Service Poodles

Through the ages, Poodles have been used in various activities that enable their owner’s greater freedom and ability.

Service Animal Defined by Title II and Title III of the ADA

A service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Tasks performed can include, among other things, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, alerting a person to a sound, reminding a person to take medication, or pressing an elevator button.   (Retrieved from: Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals, 2017)

Poodles used for emotional support or comfort are not designated as service animals.  There must be work or a task that is directly related to the individual’s disability that the poodle performs. A Doctor’s note does not qualify a Poodle as a service animal as defined by the ADA, rather it is the task that the Poodle performs that defines a service animal.

There are various organizations that are known for training dogs as Service Dogs: (There are one or more known Poodles involved in each of these listed activities)

• Hearing Ear Dogs
• Canine Companions For Independence
• Guide Dogs for the Blind
• Epilepsy Detection Dogs

For more information on support dogs in general under the ADA, please visit the ADA website.