What is the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog?

The distinction between a therapy dog and a service dog is essential for understanding their roles and the support they provide. Therapy dogs are trained to offer companionship and comfort to groups of people in various settings, such as hospitals, schools, and nursing homes. Their primary function is to provide emotional support and improve the well-being of individuals in a collective environment.

On the other hand, service dogs are specifically trained to perform tasks that assist individuals with specific disabilities, such as guiding a blind person, alerting a deaf person, or helping someone with mobility challenges. This tailored training is mandated to ensure that the service dog meets the individual needs of a person with a disability, granting them greater independence and access to public spaces.

Thus, the choice that accurately summarizes this distinction is the one that highlights the supportive roles of therapy dogs in group settings versus the task-oriented assistance provided by service dogs for individuals with specific disabilities. The other options either conflate the roles of these two types of dogs or present inaccuracies regarding the limitations of service dogs, particularly the misconception that they are solely intended for children.