Service dogs provide invaluable support for people with disabilities and are specially trained to provide support and function to the recipient. Service dogs are not considered pets but rather more like medical equipment, such as a wheelchair or oxygen tank. They are federally protected, meaning they have public access that pets do not, thus allowing them to accompany their recipient virtually anywhere they need to go.
These types of dogs must live and be trained in a specific way to retain their functionality and continue to perform specific tasks for their recipient.
For those thinking of getting a service dog but already have pets in the home, or wonder if you could add pets to the home in the future with a service dog, this guide can help you determine what is possible and what would be best for your success before contacting a service dog organization to begin the application process.
Can Service Dogs Live with Cats?
In some cases, a service dog may be able to live with a cat. When training our service dogs at Guardian Medical Service Dogs, we consider many different aspects of the service dog, including his/her energy level and prey drive. Before we pair a recipient who already owns a cat, we must expose the service dog to a cat to determine if they exhibit self-control or demonstrate a prey drive response.
We practice these things at Guardian Angels. We do have service dogs that can get along with cats well, but not all of them will cohabitate peacefully. We have service dogs who will perform their job in public and remain well behaved, but they would not live successfully with a cat.
When we work with our recipients on their application for a service dog, we ask if they have any pets, such as cats, in the home. Once you’ve answered no to that question, you can’t add a new pet to the home. Your service dog is chosen to match your environment perfectly, so bringing a kitten home before or after being paired without consulting with us first, can lead to disaster.
Overall, it’s important to remember why you are getting a service dog. The service dog will be a valuable part of your life, attending to your medical and disability needs 24/7. If you need to give up your cat to have the lifesaving assistance of a service dog, the choice should be an easy one to make.
Can Service Dogs Live with Other Dogs?
In the same vein as owning a cat with a service dog, it’s essential to consider that not every dog can live with another dog. If you live in a situation where you have family that cares for the other dog, and we determine that your service dog and pet dog will get along, it may be possible to place the service dog in the home. If there are no other family members in the home and you have a pet dog, you will have to rehome your pet.
A major issue with a pet dog would be his/her level of behavior and training. If the pet dog is not well-behaved, the service dog can pick up on the bad habits. When we pair our service dogs, they are well trained with a solid foundation, but in the wrong environment, that training can be undone. In most cases, we prefer to not pair service dogs with recipients who already have dogs or cats in the home. Recipients have a unique relationship with the service dog, and other pets can interfere with that bond by seeking attention and care from the recipient.
If you have family in the home that will strictly care for the pet dog while you solely focus on caring for your service dog, then we may be able to introduce and place a service dog in a home with an existing pet. Your pet dog was in the home first, so we need to carefully introduce the service dog. This will be done by introducing them to each other on neutral ground where they can walk, sniff and relax. Once relaxed, they can both be taken into the home together.
It’s important to keep in mind that dogs do not have to like each other, and in some cases, they won’t. It’s not because the dog is aggressive or bad, some dogs will just not get along, just like people, and we should not expect them to.
It can be tricky to place a service dog in a home with a pet dog. If a service dog is attacked, it can change its psyche and cause them to become defensive, which can affect its performance in completing its trained tasks. This is why we typically prefer to place service dogs in homes where there are no other pets.
How to Introduce My Service Dog to Pets?
As mentioned above, the service dog will be introduced to the pet in a safe, neutral setting on a walk. We will never just walk into the home with a new dog as this could be threatening to the established pet. Once they’ve relaxed with each other, they can both go into the home together, where they should have closely supervised contact with one another.
Interested in Applying for a Service Dog?
Our service dog organization has an application process that ensures we match you with the right service dog. Contact Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs today with any questions about service dogs or our application.
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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