Assistance Dogs have to be tested and certified under the guidelines of Assistance Dogs Internation and they have to be 'bullet proof' in public areas and not react with any aggression towards anybody no matter what the circumstances.
They are also NOT to defend their recipient if threatened, This is why the preferred breed is retrieverXlab by many organisations.. Referred to the KFC breed.because they like everyone. However some other individual dogs from other breeds can pass the temperament test too.
Not only do Assistance Dogs given to physicall disabled, but some are Seizure Alert dogs who can alert their recipients prior to seizure so the recipient can get themselves into a safe position until the seizure passes..
Even after rigorous long time training many dogs do not pass the final certification test. Those that don't pass the test always find good homes.
Assistance dogs must wear the individual identifying jacket of the organisation that trained them and wear an id card on the collars, including the name of the organisation which trained her/him, date of certification, and the owner's name. And the owner must carry one to cover the dog too.
Dogs which visit hospitals, etc. do so under approval and strict supervision and are referred to as Therapy Dogs.
A Companion Dog is NOT anything like an Assistance Dog or a Therapy Dog and is banned from areas where dogs are not allowed.
Check out Assistance Dogs Australia (ASDOG) for more details. I was the Hon. Secretary/Treaurer for 12 years.
Grandmoon, that woman with the dog is trying to pull the wool over your eyes.....l
