can my dog be an assistance dog?
Assistance Dogs in the NZ Context
please note that while we are pleased to provide the following information, companion animals new zealand does not directly work in the disability assistance / support animal space.
as such, we do not breed/train/provide assistance animals, certify assistance animals, or provide financial aid to persons looking to obtain an assistance animal.
for information about organisations that do work in this space, please read on.
The role that dogs play in our lives is a special one. For many of us they are a cherished companion, family member or best friend. And for some people with physical disabilities or mental health conditions, dogs can play an extra important role. Most of us will have seen guide dogs working in our communities, helping people with low vision lead a normal life. We may have been exposed, either directly or via the media, to dogs and other animals providing help to people with a variety of other conditions, from epilepsy to Alzheimer’s, PTSD to neuromuscular disease.
Sometimes we at Companion Animals New Zealand (CANZ) get asked about assistance animals and receive queries on how people can get their companion accredited as an assistance dog. We will speak specifically to the New Zealand context here, as the situation may be quite different to what people have seen or read from overseas.
Firstly, let’s clarify what an assistance animal is in the New Zealand context. Broadly speaking, these fall into two categories.
The first category is called a disability assist dog. These are dogs (and not any other species) who have been granted special legal rights under the Human Rights Act 1993 and the Dog Control Act 1996. A dog who has been granted these special rights is legally entitled to public access. This means they can go most places that a human would go, including all forms of stores, eateries, public services and public transportation. The only places they can’t go are national parks, some areas in zoos, and some hospital departments e.g. burns units, ICUs.
There are 8 organisations in New Zealand who can certify disability assist dogs.
Only dogs who have been certified by one of the above organisations can qualify for public access rights as a disability assist dog.
In public, these dogs will wear a coat specific to their organisation. For example, the coat for dogs certified by Assistance Dogs NZ Trust is shown here.
The second category doesn’t have a formal name. In this article we will use the term support animal or support dog. These are animals (usually dogs) who belong to a person with a physical impairment or mental health condition and may perform a valuable service to that person, but do not have public access rights. As such, they do not have any more access rights to shops or public transportation than does any other companion animal. These animals may or may not be associated with an organisation. They may or may not wear a coat stating that they are a therapy dog or support animal. Dogs should not wear a coat stating that they are a service animal unless they are accredited by one of the eight organisations above.
Disability assist dogs are specially trained to perform specific tasks. They often are specifically bred to be a disability assist dog and start training when they are a puppy. Their training takes months or years depending on what tasks they are trained to do. Once the dog is trained, it is ready to help those in need. Most disability assist dogs live with their handler (the person with the disability) for their whole working life, until they are ready to retire. On retirement, they either continue to live with their handler or are adopted out to a loving home. There are a variety of ways that these dogs can help.
Guide dogs (from Blind Low Vision NZ) act as eyes for a handler who is visually impaired, helping with tasks such as avoiding obstacles and crossing roads
Hearing dogs (from Hearing Dogs NZ) act as ears for a handler who is Deaf or hard of hearing. They alert their handler to sounds such as smoke detectors, doorbells and alarm clocks.
Mobility dogs (from Mobility Dogs) help a handler with limited mobility with everyday activities like opening doors, turning on lights and loading the washing.
Epilepsy dogs (from NZ Epilepsy Assist Dog Trust) help a handler who has epilepsy. They can perform tasks such as pushing an emergency button to call for help, and protecting the handler in the event of a seizure such as nudging a head under their body to cushion them.
Assistance dogs (from K9 Search Medical Detection) work with handlers with a variety of different conditions. For example, they may alert their handler to an upcoming medical episode, open doors, interrupt undesirable behaviours or self-harm, and more.
Assistance dogs (from Assistance Dogs NZ Trust) work with handlers with a variety of different conditions. For example, an assistance dog partnered with an autistic child can act as a tether, provide reassurance and help build confidence.
Assistance dogs (from Perfect Partners Assistance Dogs Trust) help handlers with a variety of different disabilities. They may help by alerting to seizures or other medical conditions, and they help with everyday tasks to maximise independence. For example, picking up dropped items, opening cupboards and doors, grounding and redirecting a child with autism, and assisting with dressing.
K9 Medical Alert Assistance dogs (from K9 Medical Detection NZ) help to alert handlers prior to commencement of a medical condition, including epilepsy, narcolepsy, diabetes, allergies causing anaphylaxis, Addisonian crisis and heart conditions.
Support dogs may be trained to assist their handler with specific tasks. Sometimes a support dog doesn’t perform any specific task, but their presence provides a calming and reassuring effect which can be a huge help to the handler. This is sometimes known as an emotional support dog.
Sometimes these support dogs are highly trained and very well behaved in public. Unfortunately, sometimes a support dog may be inadequately trained for the situation it is in and cause trouble e.g. barking, relieving itself in inappropriate locations, knocking things over. If a support dog is not appropriately trained for a situation it may also be unsafe for the dog, the handler, and the public. Because a support dog may be mistaken for a disability assist dog (because they both wear coats), a poorly trained support dog can give both support dogs and disability assist dogs a bad name.
In order to qualify for a disability assist dog, a handler must have a medically diagnosed condition which would benefit from a dog who can perform specific tasks. A person who meets these criteria can apply through the eight organisations listed above for a disability assist dog. It takes a lot of time and money to train a disability assist dog, and unfortunately demand almost always outstrips supply.
Sometimes, those with a mental or physical impairment may already have a dog who they feel fulfils the functions of a disability assist dog and are looking to get their dog granted public access rights. For example, someone who has a well-trained dog and then that person is subsequently involved in an accident which leads to a disability. The person may benefit from the help of an assistance dog which is highly trained to perform tasks to help with their disability related challenges. If their dog may be suitable as an assistance dog, then one of the certifying organisations may be able to help the person train the dog up to the necessary standards.
So what should you do if you want to have your dog certified as a disability assist dog? You should talk to one of the eight organisations listed above. However, you should also be aware of four barriers to having your dog certified as a disability assist dog.
You must be able to provide evidence from a doctor of a medically diagnosed condition which would benefit from a disability assist dog.
To qualify, your dog must have specific abilities to perform tasks for you.
You must have the ability to provide for the needs of the dog and be able to engage in a rigorous training programme.
The process of certifying a dog is not a small or easy task. Due to the demand for services it may not be possible for your dog to “cut in front” in getting certified when there are many people already waiting for a dog.
CANZ position statement on support dogs and disability assist dogs.
CANZ wholeheartedly supports disability assist dogs in New Zealand.
CANZ recognises the important role that support animals can play in the lives of their handlers. We encourage those with support dogs to train their dogs to the highest standard, using positive reinforcement-based techniques, so that they have ‘good manners’ when out in public. We encourage those with support dogs to take their dog with them for support to places that dogs are welcome, such as some cafes. However, we also remind support dog owners that their dog does not have legal public access rights, and to be respectful of the right for them to be legally refused access to public places.
We discourage the use of service dog coats for support dogs to avoid them being mistaken for disability assist dogs or bringing both support dogs and disability assist dogs into disrepute in the event of bad behaviour.
CANZ also urges caution when selecting the species for use as a support animal. While most dogs thrive on being with people and in public places, for other species such as cats and rabbits this can be a very stressful experience.
Many thanks to Assistance Dogs NZ Trust, Perfect Partners Assistance Dogs Trust, Blind Low Vision NZ, Hearing Dogs NZ, NZ Epilepsy Assist Dogs Trust and K9SEARCH Medical Detection NZ for your assistance with this article.
Updated 18 June 2021