I think some people are confusing "service" animals with "therapy"
animals. I believe the question had to do with service animals. Service
animals are animals that have been trained to assist people with
various types of disabilities. In the United States, the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as any guide dog,
signal dog, or other animal "individually trained to do work or perform
tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability." I suppose the
most recognized service animals are "seeing eye dogs". Service animals
are NOT considered pets under the law, giving them many more rights
than our pets have. They are protected under federal law and cannot be
prevented from entering public places with their human.

I believe the people who responded were actually talking about therapy
animals. These are pets who are certified to visit long-term care
facilities, day treatment programs, assisted living residences, rehab
facilities, etc. There is no federal protection nor is there any
guarantee that they will be allowed to enter any public place. There
is an assessment and training period, with final certification by the
Delta Society, a national non-profit organization. In this area, the
program is called ComForT (Companions For Therapy, I believe).

Katharine
Florida

[Posted in FML 6206]