A service dog as defined under the ADA is "Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." From this quote we can deduce a few things. 

1. You must have a disability to have a service dog. 
2. Your dog must be trained to "task," to help you with that disability.

I get so many calls from families that just want to be able to take their dog where ever they go. This is not a proper reason to get a service dog and if something should happen in public and you get sued for the behavior of your dog, the ADA will not be covering you in court. You will be responsible for any damages if you do not have a disability or task training on your dog to mitigate that disability. 

A service dog is trained to be in public and preform its tasks for the handler. There is no certification for a service dog to get and the testing that we do as a company is not required under the ADA. Many service dog programs and handlers take it upon themselves to raise the bar training wise to help mitigate access issues that can come up by a poorly trained dog. The ADA is very vague on this manner stating that the only reason a dog can be removed is "A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken."

So, you will often see amazing program dogs with stellar focus and skill in public and you are SURE it is a Service Dog. Then you may see a dog that doesn't have all the flashy skill but is under control and not causing a problem. They can both be service dogs, one trained by a new handler maybe and one trained by an experienced program. The ADA is intentionally vague in these areas to make room for everyone that may need a dog. 

A Therapy dog is a dog that is trained to go into hospitals, schools, end of life facilities, the airport or anywhere a moral boost can be needed. They are specifically trained to go in, be calm and let anyone pet and love on them. Therapy dogs have such a cool and needed job. The Alliance of therapy dogs says "Research has shown that the presence of a beloved pet or therapy animal can help a person control daily anxiety, regulate emotional arousals, and improve mood. Since therapy dogs are trained to be attentive to a person’s needs and offer unconditional love, they can often stabilize intense emotions."

What makes a therapy dog different from a Service Dog? A therapy dog does not have a "task." The presence of the animal is not a task under the ADA, so that animal is not protected as a Service Dog. The next difference is that a therapy dog does not only work for disabled humans. A therapy dog is there for comfort and trained to do that in a public setting for complete strangers that may need it. 

The AKC article comparing and contrasting Emotional Support Animals vs. Service dogs is a really good place to start. They say "Although all dogs offer an emotional connection with their owner, to legally be considered an emotional support dog, also called an emotional support animal (ESA), the pet needs to be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to a person with a disabling mental illness. A therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist must determine that the presence of the animal is needed for the mental health of the patient. For example, owning a pet might ease a person’s anxiety or give them a focus in life. The dogs can be of any age and any breed."

Emotional support animals do not have to be dogs. They can be a wide range of animals and they also have a really cool job. Their presence helps their human to get through day to day life with a purpose, a companion, comfort and peace. Some key elements to emotional support animals are as follows:

1. Does not preform a task
2. Are most often used for mental illness
3. Must be prescribed by your psychologist, doctor or therapist
4. Do not have public access
5. They do have housing access! You should not be charged for your ESA to live with you or be discriminated against because you have an ESA. 
6. They do not have public access (I know I already said this, but its is a big one that a lot of people ignore) 
7. Airlines have now removed the right to fly with your ESA, so they can only fly if they are small enough to be in a carrier on the plane. They cannot be out like a service dog on a flight.

The value of an ESA can be so huge to their human and these animals should not be discounted. They should absolutely follow the laws and rules that state they cannot be in public or on flights. There tends to be a huge battle between ESA handlers and Service Dog handlers for this reason alone. I hope this article has brought some clarity to the situation and did so kindly.