A dog supporting someone through a difficult moment may be described as a service dog, therapy dog, or facility dog. Those terms describe different working roles. Understanding the difference matters when deciding what training to pursue and where the dog will work.
The most useful starting questions are: Who is the dog helping? What is the dog trained to do? And what permission or legal framework applies in that setting?
Service dogs support an individual with a disability
A service dog is trained to perform disability-related tasks for their handler. Depending on the person's needs, those tasks may include retrieving items, responding to particular sounds, or performing a trained response to a disability-related episode. Being comforting or well behaved does not, by itself, establish this role. [1, 2]
Training must also prepare the team for the situations in which the dog will work. A dog who performs a task at home may need substantial additional preparation before working reliably in public.
Therapy dogs support people through planned interactions
A therapy dog generally works with a handler to offer comfort and interaction to other people during approved visits or activities. These may take place in care homes, schools, hospitals, or community settings. The dog's role is different from assisting their own handler with disability-related tasks. [1]
For a therapy program, priorities should include suitable temperament, considerate handling, voluntary participation, and the ability to remain comfortable in the intended environment. Permission to visit one setting does not give the dog general access to every public place.
Facility dogs work within organised services
A facility dog works with a trained professional or volunteer within an organised program. Their role may involve supporting people during appointments, interviews, educational activities, or other planned services. The work can occur in one or more approved locations. [1]
"Facility dog" should not be treated as a blanket public-access designation. Before introducing a dog into a workplace or care setting, clarify the dog's role, the organisation's permission, and the applicable rules.
The setting and handler matter
A dog trained to support staff following difficult incidents may have a therapy or facility role. That purpose alone does not make the dog a personal service dog. If a dog also assists an individual with a disability, that service role needs its own appropriate tasks, training, and access considerations.
For organisations planning a dog program, useful questions include who will handle and care for the dog, how people can decline contact, where the dog can rest, and how its comfort will be monitored. Training goals should follow the actual job the dog will do.
Access rules need a local answer
In Nova Scotia, therapy animals are not protected under the Service Dog Act and do not have the same right of access as service dogs. In British Columbia, therapy and emotional support animals are not eligible for certification under the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act. [2, 3]
Provincial service dog certification is voluntary in both provinces, and human rights protections may also apply to people who rely on service dogs. That does not turn a therapy or facility dog into a personal service dog. Check the rules for the intended role and setting rather than relying on a vest or label. [2, 3]
Start with the role you need
Clear goals help avoid paying for the wrong type of training. At Pawsitively Service Dogs, we can discuss your intended role and whether it fits the training we offer. Tell us who the dog will support, where it will work, and what you hope it will do.
British Columbia: jenn@pawsitivelyservicedogs.ca
Nova Scotia: melanie@pawsitivelyservicedogs.ca
General inquiries: info@pawsitivelyservicedogs.ca
Sources
[1] Assistance Dogs International. Descriptions of assistance, service, therapy, and facility dogs. Used for role descriptions, not Canadian access law.
[2] Government of Nova Scotia. Service Dog Act, including comfort and therapy dogs.
[3] Province of British Columbia. Guide Dog and Service Dog Certification, including other support animals.