All animal assistants are not treated equally by United States law.
Service animals are legally defined by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. By law, they are not considered pets. A service animal is specially trained to assist a person with a disability. Some examples of service animals include (but are not limited to): guide animals for the visually impaired, animals who warn owners of seizures, animals who pull or guide wheelchairs.
A person with a disability has a legal right to be accompanied by a service animal in public places — businesses, the workplace, airports, and more.
In order to bring a service animal into the workplace, you may need to demonstrate that having an animal assistant is a reasonable accommodation for your disability. Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act does not automatically require an employer to allow service animals, but does require employers to make reasonable accommodations for workers with a disability. That means that if your employer does not wish to allow a service animal, they must provide some other form of reasonable accommodation that will allow you to perform your job.
If you are accompanied by a service animal in a public place, you may choose to have your service animal wear a special vest letting the world know that your animal is working. A vest or other special gear can help alert others that the animal is specially trained to assist you and is not a pet.
Several types of assistance animal are not protected by federal law.
Therapy animals work with a handler to help others. While some individual states have laws defining and protecting therapy animals, others do not — check the laws for your state to be sure! Therapy animals may have had some of the training an official service animal has, but may not have completed the full course required.
Companion animals are generally considered pets, and are not protected by federal or state law. These animals are often viewed as not being a medical necessity — though the person assisted by the animal may disagree. These animals may also have had some of the training of an official service animal, without completing the full course.
Animal assistants — at all levels of training — can be very valuable in helping the owner live an independent life.