Comments on: Trixie Koontz A CCI Golden Retriever and Author

By: Kimberly Carnevale

Kimberly Carnevale — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:40:30 +0000

Hello, Michelle. I am an international access consultant, and service dog handler. I speak nationally about service dog law and have been published nationally/internationally as an expert in my field.

I wanted to help you understand the difference between a companion animal and a service dog.

A companion animal is just that; one that keeps someone with disabilities company, by which the handler experiences comfort. They don’t usually have any specialized training, though they are expected to have impecable manners and obedience (including housebreaking!)

A service animal is one that is specifically trained to do tasks for its handler with disabilities. Tasks can be wide ranging including, but not limited to: doors, light switches, laundry, reminding someone to take meds, ect…

This being said, NO properly trained companion animal or service animal would deficate indoors. This is legal grounds for the dog to be excluded from the property.

Unfortunately, there has been a rash of people illegally passing off untrained, or barely trained pets as service animals in this country. I’ve written an article about it that you might want to check out. It states the laws/responsibilities that service dog handlers are required to adhere to, and gives you the steps to take if those responsibilities are not met.

Best of luck to you. Please contact me via email if you have any other questions/concerns.

All my best,

Kimberly Carnevale
President, Canine and Abled, Inc.

By: Colby

Colby — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:50:10 +0000

@michelle, I'm not too sure about the definition of a "companion dog", but I do know that "service dogs" are protected under the American's with Disabilities Act. I just came across this article that you might want to check out on Service Animals: Service Animals Guideline I've been raising guide dog puppies for the last three years and one of the first things we work on is housebreaking.

By: michelle s

michelle s — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:02:48 +0000

Would anyone know what the difference, if there is one, between a companion dog and one titled as a service dog. I have a dilema. Recently I allowed a woman to rent my home with her Lab, as she listed as a companion dog who supposidly accompanied her on the plane to san diego. Her companion dog poops daily in my home although an exit to the yard is clearly visible. This woman’s explanation is that I must have had pets in my home sometime in the past that have urinated in addition to excreamented thereby stimulating her lab to crap on my beautiful hardwood floors. I’m not angry with the dog at all. It’s just that I beleive this person is feeding one story after another. Truly in either case whether a companion or service dog, the first rule of thumb for any training is housebreaking. But I would like to know the difference of a companion dog vs. a service dog.
Thanks So Much