As of March 15, 2011, only dogs are recognized as service animals under titles II and III of the ADA. A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Examples of such work or tasks include but are not limited to guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack. Service Animal requirement vary state to state, please look at your state regulations for more information regarding service animals.
Note: Any individuals and organizations that sell "service animal certification or registration documents" online do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice and are not proof that a dog is service animal.
Information above is from ADA website. Please click on the link below on information from U.S. Department of Justice- Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section.
What is a Service Dog?
What is the difference between an Emotional Support Animal and a Service Animal?
Emotional Support Animal
Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals are not considered service animals because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. An emotional support animal provides comfort to a person. Some state/local governments have laws that allow people to take emotional support animals into public places, please check according to your location.
Service Dog
Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability.
Information above is from ADA website. Please click on the link below on information from U.S. Department of Justice- Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section.
Depending on the specific tasks or jobs a client needs for their service animal, the time frame our service dog training takes a minimum of 6 months. Some tasks can take longer depending on the dog in training and how quickly the dog recognizes and masters said task. The more involved the tasks are, the longer the training will take. Our service dog training involves a board & train service where our head trainer is working 24 hours a day with the dog. After the free consultation, our head trainer will give you an estimate on how long she believes it will take for your service animal to master the tasks or jobs needed to be considered a fully trained service dog. As training progresses, our trainer will update you on whether she believes your dog is learning the tasks or jobs as expected or needs more time. We also provide documentation that your dog has gone through formal training and is trained for specific tasks or jobs for your disability.
What Does This Service Look Like?
Here are some examples of the types of service dogs we train:
Anxiety
PTSD
Seizure Alert
Valkyries of Valor does not train guide dogs for a variety of reasons. The main reasons are due to the length and time requirement guide dogs require.