There seems to be a mass confusion of the differences between a Therapy dog and a Service dog. In short; a Therapy dog is a dog who has been trained and has passed a test and therefore been certified by a certified evaluator with one of the Therapy dog organizations. A Therapy dog is a dog that visits hospitals, nursing homes, etc. to bring love and joy to those residents that can benefit in countless ways by a visit every week from an unconditionally loving canine.
A Service dog is a dog that has been professionally trained to aid and assist a person in tasks that they are not capable of performing without assistance. To these people their dogs are their lifelines, their saviors and their very best friend.
Please read this article from AKC regarding the amendment to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) defining very clearly what a service dog is and what they are not. Many people are taking advantage of the priveledges that Service dogs receive and it is having a detrimental effect on “real” Service dogs and the people that rely on them.