Note: this has been written for writers and authors specifically, in order to help them represent Assistance Dogs and Service Dogs accurately. It is not a guide for how to obtain or train one. I’ve kept this intentionally focused on writers’ portrayals.
Australian vs American systems and laws
The first key thing to point out from the start is that Australia does not have Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) or Service Animals. We have Assistance Dogs only, while America terms theirs Service Dogs, and do have other Service Animals legalised.
"Assistance Dog" is also a broad term that includes Guide and Hearing Dogs. Australia’s laws are listed under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), while America’s fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (ADA).
I will be writing to my own experience over several years, which falls within the Australian system under the DDA, however much of this information is somewhat transferable and the terminology is a great starting point for you to Google what you need to know about how this all works in America, or elsewhere in the world.
There is no registration process or actual register in Australia, just two tests they can do for specific certification allowing them to travel internationally, on planes, etc.. Australia has no governing body which oversees Assistance Dogs (ADs) and their training, however. This is often seen as a major flaw in the system as there is no reporting body for ADs who aren’t trained to legal standards (all one can do is report the offending dog and handler team to security of the location they’re visiting at the time they see inappropriate behaviour). However, there are training organisations and often times ADs will be sporting a harness with the logo of their org., to whom they may be reported for inappropriate conduct.
An Assistance Dog in Training (ADiT) must be marked clearly as being in training (see the clear L learner symbol shown on the dog pictured?). However there is no requirement for a fully trained AD to be marked, although it is helpful for the public to know not to interact with the dog while it's working, and for security and store personnel to understand that the dog isn’t a pet. Leglly, an Assisstance Dog is deemed "medical equipment".
By law, there is only one question the public, store personnel, security, etc. may ask someone with an AD which must legally be answered, and that is what tasks are the dog trained to do to alleviate the impacts of the handler’s disability/ies (more on those terms in a minute). This is so that proof can be given that the dog is legitimately a medical aid, without asking someone to disclose their diagnosis/es.
General terminology run-down
Assistance Dog: trained to the guidelines of the DDA, have a number of tasks they can competently perform in any situation, and have passed the Public Access Test (PAT) (which should be readministered intermittently, most organisations usually repeat this every two years).
Task: a “cueable and trainable” action which, according to law, must help alleviate the impacts of the handler’s disabilities. Cueable means being able to be done on cue, whether it’s a word (e.g. “open”), a gesture, or physiological signs (e.g. heart rate dropping, blood pressure rising, seizure). Trainable means it’s something that can be repeated over and over to encourage the ideal response very time. You may note this does not include comfort, as the dog’s mere presence is not a “cueable or trainable action”.
Disability: in this context, this means one diagnosed by a professional (medical doctor, specialist, psychiatrist, etc.), and having been prescribed an Assistance Dog by said professional as a part of the management plan for the disability/ies.
Handler: the person to whom the dog is attentive, is trained to react, and task-trained to. Assistance Dogs - unlike general Therapy Dogs for public spaces such as hospitals and nursing homes - are trained only to be responsive to one person. A secondary handler may be required and appointed, depending on the primary handler’s disability. For instance, if the primary handler is unable to hold a leash, their secondary handler may be a support worker, partner, family member, etc. whom the dog is trained to respond to basic commands from and walk with, while remaining attentive to the primary handler's physiology. Similarly, a secondary handler may be elected if the primary is prone to seizures, for example, where the dog will take over in their trained task, however will then report back to the secondary handler once finished.
Program-trained: a dog which has gone through all of its training under a program organisation such as Assistance Dogs Australia, and subsequently been paired with its handler and done transitional training where the dog leans to respond to its new handler, with whom it will be paired for life. The dog and handler remain a part of the organisation, reporting back things such as success rates for “live alerts” (medical alerts happening on the spot, with their human, as opposed to set up training from scent samples), and wearing a harness or cape with the org.’s logo.
Owner-trained: people who have some experience with dogs and have the mental and physical capabilities to train full-time will often choose this route as it can be cheaper than a program dog. This entails the owner getting a temperament tested puppy from a breeder with the intention to train them in AD work (many breeders will temperament test for or with you and allocate the best fit to their future job, and will often test for genetic diseases to ensure the pup chosen will not have to be retired as medically unfit to work for their handler); joining a training organisation which works with owner-trained dogs, who will educate, participate in training as well as teach and guide the handler in how to train, and advocate for any public access issues the team encounter. They often meet weekly or fortnightly in order to keep up with questions, keep skills sharp, course-correct as behaviours develop in the pup, and finally administer the PAT when they believe the dog and handler team are ready, usually around 2 years of age.
Terminology for a dog’s working status
Washed: a washed dog is one who began their training to be an AD, but while still in the training stages as an ADiT, they ran into some sort of hiccup and were unable to continue. This could be for behavioural reasons (e.g. dog was too prone to barking in public, had high prey drive and would chase birds, was too easily distractible, or simply couldn’t be encouraged to enjoy the work) or for physical reasons (e.g. early signs of hip dysplasia became apparent at 18 months, car sickness which didn’t improve as the pup matured, was attacked by another dog in public and didn’t recover mentally after months of desensitisation and training).
Retired: a retired dog has attained its status as and worked as a full AD before, passed their PAT, and for some reason was unable to continue doing the work (like the dog pictured in this post, my partner's dog Benny, who is now just a beloved pet to us both, though he remains attentive to panic attacks within the home). Often when this happens the handler will keep the dog (unless some outside issue such as housing constraints arises) and plan for a prospect.
