The majority of us naturally view service animals as a pleasant and progressive aspect of daily life. For those of us who don’t have a service animal, there are many benefits of their presence in our world. Service animals, therapy animals, and emotional support dogs are all different. Service animals are those that are qualified to be able to “perform specific tasks that aid in a disability” according to service dog certifications.

Service animals provide their owners with direction, or disability mitigation. The first form of service that comes to mind is that of assisting blind people. The animal isn’t solely responsible for directing their owner, but their presence does reduce a large burden of directional awareness. This additional layer of support is a benefit to both the owner and society. This is because the person utilizing the service animal is more independent than they would be without it.

The Americans with Disabilities Act states that no business can refuse a person with a service animals even if the establishment has a no pet rule. These establishments include restaurants, sporting events, galleries, parks, etc.

Additionally, service animals have the unique ability to alert the presence of a medical emergency or comfort their owner in the event of a panic attack. Once again this often allows the animal’s owner to live a fully functional life. This peace of mind and assurance that they are taken care of allows a significant portion of the population to then work, shop, dine, and gather with ease. 

Unfortunately, there is sometimes a social barrier and infrequent lack of service animal acceptance in certain environments. However, there is no contesting the fact that a large number of people can now live a seemingly normal life due to the presence of their animal. As a result, we have more disabled people living largely independent lives. These people get to contribute to society because of their animal, and that is undoubtedly a good thing for all of us.