Talk:Service dog

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I redirected assistance dog here. The term "service dog" is more common than "assistance dog." My family has a service dog, and in the five years we've had him, I've never heard anyone (including dog trainers and the such) refer to them as an "assistance dog." This should clear up any confusion. Most sevice dogs are generally Labrador retrievers. 24.229.25.11

There is a need to merge this page with the page on assistance dogs, I do not see redirecting as enough although it is a good start. It is confusing that there are 2 different pages under two different terms giving contradictory information, and neither of them particularly clear. In particular, we need significantly more clarity that while the terms are colloquially used interchangeably in the USA, in the rest of the world a dog which assists a disabled person is an Assistance dog, while a dog who works for police, military, fire and rescue, etc is a service dog. In the USA the Assistance Dogs International and other major organisations also promote the term 'assistance dog' as the legalistic and correct term. For that reason I would suggest that the page headed 'Assistance dogs' contain the main information on history etc currently residing on the Service dog page, which clear linking and signposting and information that in the USA the term 'service dog' may also be used to describe these, , while more information on other types of service dogs such as serch and rescue, police dogs, military dogs, etc is inserted on the service dog page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wheeled Ciara (talk • contribs) 10:27, 25 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

A comment was made this article has magazine style writing. I was careful to follow writing style about horse and dog training and pet care in Wikipedia as my guides.
see for example the writing style in this Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_training
which incoorporates similar language, special instructions, and commands, etc. English is not my first language and I am certain better writers knowledgeable about service dogs will improve the article and add more references and so on. Thank you. truehistoryjvbaTruehistoryjvba (talk) 10:31, 5 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The term "Assistance Dog" is common in the UK. "Service Dog" means the same thing in the US. https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.usage.english/JGBK-g9C2AE/b9licub2CgAJ Legal distinctions are something different. The American with Disabilities Act uses the term "Service Animal" https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm . The term “assistance animal” is used in the Fair Housing Act (of the US).http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/assistance-animals-tenants-rights.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

  "Differences between service animals and assistance animals

Service animals are categorized as animals trained to do a specific task for their owner. The most common example is a guide dog. Service animals are allowed in public accommodations because of the owner’s need for the animal at all times.

An assistance animal can be a cat, dog or other type of companion animal, and does not need to be trained to perform a service. The emotional and/or physical benefits from the animal living in the home are what qualify the animal as an assistance animal. A letter from a medical doctor or therapist is all that is needed to classify the animal as an assistance animal." And the term “service animal” is used in the Air Carrier Access Act (of the US) http://www.southwestada.org/html/topical/aircarrier/aircarrier_serviceanimals.html . Nehmo (talk) 22:13, 1 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Uploaded some new images to WikiCommons, which are good examples of service dogs at work. Should we add one or more?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Service_dog_at_the_doctor%27s_office_01.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Service_dog_at_restaurant.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Service_dog_on_escalator.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Service_dog_on_escalator_2.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Service_dog_being_hugged.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Service_dog_lying_on_child%27s_lap.jpg

Zipster969 (talk) 21:10, 3 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Prior content in this article duplicated one or more previously published sources. Copied or closely paraphrased material has been rewritten or removed and must not be restored, unless it is duly released under a compatible license. (For more information, please see

• http://fusion.net/story/352592/dont-get-a-fake-service-dog/
• http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/02/finally-colorado-is-cracking-down-on-service-dog-fraud.html
• http://dogtime.com/dog-health/general/20325-advocacy-column-fake-service-dogs-are-a-shame-and-a-crime
• https://www.animallaw.info/topic/table-state-assistance-animal-laws

This article was well written and has factual evidence rather than opinion. They do however, need to address the topic of "fake" service dogs. Those who get any dog and register them as an emotional support dog do not have actual service dogs. Some people do need dogs for emotional support and some use it just to their advantage to take their dogs wherever they want to go. It is not just shameful, it is in fact a crime. It is very hard to prove though, so many people get away with it.

http://dogtime.com/dog-health/general/20325-advocacy-column-fake-service-dogs-are-a-shame-and-a-crime

Jessjohnsonl (talk) 00:03, 12 September 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, I would like to check before making major changes to the page on this page and the page on Assistance dogs. At the moment there are 2 pages, both saying different things, but covering the same topic. The 'correct' term is assistance dog, as supported by Assistance Dog's International, the international body to which most member states in the world seek to affiliate. The term 'service dog' is used colloquially in the USA but not widely outside the USA, and most US law also still avoids this term, as it's technical meaning is wider than simply assistance dog, and also covers several other types of working dogs. I would like to move most of the information currently on the 'Service Dog' page onto the 'Assistance Dog' page, with a clear Disambiguation at the top to redirect anyone using the term 'service dog' to look specifically for information on dogs that support disabled people, as well as providing links to other types of service dogs, and a small discussion on controversies on service dogs in general. I would also like to move a small amount of information from the current assistance dog page back to the service dog page, as the information about dogs who work in court houses and schools are actually good examples of dogs who are service dogs, not assistance dogs so that information is also in the wrong place. I will also put up a copy of this on the Assistance dog page, but direct people here for a discussion on whether we should go ahead and do this, or if there are any other suggestions for resolving the issue. Many thanks Wheeled Ciara (talk) 21:01, 25 August 2018 (UTC) Wheeled Ciara[reply]

Comment I'm not sure merging is the right solution here because there are two concepts involved, with enough to say that it will be worth splitting. One is dogs intended to support disabled people, the other is broader and includes e.g. sniffer dogs, rescues dogs and (maybe) sled dogs. At the moment, both articles seem to focus on the former. I don't know which terms are best, but my reading of

main article}} template redirecting to Assistance dog for that meaning, and a hatnote should be added to Assistance dog for the broader term. I may be misunderstanding some nuance here, but that's my starting position. › Mortee _talk 21:23, 25 August 2018 (UTC)[reply

]

This is an unbiased and neutral Wikipedia Article that describes and explains the meaning of the term Service Dog along with the history and training. This information comes from many different reliable resources. One of which, that was used frequently throughout this article, is ADA or the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA site provides recent and factual information on the definition, rules, and exclusions of a service dog. Overall, the article stays on track with the topic and provides me with most the information I would want to know. Though I would like there to be information on the certification and registration process of getting a service dog; which can actually be retrieved from the ADA site. Jheddings3 (talk) 20:49, 31 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]