service animal
As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service animal is a dog individually trained to do a specific task for a person with a disability. While the ADA provides examples of such tasks — guiding a person who is blind, reminding a person to take medication, alerting a person of an impending seizure — a dog can be trained to do any specific task or tasks for a person who is disabled.
Service dogs can be trained by an organization or by an individual. Service dogs are not required to be registered, carry documentation, or wear an identification vest or tags of any kind but are afforded entry to public spaces under the ADA.
The ADA also includes a narrow provision for service miniature horses.
Some states have broader definitions of service animals than the ADA, but no state may have a narrower definition.
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