An emotional support dog helps individuals by providing comfort and support. Many fill a need by providing affection, companionship, emotional comfort, and support. They can have special training, but that is not strictly necessary. 

Many confuse emotional support dogs with psychiatric service dogs, but it’s not the same thing. The emotional support dog does not require special training, but the psychiatric service dogs are trained to provide specific services. They for instance do room searches or turn on lights for a person with PTSD, provide counterbalance, block persons experiencing a dissociative episode from walking into danger, and so on.

Emotional support dogs provide their handlers with relief from isolation, daily structure, an increased sense of self-esteem and purpose, motivation, and many other important things.

These dogs are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but they are covered under the Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act.

A therapy dog is trained to provide affection and comfort to people in need. These are often pets who have undergone special training to accompany their owners to hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, and many other areas. Some live in a facility, and some are specially trained to work as comfort dogs at disaster areas. 

A great example of comfort dogs is the 9-11 disaster where 318 dogs and their handlers worked around the clock.

There are three basic kinds of therapy dogs:

Therapeutic visitation dogs visit hospitals, nursing homes, and other places where a visiting dog can comfort and motivate people. These are often volunteers.

Animal assisted therapy dogs assist therapists with physical and occupational therapy. They often work in rehabilitation facilities.

Facility therapy dogs live in a facility, often a nursing home, and are trained to help patients with Alzheimer’s and similar.

In many areas therapy dogs must pass the Canine Good Citizen Test. There is also a therapy dog certification test. Therapy dogs and their handlers are not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

There is an important difference between therapy dogs and assistance dogs: while assistance dogs should be left alone to perform their job, people are encouraged to approach and pet therapy dogs.

Dogs perform many important functions in society, and there are many different kinds of working dogs. Assistance dogs enhances people’s lives through helping with tasks their person would have trouble completing on their own.

Assistance dogs are divided into three categories:

Guide dogs  help the blind and visually impaired. These dogs help humans through guiding their handler past obstacles, stopping at stabs and curbs, and negotiating traffic. The handler gives commands, but it is the dog’s responsibility to ensure the team’s safety.

This type of job can be difficult and requires a lot from the dog, because doing the job to keep the handler safe can require disobeying direct commands.

Hearing dogs  help the deaf and heard of hearing. They assist through alerting their handlers to sound, and are trained to make physical contact with their handler, leading them to the source of the sound. These dogs are commonly trained to react to doorbells, alarm clocks, telephones, crying babies, and similar.

Service dogs  help people with other types of disabilities. Some are trained to work with wheelchairs, some are medical alert dogs, others help children with autism. There is a wide range of task performed by service dogs and they are often trained to open and close doors, turn on lights, bring objects, provide balance, and many other things.

Assistance groups are recognized by the ADA. Their handler have the right to bring them to any place that is open to the public