The image shows four service dogs lying on the floor of the Chambers of the executive council at the state house in Concord New Hampshire. The dogs are wearing service vests in different colors (red, blue, black). The dogs include two black Labs, one smaller dog with a grayish coat, and a golden retriever. A wooden podium with a government seal is visible in the background, along with an American flag and another flag.
 The walls are wooden-paneled with brass door handles, adding to the formal setting.
 The dogs are calm and relaxed, one of them looking directly at the camera with its mouth open as if smiling.


What is a service animal?

ADA-Beginning on March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized as service animals under titles II and III of the ADA. A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. A full pdf can be found here.

In addition to the provisions about service dogs, the Department’s ADA regulations have a separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.

NH Law-“Service animal” means any dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for purposes of this definition. NH RSA 167-D:1 The full NH RSA can be found here.

The ADA and NH state law do not limit a service dog to any particular breed.

The ADA doesn’t require a service animal to wear a vest or patch or special harness identifying them as service animals.

Dogs that may wear vests but are not service dogs include;

Emotional support dogs that are prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to provide comfort to one person. They are not ADA-approved and do not have public access rights, though they may be permitted in housing or on certain flights.

Facility comfort dogs are specially trained service dogs are owned by an agency (police and fire departments, Department of Safety, Universities, Victim Advocates etc), passed extensive evaluations, been certified and are insured. The fact they are paired with an  agency means they only have access rights given to them by that agency – usually during a traumatic event. They work with a professional handler—like a doctor, therapist, or teacher—within a single facility, such as a hospital, school, or courtroom, to support multiple people in that setting. They are typically trained by accredited service dog organizations. Hero Pups, an organization out of Exeter, NH, has placed over 200 Service dogs with veterans and first responders and has placed 17 out of the 24 facility comfort dogs in the state, you can learn more about facility comfort dogs at their site!

Therapy dogs, on the other hand, are certified with their handler to provide comfort, connection, and support to many people—in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, recovery centers, and more. They are not ADA-approved, but they offer a powerful, low-cost, high-impact complement to traditional care. Learn more about therapy dogs at Thank God For Dogs.

Written by: Brendan Madden of Service Dogs NH, Laura Barker of Hero Pups, and Pamela Pearson of Thank God For Dogs