While the ADA does not have specific rules for leaving your service dog at home, if you truly need a service dog, it is not recommended by Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs that a recipient leave home without him/her. Service dogs are protected under federal law and granted accommodation rights by businesses, allowing them to accompany their recipient everywhere they need to go that the public would normally be allowed to go.
Why Should I Avoid Leaving My Service Dog at Home
A service dog is intended to work for someone 24/7. While service dogs do sleep and take breaks, they are also very tuned into their recipient. To even qualify by law to have a service dog, you must have a disability for which the dog is trained to mitigate the challenges.
Therefore, if you have a permanent disability, those challenges can occur at anytime, anywhere. If you leave the service dog at home, they will not be able to assist you if you experience a medical event or other issue while in public.
There is also a very strong bond between a service dog and the recipient. The dog understands their job, so if you leave them at home, they often become very anxious and upset that they have been separated from their recipients, and that is an unhealthy state of mind for them. If you leave them behind regularly, the dog will decide that you do not need them to really work for you. If you become complacent in doing what is necessary to maintain this strong bond with the dog, they will become complacent as well.
If you only ask the dog to help you some of the time and not all the time, then the dog will not know when he is supposed to work and when he isn’t.
Making Lifestyle Changes for Your Service Dog
Disabilities such as seizures, diabetic changes, PTSD, mobility, and more can cause complications for recipients when they are in public at any given time. While there are instances where you may be tempted to leave them at home, you are placing yourself in a situation where you could experience an emergency and would be left without the assistance of the service dog.
When you get a service dog, it is sometimes necessary to make lifestyle changes. For example, if you enjoy riding motorcycles, you will have to give up riding since you cannot take your service dog with you. Another example would be if you like to go to the shooting range. It is not an appropriate place for a service dog because the gunshots are very loud, and they have not been adjusted to noise like that in most cases to where they’re comfortable with it. This can cause the dog to start having a negative experience which can materialize into behavioral issues and other problems you want to avoid. Concerts and clubs are another very loud environment that is not appropriate for a service dog.
Leaving your service dog at home to go enjoy these types of activities puts you at risk of having a seizure, diabetic high or low, PTSD episode, vertigo, etc., or can leave you with difficulty getting up from your seat or keeping your balance without any support from your service dog.
You cannot predict what things are going to happen while you’re away. If you leave the dog at home, you are gambling that you might be okay without your service dog, putting your health, safety, and life at risk. If you are comfortable going places and doing things without your service dog, then it may be the case that you do not require the assistance of a service dog.
How to Ensure Success with Your Service Dog
Service dogs are highly trained and do a wonderful job with their assigned tasks. To ensure the best performance and relationship possible, it is a 50/50 effort between you and your service dog. If you do not do what you are supposed to do with your service dog, then you will not have a proper working relationship with the dog.
Service dogs are trained to mitigate the challenges of a wide range of disabilities 24/7, so they should be always with the recipient, no matter the circumstances. This not only keeps the recipient safe but also provides the dog with the opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which they were trained.
Learn More About Service Dogs Today!
Visit the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dog website today to learn more about how service dog organizations help those with permanent disabilities regain their independence!
Mrs. Borden’s expertise and accomplishments are acknowledged by numerous national awards from various industries and agencies including the 2018 Corporate Pet Industry Woman of the Year and multiple awards for her organization’s work in mental health and suicide prevention.
She is frequently requested as a Keynote Speaker, and as an Industry Consultant to teach service dog laws to judicial systems, attorneys, and businesses, and to assist in service dog bills in multiple states that were passed into law. In 2020, she started an Institute for Higher Learning and the Borden Veterinary Hospital. Additionally, she has written and teaches college-accredited/VA-approved apprenticeship courses on dog training and service dog training.
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