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Caregiving Companions THE MANY BENEFITS OF SERVICE, THERAPY AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS by Karen Shaw Becker
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nimals offer support to humans in innumerable ways, acting as loyal companions, providing soothing therapy and emotional support, and being attentive service animals for invaluable medical assistance. As animals increasingly take on these roles in public spaces, it is necessary to understand what each category offers and the type of access each is given. “Some people misrepresent their animals as assistance animals in order to bring them to places where pets are not allowed, to avoid fees or out of a misunderstanding of the animal’s role,” states the American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org). It points out that although service, therapy and emotional support animals are sometimes referred to interchangeably, they are distinct categories, each with its own definition.
Assistance Animals
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As defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, an assistance animal is “any animal that works, provides assistance or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability.” If certain conditions are met, a person may be entitled to keep an assistance animal in a housing facility that would otherwise prohibit animals.
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Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition
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Service Animals The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 defines a service animal as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical,
