Is every pet a "therapy" pet?

[Adina P]

I'm sure we all agree that pets, especially our doodles, are very therapeutic. But it seems I'm hearing of more and more people abusing the term "therapy" and using it as an excuse to get their pets privileges.

A few months ago a tenant in a property that Clark manages claimed the cat he had acquired (which came after the no-pet rental contract was signed) was a 'therapy' cat.

Recently a prospective tenant for a different property asked about pets. When she heard there was a no-pets rule, she also claimed her cat was a therapy cat because she was bipolar.

To me that's taking it too far and taking advantage of the system. Of course neither of these individuals claimed 'service dog' status and didn't seem to know the correct terminology, but SHOULD any pet owner be allowed to rent or enter a no-pets allowed property for any reason as long as they claim their dog is a service/therapy dog?

Shouldn't some certification be required? Should the dog actually serve a purpose (perform a service or needed task) beyond making the person feel good?

[Michele Barton]

My daughter is bipolar along with several other disorders, and she has a cat in her no-pet apartment. I don't know if she has a certificate or doctor's note, but she really does need her cat to cope. She doesn't take her out in public, just having her at home is enough. Unfortunately, there are always people who take advantage of the generosity of others and lie/cheat to get what they want. My mom volunteers at an emergency relief center (church-related) that provides food, clothing, rent/heat money for those in need, and they have their share of people who lie to get something they don't need or deserve. She doesn't worry about it, saying that it is better to continue helping those in need, and leave the not-so-honest ones to God and their own conscience. I sure do love my mom.

[Adina P]

I don't in any way mean to put down people's needs and conditions. It's just a tough call...I'm assuming she got permission in advance, etc. It's a tough call for property managers and owners because regardless of what a cat can do for someone...a cat can also very easily soil an apartment pretty badly...it happens quite often.

[Michele Barton]

Oh I know, Adina. She had to pay a hefty deposit in order to have the cat. It's definitely a tough call, I was just giving the discussion another perspective. There's no clear-cut answer to this problem.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Huge difference when you talk about a therapy dog vs. a Service Animal
Therapy dogs/animails are Certified, and actually that certification can start by taking the CGC through the AKC. for PA, not sure about other states.

A therapy dog is a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, with people with learning difficulties and stressful situations such as disaster areas.

Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. The most important characteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. A good therapy dog must be friendly, patient, confident, at ease in all situations, and gentle. Therapy dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily.

A therapy dog's primary job is to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with it and to enjoy that contact. Children in particular enjoy hugging animals; adults usually enjoy simply petting the dog. The dog might need to be lifted onto, or climb onto, an invalid's lap or bed and sit or lie comfortably there. Many dogs contribute to the visiting experience by performing small tricks for their audiences or by playing carefully structured games.

Many dog owners complete AKC Canine Good Citizen® ( CGC) training and testing as a prerequisite to therapy dog certification. While the AKC does not certify therapy dogs, this is a fabulous beginning to your therapy dog career. We strongly encourage owners to continue training beyond CGC in order to develop some off-leash control, increase the dog's reliability, and to further enhance the bond that has been built during CGC training.

We are very proud that so many CGC dogs and their owners volunteer their time to improve the lives of other people. There are national therapy dog groups (and in some cities local groups) that certify therapy dogs. Therapy Dogs International (TDI) uses the AKC Canine Good Citizen test as a key component of its therapy dog assessment.

In the broad spectrum Therapy dogs are the dogs to make people feel good, Service Animals provide a Service for a disability

SERVICE ANIMALS - there is such a wide variety for the use of SERVICE ANIMALS that there is no one test the ADA can come up with. Not every dog is trained to do what another dog does for individuals with their specific disability. Some dogs are trained for the blind, some for people who suffer from seizures, and yes even some for mentally handicapped. Most people who do have disabilites will have documentation from their DOCTOR, OR get CERTIFICATION for the Dog that it has been trained for the use as a SERVICE DOG.

Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. This federal law applies to all businesses open to the public, including restaurants, hotels, taxis and shuttles, grocery and department stores, hospitals and medical offices, theaters, health clubs, parks, and zoos, along with housing.
Businesses may ask if an animal is a service animal or ask what tasks the animal has been trained to perform, but cannot require special ID cards for the animal or ask about the person's disability.

People with disabilities who use service animals cannot be charged extra fees, isolated from other patrons, or treated less favorably than other patrons. However, if a business such as a hotel normally charges guests for damage that they cause, a customer with a disability may be charged for damage caused by his or her service animal.


A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the animal is out of control and the animal's owner does not take effective action to control it (for example, a dog that barks repeatedly during a movie) or (2) the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.


In these cases, the business should give the person with the disability the option to obtain goods and services without having the animal on the premises.

Businesses that sell or prepare food must allow service animals in public areas even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on the premises.


A business is not required to provide care or food for a service animal or provide a special location for it to relieve itself.

Allergies and fear of animals are generally not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people with service animals.
If you have additional questions concerning the ADA and service animals, please call the Department's ADA Information Line at [phone] (voice) or [phone] (TTY) or visit the ADA Business Connection at ada.gov.

