dogs
A different job. A therapy dog visits hospitals, schools or care homes to comfort other people. Neither the ADA page nor the 2020 air rule treats it as a service dog. In British Columbia, it can’t be certified.
Our note: The description of therapy dogs is ours. The US pages we read don’t define them.
→ Your Dog, Your Rights, and Other People’s Rules · → Renting With a Dog: What Landlords Can and Can’t Do
5. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “Register your dog online to make it a service dog” | No. Under the ADA, staff can’t require an ID card or training papers. In British Columbia, certification is through the province. |
| “Emotional support animals are banned from planes” | No. Airlines may treat them as pets, under the 2020 rule. |
| “Only certain breeds can be service dogs” | No. The 2020 air rule says “regardless of breed or type”. |
| “A vest proves it’s a service dog” | No. Staff can’t require identification under the ADA. |
| “The same rules apply in every US state” | No. Some state and local laws define service animals more broadly. |
Sources
- US Department of Justice. ADA Requirements: Service Animals. Originally issued 1 July 2011, last updated 28 February 2020. ⚠️ not peer-reviewed. Government guidance
- US Department of Transportation. Traveling by Air With Service Animals. Final rule, Federal Register, 10 December 2020, document 2020-26679. ⚠️ not peer-reviewed. Federal rule, effective 11 January 2021
- Government of British Columbia. Guide Dog and Service Dog Certification. Last updated 9 October 2026. ⚠️ not peer-reviewed. Government guidance
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