Frequently Asked Questions
What is a service dog?
A service dog, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Service dogs are federally protected for housing, air travel, and public access provided they meet the ADA’s standards of training and perform trained tasks for their disabled handler. Examples of such tasks include a PTSD dog trained to wake their handler up from nightmares, a mobility assistance dog trained to pick up items off the floor, a medical alert dog who performs a behavior to warn their handler of an upcoming medical episode, or an autism service dog trained to provide vasovagal pressure to help their handler regulate.
Emotional support, comfort, and protection are not recognized as tasks under the ADA and do not qualify a dog as a service dog.
Can any dog be a service dog?
A service dog can be any breed and come from any background. However, very few individual dogs have the correct temperament to work as a service dog. Being a service dog is a demanding job and requires a dog who is focused, confident, and steady-headed across a wide variety of environments and distractions. A dog also has to be a good match for their individual handler in personality. Proper evaluation is important in selecting a service dog, and Mystic Mutts offers temperament & behavioral evaluation services to handlers interested in assessing their current dog or a prospective dog. We require most handlers working with us for the first time to complete an evaluation.
Who can have a service dog?
In the United States, anyone classified as having a disability under ADA law (The ADA defines a person with a disability as “a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity”) is entitled to a service dog, provided that the individual dog is trained in tasks that directly mitigate (reduce symptoms or complications of) their handler’s disability and meets the ADA’s behavior and control guidelines.
However, many people with disabilities do not find a service dog to be a reasonable or effective management method for their condition, when compared to the amount of training and resources required to produce a legitimate service dog.
Will you help register my dog?
In the United States, there is no such thing! A service dog is defined by their training, behavior and their handler’s disability, and there is no federally recognized registry or certification. Websites advertising such services are scams.
The purpose of Mystic Mutts is to assist with training a service dog to meet and exceed ADA standards, and to build dogs into more effective aids for their handlers. We do not provide any training, registration, references/letters, or certifications for the purpose of air travel, public access, or housing for dogs who are not in the process of being task trained for a handler with a disability.
When should I start training
with my future service dog?
As soon as possible! However, it’s important to train at your dog’s pace and avoid pushing a young or anxious dog into situations they are not fully prepared for. We recommend seeking out a professional service dog trainer from Day 1 for the highest chance of success with your new service dog.
However, dogs can also begin training later in life and still be successful. Pending the results of an evaluation, Mystic Mutts will begin training with dogs as old as 4. We can provide supplemental training & support to existing service dogs of any age, provided they are still physically and mentally fit for the work their handler requires.
What kinds of service dogs
will Mystic Mutts train?
We work with most service dogs for most disabilities! We can provide public access, manners, & obedience support to any type of service dog. However, we do not train Guide Dogs for the Blind or medical alert tasks.
We specialize in task training for non weight bearing (“light”) mobility, leading (also known as “sighted/light guide”), and psychiatric tasks. We will also train weight bearing mobility, hearing alert, dietary allergen alert, and elopement-related tasks.