Assistive Animals
Animals are the best! For the first few years of my life, I didn't have any pets and really wanted one. I especially wanted a dog and when I moved in 2002, my family adopted a stray, Molly. We soon learned that she was pregnant and thus, we had dog #2, Frisky.
Frisky (left), Molly (right)
I knew dogs and other pets can be really helpful, but I didn't realize how much until we had Molly and Frisky. My brother and I were both shy and timid kids and having the dogs helped both of us come out of our shells. They would comfort us when we were anxious and Molly even taught herself to alert me to asthma attacks!
Sometimes, I'd be upstairs in my room and Molly would bolt upstairs and whine at my door. When I opened it, she would whine and fake cough while staring at me intensely. After a couple of times, I noticed she only did that when I was about to have an asthma attack. I started to use my inhaler if she did this and I wouldn't have an asthma attack and she'd calm down and cuddle me.
Still the best picture I've ever taken
I don't know how she taught herself that, but as I've gotten older I've learned more about the special bonds people and their pets have and some of the amazing things animals can do. They're priceless to so many of us and enrich our lives in so many ways. There are three main types of assistive animals: therapy animals, service dogs (occasionally miniature horses), and emotional support animals.
Therapy Animals
Therapy animals are often dogs; however, cats, horses, and birds are common as well. A therapy animal is used for animal therapy to help people recover from a medical condition or to help people during stressful situations.
The main places you'll see therapy animals are hospitals and nursing homes. In these settings, they visit patients and help ease their stress, can alert staff to a person in distress, and may be trained to perform certain tasks (like deep pressure therapy). They help many people, and not just one person.
Therapy animals may also be used in classrooms, courtrooms, airports, and other public places that might be stressful or the location of a recent traumatic event. In these instances, the presence of the animals may reduce anxiety, provide a sense of security, safety, and confidence needed to testify in courts, reduce fear of a particular place, and a diverse range of benefits.
The use of therapy animals has been extensively studied and has yielded great results. Many hospitals and inpatient facilities utilize the use of therapy animals in order to have better patient outcomes and help them recover without so much fear, stress, and insecurity.
Therapy dogs, similar to service dogs, require training. A popular certification is "Love on a Leash". It's not the only training program, but does cover everything that a therapy animal needs to learn:
Walking on a leash well
Basic etiquette (no barking, biting, scratching, jumping, etc)
Ability to remain in a sit-stay/down-stay for extended periods
Behave in a public setting and listening to the handler
Allow others to pet and touch them without showing fear, aggression, or shyness
Maintain composure around other animals and people
Maintain composure if approached in an erratic manner by another animal or person
Show interest in others without being demanding
Recovers quickly to loud noises
Specific tasks to help a certain population (optional)
As mentioned before, therapy animals are often dogs, but not exclusively. Animals that I know of being used as therapy animals, other than dogs, include:
Cats
Rabbits
Horses
Guinea pigs
Llamas
Miniature Pigs
Alpacas
Rats
Birds
Service Dogs
Service dogs are dogs trained to perform tasks to help their handlers with a medical condition. These dogs accompany their handler everywhere and are legally protected under the ADA law. Contrary to popular belief, they do not have to be certified or go through a professional trainer.
Many trainers do train service dogs, due to the skills required to teach them what is needed. However, many people opt to train their own service dogs or work with a trainer. There's no certification needed, the service dog must be able to:
Perform task(s) for the handler related to a medical condition
Behave well in public
Walk well on a leash
Recovers quickly to loud noises
Maintain composure around other animals and people
Maintain composure if approached in an erratic manner by another animal or person
Ability to remain in a sit-stay/down-stay for extended periods
There are many types of service dogs: medical alert, mobility assistance, allergy detection, and more. Examples of tasks they may perform include:
Alerting a diabetic to a drop/spike in blood sugar
Retrieving dropped objects for a wheelchair user
Alerting to the presence of an allergen
Alerting to an incoming seizure and staying with them during it
Preventing someone from doing a self-harming stim
Unfortunately, many people exploit the ADA and privacy laws to bring their pets with them. Sometimes, the "service dog" is an ESA or therapy animal, but is often just a pet without proper training. These are often easy to spot as they may behave inappropriately in public: pulling on the leash, barking, jumping up on people, or urinating. Many people fear the backlash of kicking out someone with a "service dog" but it's important to note that even if it is an actual service dog, it's legal to ask them to leave if the dog is disruptive.
Very rarely, a miniature horse is used.
Emotional Support Animals
Emotional support animals are pets that provide companionship to people with disabilities. Typically a mental health professional, such as a therapist, prescribes them as part of a larger care plan. These are NOT trained to go in public places and often only have the basic pet training.
Because these are pets that don't go in public spaces, the species of the ESA can be any (ethical and legal) pet. Species of ESAs that i have encountered/heard of include:
Dogs
Cats
Rabbits
Guinea pigs
Horses
Geckos
Fish
Birds
Due to ADA law, ESAs must be allowed in housing that doesn't allow pets. They were previously allowed with their owners in commercial airplane flights, but due to the frequent issues, they are no longer allowed in the cabin with their handlers.
Like service dogs, ESAs are plagued by people exploiting ADA laws in order to have their pets in all types of housing and previously, with them during airplane flights. Several websites offer "ESA registration" with a card and dog tag to appear official. Note that there's no official certificate for an ESA and a medical professional prescribes one if they feel it is beneficial.