Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs) help people with disabilities regain independence and enjoy a better quality of life. Not only are these adorable companions a godsend for many with a severe psychiatric condition, but they receive numerous legal protections under both the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and state law.
If you’re living with a psychiatric disability in America, it might be worth getting a PSD of your own. Although it will require considerable time, effort, or expense, the benefits that owning a PSD entails will be well worth the hassle in the long run.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation on the internet regarding how to register a PSD. Some unscrupulous fly-by-night websites coax unsuspecting Americans into forking out for a useless letter or registration fee. The truth is there’s no service dog registration requirement whatsoever in the ADA, although an animal does have to be adequately trained to qualify as a PSD.
In this post, we cover the definition, tasks, eligible disabilities, entitlements, and training options concerning these helpful canine companions. That way, you’ll be able to make a well-educated decision when acquiring one of your own.
According to the ADA, a service dog is a dog that is “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” The ADA goes on to state that “the task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.”
Therefore, there are two essential requirements to consider.
A PSD is a specific type of service dog that performs tasks for people with psychiatric disabilities. In terms of legal protections, the ADA doesn’t differentiate between PSDs and other service dogs. Therefore, a PSD has the same legal rights as any other type of service dog, including guide dogs.
The ADA doesn’t require a PSD to be of a particular breed. However, most professional service dog trainers only agree to work with certain species (Labrador Retrievers, Poodles, German Sheperds, etc.) as these tend to achieve more favorable results.
Under the ADA, a service dog must be fully trained to qualify for legal protections. However, some state laws provide similar legal protections for service dogs in training, albeit with various conditions.
The ADA recognizes all psychiatric disabilities listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA DSM–5). These include, but are not limited to:
If you have a psychiatric disability listed in the APA DSM-5, you’re eligible to train a PSD.
A PSD must perform at least one task that directly assists someone with an eligible psychiatric disability. There’s no ADA requirement for a PSD to do more than one task.
The task(s) a PSD can perform depends on the disability of the handler. Some common examples include, but are not limited to:
If you have trained your dog to perform one of these or any other task that helps mitigate your psychiatric disability, it qualifies as a PSD.
Under the ADA, a person with a disability has the legal right to bring a service dog into any public accommodation (restaurants, schools, hotels, etc.), even if the establishment normally prohibits animals. A public accommodation cannot treat the handler differently or charge any extra fees.
Furthermore, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) grants people with disabilities the right to bring up to two service dogs into an aircraft cabin at no extra fee.
The Rehabilitation Act grants people with disabilities the right to bring a service dog into the workplace, provided the animal doesn’t pose a significant health and safety risk or cause undue hardship to the employer.
Finally, the Fair Housing Act grants people with disabilities the right to bring a service dog into housing, including rental agreements with a “no pet” clause. The landlord cannot charge a pet deposit or discriminate against the handler in any way.
Therefore, a person with a psychiatric disability can bring a PSD into public accommodations, transportation services (including aircraft), the workplace, and rental properties. These establishments cannot deny entry to the animal, charge extra fees, or treat the handler differently to other customers.
Nonetheless, a service dog and their handler must abide by certain conditions.
When accompanying its handler, a service dog must not display threatening or disruptive behavior. Examples include but are not limited to:
If the animal begins growling or barking, the handler must immediately correct the behavior. Should the handler fail to control the dog promptly, the establishment can ask the handler to remove the animal from their premises.
If a service dog bites or attempts to bite a person, the establishment can ask the handler to remove the animal immediately. The handler doesn’t get the opportunity to rectify dangerous behavior.
A service dog must also be properly housebroken. Should it urinate or defecate in a public accommodation, the establishment can demand the animal leave. Furthermore, the handler may be liable to pay for any damage caused.
In any case, the handler has the legal right to return to the public accommodation without their service dog.
Additional conditions apply in public transport, the workplace, and housing.
The handler must submit a US Department of Transportation (DOT) Service Animal Air Transportation Form. If the flight is longer than eight hours, the handler must also submit a DOT Service Animal Relief Attestation Form.
A service animal must not infringe on another passenger’s space—it needs to fit under the seat, on the handler’s lap, or by the handler’s feet. In addition, a service animal can’t block the aisle or sit in an exit row.
