Originally published 2024-03-12. Emergency transport and hospital access updated by Anything Pawsable on October 4, 2026.
Include your service dog in your emergency plan. Keep a trusted backup caregiver’s contact details with the information you want emergency responders to have.
Ambulance transport
Under DOJ guidance, a service dog generally may accompany its handler in an ambulance. If crowding and the dog’s presence would interfere with emergency treatment, staff should arrange another way to transport the dog to the hospital.
Hospital care
Service dogs generally may accompany patients in areas where patients or members of the public may go. The patient remains responsible for the dog’s care and supervision. If you cannot provide care, arrange help from someone you trust. The hospital must give you an opportunity to make arrangements before boarding the dog or making other appropriate care arrangements.
Prepare useful information
Keep veterinary records, medication instructions, your dog’s care routine, and backup contacts accessible. A vest, registry ID, or training certificate is not an ADA entry requirement. Share medical information needed for your treatment with responders; public-access rules do not require you to explain your diagnosis merely to identify a service dog.
Practice comfortable handling and transport in gradual, reward-based steps. Planning makes separation easier to manage if another transport or care arrangement is necessary.