Prospect: a prospect is the next dog they handler will train to take over the retired dog’s medical job. In cases where the handler has warning, they will be able to train the prospect alongside the current AD, who can help the pup learn on the go and show how the job is done. In unforeseen circumstances where something sudden happens – either to the dog or the handler – a transition period isn’t feasible and the prospect will have to learn from scratch through a trainer. The dog remains a prospect until such time as it’s been able to do basic training, started learning tasks, and done some public access work, then if the dog still shows promise as an AD, it then becomes an ADiT.
Legal training standards for Assistance Dogs
In Australia, a dog allowed into stores even as an ADiT must meet certain criteria, based around the DDA, including bladder control (being able to toilet on cue, outside), having a minimum of one “task” (see terminology above), and having appropriate conduct (such as no barking, no jumping on people, no touching items with nose or paws).
To be a fully trained Assistance Dog, the dog and handler team must pass a Public Access Test (PAT) which is administered by the training organisation the owner/ handler chooses. This includes walking calmly through crowded areas, boisterous children, wheelchairs and other mobility aids, grocery store aisles and other highly stimulating areas, having strangers touch the dog, make noises at the dog, and leaving all food and other items on the floor. This whole training process last, on average, two years to get to PAT standard, starting from just 8 weeks of age (most breeders will even begin exposure during the crucial 6-8 week period without the handler), throughout crucial periods of maturity, “fear periods”, and until the dog “settles”.
The training is intense, the dog must have the correct temperament to even be considered for the training, and a very large portion wash (see above terminology). Given that, legally speaking, Assistance Dogs are classed as “medical equipment”, they must be out of the way at all times, never engage anyone besides their handler, and always be physically able to react in an emergency situation. (Note that if the dog is in a trolley, for instance, this cannot happen, this becomes a public access issue as they're being treated as a dog, not attentive, actively monitoring medical equipment to the handler.)
How to accurately portray ADs in your writing
Remember with your phrasing that they are a freedom, like a wheelchair, not a limitation. They allow many people to be able to safely leave their home or facility on their own and keep up a social life they wouldn’t otherwise be able to, due to the limitations of their disability/ies.
ADs are allowed in any public space except for where they pose a serious health hazard. This means that while they are allowed into a consult room with their handler, they aren’t allowed into the surgery, where sanitation is necessary. Similarly, at tattoo and piercing appointments, they are rarely allowed past the reception area for the risk of fur contaminating the strictly sanitary environment. For sanitation reasons they must aso never be allowed on seats, including teaching a tuck to them early on so they can get under seats on public transportation, and in the footwell in taxis/ Ubers.
If the handler has an “invisible disability” (i.e. something internal which doesn't require any noticeable physical aids), often they are accosted in public with questions, the most common being “who are you training the dog for?”, “why do you need a dog?” “how can I take my dog everywhere?” (and it’s exhausting for a disabled handler to hear this every time they leave the house to shop or attend socials!).
The public will almost always view it as a luxury to be able to take an AD wherever you go, and ignore the facts of the matter. One has to be in serious need of this medical aid due to debilitating disability/ies, the dog has not only been prescribed medially, but also gone through a huge period of training to be up to the standard they see before them, and often the presence of a dog is a barrier in society, fighting public access issues in shops and restaurants.
There’s a thing in the Assistance Dog world known as the “fab four”, which are the top four breeds most likely to succeed in AD work and retire late in life without washing – so long as they’ve been bred correctly, are of stable temperament and fit the physical breed standard, and aren’t outliers of the breed. It is important to note, however, that it is widely held by most trainers in the field of AD work, that any breed and any age of dog can succeed, so long as they have the right temperament, and have been raised in a stable environment (i.e. not developed resource guarding, have low prey drive, have been exposed to children, etc.). The four breeds you'd be most likely to write as ADs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Poodles (standard, then miniature), and Collies. You can write any breed you like into your story as an AD though, so long as they are stable dogs.
Research warning
While often times I’ll tell you that the best way to understand something is to talk among the community, follow advocates’ socials, etc., this time I’m telling you not to. Stick to the websites of organisations and trainers who specialise in ADs, not social media. Ask professionals your questions!
Contrary to common expectations, the world of Assistance Dogs (and Service Dogs, it’s well known to be equally as bad in America) is not kind. While everyone has disabilities and a love for dogs in common, some truly harmful things go on in that world – from threats of harm to handlers and their dog/s, to blacklisting handlers among breeders, sabotaging dogs' careers, to intense gaslighting, to falsifying information to get a dog and handler team booted from their organisation, to leaked medical records of dogs who had to wash or retire for medical reasons, or even the medical records of their human handlers.
This was my "community" for four years and I’ve been a target personally for a lot of the above behaviours; I have exactly two friends out of the whole experience today, years later, when I once had a “community” of hundreds around me. I wish I could say that it’s the few who make it hard for the many; rather, it’s extremely hard to find people within that community who are trustworthy and not “in each others’ pockets”.
I am in no way blaming disabilities or mental health for the behaviour of this community. I am blaming the mentality of owner-trainers who feel the need to one-up each other in terms of their dog’s pedigree, their training, their sporting achievements, personal medical diagnoses, and more. It’s dog eat dog out there, you might say.
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