Current Rules and Regulations for Dogs Working in Assistance, Service, and Support Roles

The legal landscape for dogs working in assistance, service, and support roles is complicated and contradictory. Regulations permit access to public places, allow subsets of dogs ’ emergency transport and treatment, provide elevated protections for K-9s and assistance animals from criminal acts, and make it a crime to fraudulently represent a service animal. Federal and state agencies provide different regulations for dogs to access public places. Identification and verifi cation of the working animal are not standardized. Working dog legislation is a changing landscape that requires veterinarians to be up to date on laws and regulatory guidance.
Source: Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research