What Is a Service Dog?

A service dog is a dog individually trained to perform specific work or tasks for a person with a disability. The work the dog performs must be directly related to that individual’s disability.

Depending on the handler’s needs, a service dog may be trained to:

• Interrupt or respond to a PTSD episode
• Recognize and respond to signs of anxiety or distress
• Provide trained grounding or pressure
• Retrieve medication or important objects
• Alert a handler to sounds
• Assist with balance or mobility
• Guide a person with visual impairment
• Alert to certain medical events
• Create space between the handler and other people
• Lead a handler toward an exit or safer location
• Wake a person from a nightmare
• Seek assistance during an emergency

A service dog is a working partner—not simply a pet. However, a strong service-dog partnership is also built upon trust, communication, consistency, and mutual respect.