Businesses with 15 or fewer staff are exempt from the Rehabilitation Act laws regarding service dogs. Employers can deny a request to accommodate a service dog if it results in an undue hardship (too expensive or impractical) to the business.
The employer need only provide reasonable accommodation for a service dog. There’s no obligation to accommodate a service dog in the specific manner requested by the handler.
Service animals must be housebroken and cannot be disruptive towards other tenants. All service animals must be leashed when in public areas of a housing complex, except when the animal needs to perform a specific task to assist with a disability.
There’s no legal requirement to dress a PSD in a vest or display an ID card.
However, many service dog owners find the practice helpful as it clearly identifies the animal to others in the vicinity. In turn, the owner may receive fewer questions and uncomfortable looks when bringing their service dog into a public setting.
Dressing a pet that doesn’t qualify as a PSD in a service dog vest is illegal, and the penalties are severe.
In general, service dogs are required to wear a leash in public access locations. However, the handler is exempt from this rule if wearing a leash inhibits the animal’s ability to perform one or more of its disability-related tasks.
There is no registration or certification requirement for PSDs or any other service dogs in the ADA. A service dog does not need to be professionally trained—many Americans choose to train a service dog themselves at home.
If an animal has been fully trained to perform at least one task that assists its owner with a life-limiting psychiatric disability, it is legally considered a PSD and automatically receives full protection under the ADA and other associated laws.
A public accommodation cannot ask the handler to provide documentation for their disability or verify the status of the service dog. According to the ADA, an establishment may only ask two questions regarding a service dog:
The handler has a legal obligation to answer these questions truthfully. Misrepresenting a service dog, either verbally or by dressing an everyday pet in a service dog vest, is a criminal offense that carries heavy penalties.
Although no certification or registration requirement exists, an animal must be fully trained to perform at least one disability-related task to qualify as a service dog.
However, obtaining a fully trained service dog is no easy feat—the process can take years or set you back tens of thousands of dollars. The training process varies significantly depending on the handler’s disability and the specific task(s) the dog needs to perform.
If you’re interested in obtaining a PSD, you’ve got three options to consider: professional training, non-profits, and self-training.
A professional trainer offers the fastest and easiest way to obtain a psychiatric service dog, although it’s also the most expensive option.
A trainer will work with your existing animal or a handpicked puppy from a local breeder, teaching them the skills they need to assist with your disability.
Some professional trainers teach the handler to do most of the training at home to keep costs low. Others undertake a comprehensive training program from their in-house boarding facility, providing intensive education for several months or years.
The price varies substantially depending on your disability, the trainer, and the training style. Nonetheless, you can expect to spend anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 if going down this route.
Various nationwide and state-based non-profits specialize in training service dogs to assist people with disabilities. These charitable organizations source donations from the community and corporate sponsors to fund their programs, often placing service dogs with their new owners free of charge.
Non-profits tend to train animals to a high standard, using volunteer puppy raisers, prison inmates, or professional trainers to provide each animal with the essential skills. Some non-profits focus on a specific target audience, like veterans battling PTSD.
While non-profit trained animals perform exceptionally well and the service is usually free, there’s often a long waiting list involved. Applicants shouldn’t expect to welcome a PSD into their home for three to five years—that’s if they pass the rigorous application process in the first place.
The final option is self-training, where the person with a disability—or a loved one close to them—does all the actual training themselves. There’s a wide range of online self-training programs out there, some of which make dubious claims. Be sure to do your due diligence and research your preferred provider thoroughly before signing up for an online program.
Some options offer one-on-one support from a professional coach, perfect for those who need in-person interaction to get the job done.
The big advantage to self-training your animal is price. While a professional trainer costs thousands of dollars, a reputable online program is only a few hundred. Plus, you don’t have to wait three to five years as you would with a non-profit. Self-training can take a matter of months if you’re prepared to work hard at it every day.
Be aware, though, that self-training does require a considerable amount of effort. Consider whether you’re in an appropriate headspace to spend several hours per day training an animal.
Under the ADA, there’s no legal requirement to register or obtain certification for a PSD. So long as the animal has been fully trained to perform at least one disability-related task, it qualifies as a bonafide service dog and receives all the relevant legal protections.
That said, training a PSD is a challenging task, which takes a considerable amount of time, money, or effort. Nonetheless, the rewards of owning a fully trained service dog are immense, both in terms of the tasks these loyal companions perform and the legal protections they receive.