ADA Service Dog Registration – What You Need To Know

Service animals are life-changing for people with both physical and mental disabilities. According to ShareAmerica, nearly half a million service dogs are helping people with disabilities every day. These animals drastically improve the quality of their handlers’ lives. They are trained to perform tasks that their human owners cannot do on their own.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a federal law, protects these animals and their owners’ rights. Under the ADA, service dogs are allowed to enter most public and private businesses with their handlers.

There is often some confusion surrounding the legalities of service animals. Who qualifies to own a service animal? How is a disability defined? How does the training for an ADA service dog work?

If you or a loved one require a service animal to lead a fulfilling life, we have the information you need. Read on to learn more about the legalities of ADA service dog registration and related topics.

How Does The ADA Define a Disability?

The ADA defines a disability as a mental or physical impairment that severely limits a significant everyday activity.

To have a service animal and be protected under the ADA, you must have a record of substantial impairment. The ADA does not recognize minor impairments.

The ADA considers you to be substantially impaired if your ability to do any of the following is restricted or severely limited:

• Breathe
• Walk
• Speak
• Hear
• See
• Perform manual tasks
• Learn

As long as your animal performs an essential task for you, the definition of disability under the ADA is pretty broad. You can have a physical, psychiatric, sensory, intellectual, or mental disability to qualify.

What Disabilities Qualify For Service Dogs Under the ADA?

You may train a dog to assist with many tasks that you can’t complete due to a disability. Any work that the animal does must be directly related to the person’s condition.

These are some of the most common disabilities that a service animal is qualified for under the ADA:

• Deafness: An ADA service dog can help an individual with partial or complete deafness. This animal is trained to help its handler respond to sounds like oven timers, telephones, alarm clocks, doorbells, smoke alarms, or babies’ cries. It will often lead the owner to the source of the sound.
• Blindness: People with partial or complete blindness can often benefit from a dog’s assistance. The animal will help its handler navigate in public places like restaurants and grocery stores. It can even assist the handler with crossing a busy street.
• Paralysis: Someone who is paralyzed will have trouble completing simple everyday tasks like picking up dropped items. A dog can help an individual who uses a wheelchair retrieve dropped items.
• Diabetes: People with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels. This can be difficult to do if they are busy at work or completing other tasks throughout the day. A dog can be trained to detect a particular scent on the human breath that indicates low blood sugar levels. When a dog makes this observation, it will nudge or paw at the handler to alert them to eat something or take their insulin.
• Epilepsy: An ADA service dog can be trained to assist a handler through a seizure even before the symptoms show up. Once the dog detects a potential seizure, it can bark to alert the handler or retrieve medicine. According to Epilepsy.com, seizure service dogs can also help their handlers make their way to the floor before a seizure begins and prevent injuries.
• PTSD or another anxiety disorder: PTSD or psychiatric service dogs can help veterans, victims of abuse, or people with generalized anxiety and other mental health problems. These animals can interrupt panic episodes and bouts of anxiety. They can also awake their owners from nightmares in the middle of the night.

These are just a few disabilities that service animals can assist their handlers with. If you have a different disability and a trained animal can help you complete an essential task, you are likely eligible for a service dog.

With this in mind, we need to make the distinction between service dogs and emotional support animals.

Emotional support animals (ESAs) are not protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. ESAs provide companionship and help alleviate feelings of loneliness. They are not trained to perform specific tasks.

Does The ADA Require Service Animals To Be Professionally Trained?

No. Anyone with a service animal may train their animal themselves. They do not need to enlist the help of a professional service dog training program, though it is always recommended.

With this being said, you should know that animals who are currently going through training are not protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. They need to complete their training to be recognized.

Whichever kind of dog you choose to start training, you should look for one that has the following characteristics:

• Attentive with a strong ability to maintain focus
• Ready to work in an instant
• Confident but not dominant
• Friendly and people-oriented
• A steady temperament and an ability to stay calm in crowds

An animal that naturally has these characteristics will be easier to train and turn into your full-time service dog.

Does The ADA Require a Service Dog To Be Registered?

No. People with disabilities do not need to register their service dogs.

You also do not have to identify your dog. It’s quite common for handlers to identify their animals using vests, tags, and collars. This helps business owners understand why the animal is present and prevents questions from arising. However, you can choose not to identify your dog if you do not want to. Any business will still have to respect its presence and the tasks it’s trained to perform.

If you choose to, you can sign up for voluntary registration. Universities and other institutions often offer these voluntary registries. These databases ensure that people are aware of service dogs’ presence in case of an emergency. These databases are entirely voluntary. If your local government or any other body tries to force you to sign up, you have the right to refuse them.

How Can I Register My Service Dog?

According to federal law, public and private businesses cannot ask for proof of a service dog’s status.

However, handlers need to follow state and local laws for their dogs. This includes being up to date with vaccinations and other registrations and licenses. Check with your state and local authorities for specific requirements you need to meet.

You can also register your service dog through Service Dog Registration Of America. This is free to do and will send you relevant legal updates so you can stay in-the-know.

Conclusion

Service dogs can significantly help people with disabilities. No matter if the owner suffers from poor mental health requires psychiatric service or has a debilitating physical condition. A trained dog can assist them through their daily lives.

Before you or a loved one go out into public with a service animal, you should be wholly familiar with this guide. While you will enjoy the ADA’s protection, local governments may have specific guidelines to meet.

Having this knowledge will help you know your rights under the ADA and receive optimal benefits from your service animal.