About Assistance dogs

ASSISTANCE DOGS is a broad term that includes various types of working dogs. There are several types of dogs that are included in this category. Among them are"

Guide Dogs - trained to assist individuals with visual impairments.

Hearing Dogs - trained to assist individuals with hearing impairments.

Service Dogs - trained to assist individuals with disabilities other than visual or hearing, and this includes mobility dogs, psychological service dogs, and medical alert dogs for conditions such as seizures and diabetes.

Therapy Dogs - trained to visit in therapeutic settings such as nursing homes and hospitals.

Companion/ Emotional Support Dogs - pet dogs that offer comfort and support to individuals such as those with little socialization.

Facility Dogs- trained to work in a particular facility to provide comfort and support to those in need; an example of this would be dogs trained for a family advocacy center who provide support to abused children during forensic interviews.

Note that only Guide, Hearing and Service Dogs are legally entitled to public access under the American's With Disabilities Act (ADA). These dogs are not considered to be pets, but are instead classified as working dogs. Therapy and Companion Dogs are legally classified as pets and are not entitled to public access. Facility Dogs are permitted access to their facility but not to other public places.

The FSDS trains Service and Facility Dogs.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FACILITY DOGS, CRISIS RESPONSE DOGS AND COURT DOGS?

In order to minimize the confusion that is often created when facility dogs are re-named based on their work (crisis dogs, court dogs, etc.) the FSDS has elected to call all of these dogs facility dogs, but designate levels. Our dogs are trained as follows:

Level I Facility Dogs are trained to work within the confines of one particular facility, such as an advocacy center.

Level II Facility Dogs are trained as crisis response dogs.

Level III Facility Dogs are trained to accompany crime victims to court.