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FAQs
What is the difference between an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and a Service Dog?
Can I take my service dog on an airplane?
Is there a size limit for service dogs?
Can any animal be a service animal?
How do I get my service dog certified?
Do service dogs bark or growl?
Is this site affiliated with a government agency?
Can landlords, restaurants, or public places refuse service dogs?
Do service dogs fly for free?
What are businesses allowed to ask when I have my service dog with me?
What recourse do I have if a business does NOT follow the law and allow me the same access with my service dog?
Can a business ever ask me to leave when I’m with my service dog?
Is my service dog a Tax Write Off?
Is my dog required to wear any identifying clothes or a harness?
What if I want to register my dog as an emotional support animal?
Can I charge a maintenance or cleaning fee for people who own service dogs?
Are service animals allowed in taxi cabs or Ubers/Lyfts?
How do I register my Service Dog?
What is the difference between an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and a Service Dog?
Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack. Service animals are working animals. They are not pets. Further, the task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. A dog whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support does not qualify as service animals under the ADA. If you have an emotional support animal, please visit our website at esaregistration.org. To qualify for an emotional support animal a person must have a mental health professional determine that the presence of a dog provides therapeutic value to its owner. Read more
Can I take my service dog on an airplane?
Yes. Many of the airlines will ask that you notify them in advance of travel that a service dog will be accompanying you. We recommend informing the airline at booking that you will have a service dog with you and let them know that your dog will be clearly marked. Read more
Is there a size limit for service dogs?
No. The ADA prohibits any discrimination so the size of your dog means nothing. Airlines are required to allow the dog to accompany you to your seat regardless of the size of your service dog. Read more
Can any animal be a service animal?
No. Under the ADA service animals are limited to dogs and miniature horses.
How do I get my service dog certified?
According to the ADA if a person has a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability they may qualify for a service dog. The service dog certification process takes place when training the dog or miniature horse to make sure it can care for its owner’s specific medical needs. There is also an additional training process that takes place between service animal and owner. When purchasing a service dog, the trainer might require personal references, agency referrals, and personal interview.
Do service dogs bark or growl?
Service dogs must be well behaved and trained to be in public places and should be well acclimated around people and other dogs. A service dog can be trained to bark should their handler need assistance.
Is this site affiliated with a government agency?
No. This site is not associated with any government agency. Its purpose is to educate the public and help service dog owners purchase supplies for their service dog.
Can landlords, restaurants, or public places refuse service dogs?
A service animal is not a pet. They are a protected class of animal that do not have to abide by a business or landlord’s no pet policies as long as they are well behaved.
Do service dogs fly for free?
Yes, service dogs are able to fly for free.
What are businesses allowed to ask when I have my service dog with me?
Business are limited when it comes to the questions they can ask service dog owners. A business is ONLY allowed to ask the following two questions:
- Is your dog a service dog?
- What duties does he/she perform?
They may NOT ask what your disability is or anything else. Read more
What recourse do I have if a business does NOT follow the law and allow me the same access with my service dog?
Businesses that do not follow the ADA laws are setting themselves up to a potential lawsuit. We recommend first writing a letter to the manager/owner of the establishment letting them know about your situation and try to resolve the matter in a quick and direct manner. In the worst case scenario, you can always find a lawyer that specializes in ADA cases. Read more
Can a business ever ask me to leave when I’m with my service dog?
The only time you may be asked to leave an establishment is if your dog is causing a disturbance. This may be caused by your dog barking, growling, being unruly, urinating or defecating in a business. Other than those reasons, the business may not ask you to just leave if your dog is not being a nuisance. Read more
Is my service dog a Tax Write Off?
Yes. The IRS allows deductions for expenses of caring for a service dog. This includes all of your expenses from vet bills, to food, to equipment and training. Read more
Is my dog required to wear any identifying clothes or a harness?
No. The ADA does not require service dogs to wear any type of clothing or harnesses. However, we strongly encourage this to save potential headaches in public. Read more
What if I want to register my dog as an emotional support animal?
If you mistakenly registered your dog as a service dog but it qualifies to be an emotional support animal, please visit our sister site: https://www.esaregistration.org. By registering your dog as an ESA you will receive similar updates as one would for this site, but geared toward emotional support animals. ESA Registration works with a team of therapists throughout the country to provide HIPAA compliant video assessments to see if a person qualifies for a support animal along with supplying the same identifying products that can help an ESA owner in public. Read more
Can I charge a maintenance or cleaning fee for people who own service dogs?
No. Individuals who rely on service animals cannot be charged an extra fee that is not typically charged to non disabled individuals.
Are service animals allowed in taxi cabs or Ubers/Lyfts?
Yes. Drivers or cabs or ride shares cannot discriminate against individuals with disabilities and cannot charge higher rates for passengers that rely on service animals.
How do I register my Service Dog?
Very simple. Fill out the short form on our homepage and you will be registered in our email database to receive quarterly updates on legal changes, dog training programs, and fun and useful tips for service dogs and pet owners that can impact your daily life. Once registered you will also be able to purchase products on our site that assist with service dog identification. Simply registering your or purchasing products does not make your pet into a service dog. Read more