Is a Psychiatric Service Dog a Service Dog?

When most people think of service dogs, guide dogs for the blind are the most common type to come to mind. However, dogs are capable of providing aid for a number of different disabilities. This is because they are highly trainable, so the tasks they are trained to perform can be tailored to the needs of the person who will be receiving the dog.

Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSD) may not be as well-known amongst the general population, but they are service dogs nonetheless. We’ll be discussing what makes a service dog a service dog as well as the differences between PSDs and Emotional Support Animals (ESA).

We’ll also cover the different laws that protect service animals and what these laws do for PSDs and their handlers. Finally, we’ll describe some of the tasks that PSDs are commonly trained to perform. You’ll learn why Psychiatric Service Dogs deserve their status as service animals and how they can help people with mental disabilities.

What Is a Service Dog?

To better understand how a Psychiatric Service Dog fits under the umbrella of service animals, let’s look at the definition of a service animal. The official definition of a service animal comes from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an act that was created to protect disabled members of the community from discrimination.

According to the ADA, a service animal is a dog that is “trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” These tasks must also be directly related to the person’s disability. Psychiatric Service Dogs are trained to perform tasks that focus on mitigating mental health disabilities such as (but not limited to) anxiety, PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder, and OCD.

Psychiatric Service Dogs must undergo extensive training to learn how to perform tasks that will benefit their handlers. They must also be able to behave in various public settings. Therefore, PSDs are recognized as service animals under the ADA.

What Is the Difference Between an ESA and PSD?

Some people get Emotional Support Animals mixed up with Psychiatric Service Dogs because they have somewhat similar functions, but they are not at all the same. An ESA is not a service animal, but a PSD is.

Emotional Support Animals are used to provide comfort, relieve stress, and alleviate symptoms of mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. However, ESAs do not undergo the extensive training that a PSD must. Instead, they provide these benefits simply through their existence and companionship and are not trained to perform tasks.

Psychiatric Service Dog Rights

Because Psychiatric Service Dogs are working animals, they are afforded certain rights that companion dogs are not. These rights are protected by a number of different laws.

The Americans With Disabilities Act

We’ve briefly mentioned the ADA already, but it is one of the most important as it protects the rights of disabled citizens and their service dogs. It also provides definitions and guidelines that businesses, landlords, and other entities must abide by.

For instance, the ADA requires businesses, workplaces, and other institutions to allow and accommodate service animals on the premises. It also protects service animal users from invasive questions.

Under the ADA, there are only two questions that can be asked of a service animal handler. The first is if the dog is required for a disability. The second is “what tasks has the dog been trained to perform?”

No other questions are permitted, nor is it permissible for a service dog to be required to demonstrate its training. Businesses and other such entities cannot ask for documentation, either.

The Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) ensures that no one will be turned away from any type of housing because of their disability. Furthermore, it requires landlords to accommodate assistance animals, including Psychiatric Service Dogs.

Under the Fair Housing Act, housing providers must allow assistance animals to live with their handlers, even if the housing doesn’t typically allow pets. Furthermore, it is illegal for a landlord to require a pet fee for those living with their service dogs.

The Air Carrier Access Act

The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) protects handlers and their service dogs while flying. This includes Psychiatric Service Dogs. Under this act, service dogs are permitted to fly with their handlers in the cabins of airplanes free of charge.

An airline cannot refuse a passenger due to their service animal, regardless of the dog’s breed. This is true even if the breed of the service dog is included on an airline’s banned breeds list. However, airlines are allowed to require those traveling with PSDs to fill out a form prior to their flight.

Furthermore, airlines have the right to refuse cabin access to a dog that is aggressive or otherwise unruly. They can choose to have such dogs moved to cargo and charge the handler a transportation fee. However, because Psychiatric Service Dogs are highly trained, this usually is not an issue.

State and Local Laws

Though service dogs are protected by the acts we previously explained, sometimes, state laws differ. However, both the ADA and FHA take precedence over state laws. Therefore, even if a state’s definition of a service dog would exclude Psychiatric Service Dogs, they will still be afforded all of the rights outlined by the ADA.

Sometimes, state laws provide extra protections for service dogs on top of what is provided by the ADA. For example, the state of Wisconsin allows service dogs in training many of the benefits (such as public access) that fully-trained service dogs receive. The ADA, on the other hand, does not provide service dogs in training with the same rights as fully-trained working dogs.

What Tasks Can PSDs Perform?

As we’ve mentioned, a service dog is defined as a dog that is trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities. In the case of Psychiatric Service Dogs, these tasks are specifically catered to alleviating the symptoms of various mental health issues.

Here are some of the tasks a PSD might perform to help their handler:

• Wake their handler up
• Wake their handler up from nightmares
• Provide stimulation via touch
• Provide grounding during moments of fear and anxiety
• Use their body as a physical barrier between the handler and their surroundings to create a safe space
• Retrieve items
• Retrieve medication and beverages
• Remind their handler to take medication at a specific time
• Carry objects
• Close doors, cabinets, and drawers
• Help with daily chores like laundry
• Help their handler undress
• Navigate crowds
• Interrupt anxious or repetitive behaviors
• Interrupt self-harming behaviors
• Provide deep pressure therapy
• Reduce fear occurring in public or crowded spaces
• Provide balance assistance
• Get help for their handler

This list can give you a good idea of what a PSD can do, but you can train your PSD to perform additional tasks specific to what you need.

PSDs Are Service Animals

Psychiatric Service Dogs are trained to perform tasks that alleviate their handlers’ disabilities, which qualifies them as service animals. These dogs are different from Emotional Support Animals because ESAs do not require any training at all.

There are a number of laws that protect Psychiatric Service Dogs and their handlers, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, The Fair Housing Act, and the Air Carrier Access Act. There are even some states that provide additional protections through state law.

Psychiatric Service Dogs can help with many mental health disabilities because they can be trained to perform several beneficial tasks. For instance, they can interrupt anxious or repetitive behaviors and provide grounding during panic attacks.

These dogs can remind their owners to take medication and bring the medication to them. There are so many tasks a PSD can perform that greatly improve their handler’s quality of life. Though they are sometimes overlooked as service dogs by the general public, PSDs are working animals who deserve respect.