Originally published 2021-05-17. Article reviewed by Anything Pawsable on October 4, 2026. Original publication: 2021-05-17.
For ADA public access, a service animal is a dog individually trained to do disability-related work or tasks. The dog may assist with physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disabilities.
Examples include guiding a person with vision loss, alerting to a relevant sound or retrieving an item. A diagnosis alone does not establish that a particular task or dog is suitable. Comfort from the dog's presence alone is different from trained work.
ADA service dogs do not need a certificate, registry membership or special vest. Other settings, including housing, employment and airline travel, have separate rules.
The ADA also has a separate reasonable-modification provision for individually trained miniature horses. Other species are excluded from its service-animal definition; housing assistance-animal rules use a broader category.