Assistance dogs are specially trained animals that provide crucial support to individuals with disabilities or long-term medical conditions. These dogs undergo extensive training to perform a variety of tasks that can significantly improve their handler’s quality of life. For instance, guide dogs assist visually impaired individuals by helping them navigate their surroundings, ensuring they can move around safely. Medical alert dogs are trained to detect signs of an impending medical episode, such as a seizure or diabetic emergency, and alert their handlers in time to take preventive action. Similarly, assistance dogs for individuals with psychiatric conditions can remind their handlers to take essential medications, providing stability and helping manage mental health challenges.
In South Africa, people living with disabilities are protected by important rights under the Equality Act 2010. This legislation ensures that individuals with disabilities have access to public services and facilities without discrimination. When it comes to accessing services—whether in shops, cafes, on public transport, or other public spaces—assistance dogs are not seen as ordinary pets. Instead, they are considered essential “auxiliary aids,” similar to tools like a wheelchair or a white cane, which enable people with disabilities to lead more independent lives. As such, assistance dogs should be treated with the same respect and understanding as any other necessary support device.
Emotional Support Dogs
While there is no question that assistance dogs offer valuable companionship, emotional support dogs provide comfort and emotional reassurance primarily through their presence, without requiring the specialized training that assistance dogs undergo. Emotional support dogs play a crucial role in offering emotional well-being to their owners, often in situations where anxiety, stress, or other emotional challenges arise. However, the key difference lies in the fact that emotional support dogs are not trained to perform specific tasks related to mitigating a disability, unlike their assistance dog counterparts.
It’s essential to understand that emotional support dogs and highly trained psychiatric assistance dogs are distinct from one another. A person with a disability who depends on a highly trained assistance dog to help manage or alleviate the symptoms of a mental health condition should be afforded the same access to goods and services as any individual without a disability. These highly trained dogs are specifically trained to perform tasks that directly assist their owners, making them an integral part of their ability to navigate daily life, particularly in relation to mental health.
However, emotional support dogs are not specifically mentioned or referenced in the law. This means that service providers are generally not legally obligated to provide access to individuals with an emotional support dog in the same way they would to individuals with a service dog. As such, the AADSA holds the understanding that emotional support dogs do not receive the same legal protections regarding access to public spaces or services. Furthermore, none of our members provide emotional support dogs, as our focus remains on highly trained assistance dogs.
Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs and their handlers play an important role in providing comfort and emotional support to a wide range of individuals. They often visit various environments such as hospital wards, school classrooms, nursing homes, and other settings where people might benefit from their presence. The companionship and positive interactions that therapy dogs offer can help reduce stress, improve well-being, and bring a sense of joy to those in need.
However, it is important to note that none of our AADSA members or candidates currently offer specialized training for individuals who wish to train their dogs to become certified therapy dogs. If you are interested in pursuing this, we recommend reaching out to the charity Pets As Therapy, which provides guidance and support for people looking to have their dogs trained for this valuable role.
Written & Sourced By Iron Edge Design
