Myths

Common misconceptions about service dogs.

All service dogs work with blind or visually impaired people.: Service dogs work with people who have all sorts of disabilities. Guide dogs were first type of service dog to be legally recognized and as a result they have had the greatest public impact. However, after guide dogs were well established, hearing dogs came into the picture, then mobility dogs, and from there the variety of uses for service dogs has simply exploded.

All service dogs are trained by organizations who are certified/registered/licensed to train service dogs.: In the United States, anyone can train a service dog. While many service dogs are trained by organizations who specialize in training service dogs, an increasing number of service dogs are trained by private trainers or by the dog's handler. Service dog schools and trainers are not required to be licensed or registered. The only exception to this is guide dog trainers in California, who must be certified by the California Guide Dog Board.

Service dogs must be registered/certified/licensed/etc.: There is nothing in the ADA that states that service dogs must be recognized by any organization. Service dogs can be certified by the organization that trains them, but this certification has no legal backing as anyone can claim to train a service dog. In fact, there are a multitude of unscrupulous organizations on the internet such as SARA that offer identification and "certification" for service dogs if the handler pays a fee. These organizations offer a false sense of comfort to uninformed individuals by claiming to provide identification that will ease their access into public places while not doing anything to insure that the dog is appropriately trained. Some organizations, such as Top Dog will certify your dog with their organization, but insist on meeting with you and you must demonstrate your dog's ability in order to receive their certification. Once again though, NO certification is required, and certificates, registrations and other such documentation have no legal standing and can easily be made up on any decent computer (which is where most of them are produced).

Service dogs users must show identification or proof that their dog is a service dog if someone requests it.: False. There is no recognized organization that provides any valid identification or proof of training that can be used to obtain public access. Identification cards are strictly for the purpose of identifying through which program, if any, the dog was trained. These cards only indicate the dog was, at one point, trained to meet the standards of a private organization. Service dog users cannot be asked to provide any form of identification or proof for their dog outside of a court of law.

Service dogs must wear a harness, vest or cape that identifies them as a service dog.: Again, false. While most service dog users choose to identify their dog as a service dog in some fashion, it is not required by federal law.