44 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JUNE 2020
PRESS PETS
PAWS
HELPING SERVICE ANIMAL PRIMER
BY ALLISON MATOS
Walk around an airport, visit a hospital,
or even dine at a restaurant and you’ll
find service animals in action. But what
services do they provide?
There are three levels of working animals:
service dogs, therapy dogs, and emotional
support animals, explains Linda Keehn, a
certified dog behavior consultant, certified
professional dog trainer, therapy dog
evaluator, and owner of Positive Canine
Training, LLC in Lindenhurst.
“Service dogs perform tasks as defined
by the American Disability Act (ADA),”
she says. “Their main focus is mitigating
their handler’s disability, whether it be
medical or psychiatric.”
It can take years of rigorous training before
dogs can be certified as service dogs.
Service dogs have full public access with
no restrictions.
“It’s important to note that under the
ADA, a service dog is not required to
wear a vest, so one way of identifying
a true service dog is to observe
their focused behavior on their
handler,” she notes.
Following in the service
dog’s pawsteps is
the therapy dog.
These are the dogs
found in hospitals,
nursing homes, and
schools. Therapy dogs
are thoroughly trained,
tested, and insured by
accredited therapy dog
organizations. An important
distinction between therapy and
service dogs is that therapy dogs are not
granted full public access; they are only
allowed where they have been invited.
Gaining popularity is the emotional
support animal, which provides support
to handlers with
emotional issues.
“The emotional support
animal does
not require any
specific training,
however the owner
must obtain and provide
documentation
from a mental health
provider stating
the animal used
provides assistance
with a mental health
issue,” Keehn notes.
But if you’re thinking
about using your pet as an emotional
support animal, you may need to think
twice.
“While you may feel comforted by
your dog, airports and airplanes are
scary places for animals who are not
properly trained to handle such situations,
so if you are considering this
path, consider looking into obedience/
therapy training first,” says Keehn.
Currently, emotional support animals
are restricted to airport/airplane and
housing access only.
If you are interested in learning more,
check resources wisely. Keehn suggests
contacting nonprofit service dog organizations
or contacting an organization
that specializes in the disability at hand.
“You can hire a trainer to train your
own dog as a service dog, but buyer
beware,’’ says Keehn. “Dog training
is an unregulated field, so be sure to
visit facilities, see their trained dogs in
action, and get references from other
handlers.”
For more information, visit
positivecaninetraining.com
Service dogs, therapy pets,
and emotional support animals
are not all the same.
(Getty Images)
MAKE YOUR
GIFT DOUBLE
AND SAVE
TWICE AS
MANY LIVES!
Join North Shore Animal League America on
June 10 for Giving Day and help us save twice
as many homeless dogs and cats. Swiffer® will be
doubling donations – dollar for dollar – up to $150,000! **
MAKE YOUR GIVING DAY
GIFT GO 2x AS FAR:
animalleague.org/givingday
OR CALL TOLL FREE:
877.472.8373 IF YOU DON’T
SAVE THEM,
** Gifts given now thru 6/14/20 count towards our giving day! WHO WILL?
ARE YOU
ONE OF THE
BEST?
WE KNOW YOU’RE
NODDING YES.
BETHPAGE BEST OF L.I. 2021
NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN
BESTOFLONGISLAND.COM
(516) 962-3700
/givingday
/positivecaninetraining.com
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/BESTOFLONGISLAND.COM
