A: The Department of Justice published revised final regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for title II (State and local government services) and title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) on September 15, 2010, in the Federal Register. A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. See www.ada.gov for all rules and regulations.
Q: What services does a service dog provide?
A: Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.
Q: What are the qualifications to get a service dog?
A: The person using the animal must meet the legal (not medical) definition of "disability" and their dog must be individually trained to perform tasks that mitigate the owner's disability.