It would be nice if the owners of therapy dogs had to go through training (at least in the laws) before they could get their pet "certified". We were in Dollar Tree and a woman and her dog were in the store. The dog was creating quite a ruckus and one of the employees came over to investigate. The woman stated that this was her therapy dog and she had papers at home to prove it. The woman was told that therapy dogs are not allowed in the store, only service dogs. She said "He's my therapy dog and you can't make me leave." It was really quite disruptive and annoying.
It doesn't really matter if the woman's "therapy" dog was well trained or not.
A person does not have any rights to bring a "real certified therapy dog" into a store than any other pet. People are using the words "therapy dog" in hopes that no one knows that there is a difference between a "therapy dog" and a Service Dog. That seems to be the case in this example.
This is the definition of
Therapy Dog And the difference between Therapy Dog and Service Dogs from the American Kennel Club (the only thing I would add is that the AKC should have included Psychiatric Service dogs, but did not):
"
Therapy dogs are dogs who go with their owners to volunteer in settings such as schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.
From working with a child who is learning to read to visiting a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of other people.
Therapy dogs are not service dogs. Service dogs are dogs who are specially trained to perform specific tasks to help a person who has a disability. An example of a service dog is a dog who guides an owner who is blind, or a dog who assists someone who has a physical disability.
Service dogs stay with their person and have special access privileges in public places such as on planes, restaurants, etc. Therapy dogs, the dogs who will be earning the AKC Therapy Dog™ title, do not have the same special access as service dogs.
It is unethical to attempt to pass off a therapy dog as a service dog for purposes such as flying on a plane or being admitted to a restaurant."
http://www.akc.org/events/title-recognition-program/therapy/about/
All of the places that actually give real certification for Therapy Dogs make sure the people they train and certify are aware that they only have access to places where they will be providing therapy to others.
I think you are a little confused about "passing off" there are legit therapy and emotional support as well. While they aren't under all guidelines as Service Animals they do serve a purpose and are recommended by a doctor. There will be written orders from your doctor
Not wanting to put words in Maggie'sMom, but I think she is very aware of the differences between the different types of animals.
I think she is concerned that other people who
don't know the difference will look at her daughter and her daughter's Service Animal, which has been trained to assist her daughter with her Psychiatric needs and think:
Girl with emotional needs + dog = pet = doesn't belong here > pretending it's Service Dog
OR
Girl with emotional needs + dog = Emotional Support Dog = only belongs in certain places > pretending it's SD
Instead of correctly thinking:
Girl with Psychiatric Disability + dog trained to meet needs = Service Dog = full access rights under the ADA
). I do understand there are legitimate emotional support and therapy dogs, and they can be very helpful. But as has been stated repeatedly in this thread, emotional support and therapy dogs do not have all the same access rights as a fully-trained service animal. The dog I would get for my daughter would be a fully-trained service animal and would qualify for full-access rights. My concern is that people will equate a psychiatric service dog with an emotional support or therapy dog and try to deny access. That's just not a battle I relish us having to fight on a regular basis.
