Each animal is trained to perform various tasks and provide a range of services.
A guide dog serves as a travel aid for a person with vision loss.
A hearing or signal animal alerts a person with hearing loss when a sound occurs, such as knock on the door or alarm.
Mobility assistance animals may carry, fetch, open doors, ring doorbells, activate elevator buttons, pull a wheelchair, steady a person or help someone get up after a fall.
A seizure response animal warns a person of an impending seizure or provides aid during a seizure such as going for help or standing guard over the person.
Therapeutic assistance animals aid people with cognitive or psychological disabilities by bringing a phone to the person in emergency, calling 911 or the suicide hotline, turning on the lights, fetching medication, barking for help in emergency or assisting a person with panic disorder coping in crowds.
Tips
What you should and should not do when communicating and interacting with someone who uses a service animal?
Do not request that the owner leave the animal in a different location, such as outside of your office or classroom.
Avoid petting or talking to a service animal: this distracts the animal from its tasks.
Do not feed or offer treats to the animal.
Avoid deliberately startling the animal.
Not all service animals wear special collars or harnesses. If you are not sure and it is necessary that you verify, it is okay to ask the owner if it is a service animal.
Remember that the owner is responsible for maintaining control over the animal at all times. You are not responsible for cleaning up after it or feeding it. You may provide water if the owner requests it.
Did You Know?
It’s important to remember that service animals are working. They go through extensive training to be of service to the person with a disability.
If they are petted and played with while harnessed, it confuses them and may mean that they are not available if the person requires their assistance at that time.
In fact, this can be very dangerous for the person with a disability and may put him or her at serious risk for accidents.
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