A service dog is a trained canine that helps the disabled owner with daily and medical tasks. For the list of abilities these amazing dogs can do, click here.
A therapy dog is trained to comfort people in hospitals, schools, times of disaster, nursing homes and orphanages. Therapy dogs are also helpful to people with learning disabilities.
An emotional support dog (ESD) gives therapeutic support to disabled owners or the elderly. Unlike service dogs, ESD’s do not need to be trained in the specific field that the owner needs. This is not saying that all ESD’s are not trained, some are. For more information on ESD’s click here.
I have an emotional support dog. His name is Ollivander James and he’s trained to help me with anxiety and the symptoms that go along with this crippling issue. He senses when my anxiety levels are rising and he knows how to stop an anxiety attack from occurring and turning into something that looks like a seizure. I am not ashamed of my problem; I used to be but Oliver gave me the courage to speak up.
Sometimes I bring Oliver with me to the Anchor, Upper Deck or Bistro. This can be stressful for me because of the looks other students give us. Yes, he is a dog, but he is working and the gasps and awes distract not only him, but myself as well.
When you see a working dog there are rules that one should follow: do not feed, pet, or touch the dog without asking for permission first and do not distract the dog by barking at or making any other noises. Seeing a dog on campus can be really exciting (especially if you miss your own dog) but you always need to ask before touching the dog. Think of working dogs as you think of working yourself – you hate when someone distracts you from your important job, right? Yeah.