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Assistance dog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An assistance dog is a dog trained to help a person with a disability.
There are three "types" in which an assistance dog may be classified. Most assistance dogs will be trained for only one of these, though "combination" dogs do exist.
- Guide dogs assist the blind and the visually impaired.
- Hearing dogs, or Signal dogs, help the deaf and hard of hearing.
- Service dog is a term covering Mobility assistance dogs, Seizure response dogs, and Psychiatric service dogs.
Assistance dogs often come from a specific training program, such as Canine Companions for Independence, or be trained by their handler (ideally with the help of a professional trainer). They are generally not required to have any sort of "certification" or proof that they are assistance dogs; however, most programs voluntarily certify their dogs.
In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 protects the rights of disabled individuals to be accompanied by their assistance dogs in public places. Many state laws also offer protection to individuals using assistance dogs.