Both my dogs are covered under the ADA with my Doctors letter which I carry with me where ever we go, and if anyone ask, I gladly offer it. Hannah is fantastic to shop with and does her job, she is also Therapy dog tested and CGC tested and it becomes harder for them when they are both, Service animals should not be disturbed while working, I allow people to interact with my dogs, because they are used and trained for both Service/and Therapy dogs.

"Shouldn't some certification be required? Should the dog actually serve a purpose (perform a service or needed task) beyond making the person feel good? " As you stated Adina, there are people with Cerebral Palsey or other mental diseases (kids with ADD, Autusim) who have Service dogs that just make the person feel good! The certifications that are out there I find it to be amazing how easy it is to say your animal is a Service dog. Most Service dogs are actually individually trained, because there are so many disabled people, supply and demand can not keep up. I honestly feel if a person is disabled they should carry a letter from their Doctor stating the individual is in need of the use of a Service Animal. They do not need to go into details as to why, but you can carry this letter even if its written on a doctors script.

[Adina P]

I agree that details about the illness need NOT be mentioned. But to me doctor's letter doesn't seem enough for a dog (maybe a cat is different as they can pretty much be held or contained) to go anywhere. While each service dog has a different task, it seems a general service dog test should contain a rigorous obedience test--regardless of the actual service task, shouldn't all service dogs be able to pass an obedience test with flying colors? Service dogs, to me, should be the picture of manners and obedience. Otherwise, hey, I could train a semi-obedient service dog =) and make some gooooood money doing it

If Rosco were wholly untrained (and he's not any obedience champion but well behaved) but made me feel WONDERFUL and eased symptoms of some illness in me...his use for ME might be great, but should he be trusted in any public situation?

[Christy and Yoda]

I just wanted to clarify that service dogs for children with autism are not necessarily just there to "make the person feel good". I personally know a family that has a service labradoodle. The dog has many jobs, including preventing elopement, soothing during tantrums, decreasing and redirecting self-stimulatory and self-injurious behaviors and many others. Also, since Cerebral Palsy is a disability that affects muscle movement and coordination, I suspect that their service dogs also have more jobs than just making a person feel good.

With that being said, Adina, I agree that there should be some sort of standard for a service dog. I agree that people with a service dog should not be forced to reveal or prove their disability in order to be allowed access into a facility, but I don't see a problem with implementing a training/obedience standard.

[ClarkP]

Adina and I have three dogs between us and that didn't stop US from eloping. ;-)

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Why would a Doctor put his reputation on the line saying someone is Disabled and they not be. To much for that Doctor to loose now a days, if someone's father is a Doctor and lies to get his kid out of Gym, it's exactly what it is.....and what a standard for a parent to even consider setting..let alone being a Doctor who has taken an Oath, two different extremes....

"If Rosco were wholly untrained (and he's not any obedience champion but well behaved) but made me feel WONDERFUL and eased symptoms of some illness in me...his use for ME might be great, but should he be trusted in any public situation?"
Yes if he was trained properly in the first place. ADA rule is "A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the animal is out of control and the animal's owner does not take effective action to control it (for example, a dog that barks repeatedly during a movie) or (2) the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others."

No dog is ever 100%, even with the best of training, there is no way anyone even on this site can say there dog would not bite or go for someone or something (another dog, cat, squirrel..etc..) at any given time, wether it's to protect or otherwise.

[Adina P]

I guess my concern is not merely about whether a person can prove a disability....it's does their dog immediately get 'rights' without proof of it's training and ability to HELP the person with the disability and it's privilege to gain public access. Susie Smth MAY have a legitimate need ...but does her dog automatically be counted as a service dog without testing. A doctor's note may prove the need but docs aren't dog experts and can't prove the service giver is capable and worthy of privilege.

[F, Calla & Luca]

not alll people are 100% either.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

First of all, I agree that there is a huge difference between Therapy and Service dogs. It would take years for me to get a Service dog for Cody and that isn't necessarily what I want. It doesn't just make him "feel good". It reduces his anxiety which can make a situation bearable for him. New situations can be extremely difficult for a person with ASD and calming them is a must. It can mean the difference between a tantrum and No tantrum which is huge for me trying to take him places. It is not just to make him FEEL GOOD.

Maybe there should be another category for dogs like this. It isn't really a service or therapy dog. But right now there isn't so I would do whatever I needed to do to be able to take Yankee to public places with Cody. I will get him certified as a therapy dog if it will open doors.

There should also be a way to get an off leash certificate as well, maybe a test or something.

All dogs were banned from Cody's school as well. I couldn't get him to go to school without Yankee. The school had to compromise so we are allowed to bring Yankee but not all the way to the front door. There is one child that is afraid of dogs so this was the reason for not letting Yankee go to the front door. How do you determine which child's needs are more important?

I do agree that if someone rents a place with a no pets policy, they shouldn't be allowed to get one after the fact. They agreed to the lease terms and that is a contract.

[Adina P]

There are trainers I know working with their cities/counties(?) toward off leash certification laws...I think it's pretty cool. From what I understand police would not go around hunting off leash dogs, but if an off leash dog was causing trouble...and had NO certificate, there would probably be a fine for the owner. I don't recall exactly though...I'm on a tangent now.