Assistance dogs are dogs that are trained to help a disabled person. Their dogs are allowed in public spaces where pet dogs are not usually allowed so they can help their handlers.
You may of heard of guide dogs or hearing dogs. These are 2 of numerous types of assistance dogs in the UK. They can be trained to help people of any disability including:
Assistance dogs should not be aggressive or disruptive. They generally go through 1.5 to 2 years of training but this varies due to factors such as age, the dogs background and what job the dog is being trained to do. Though you may think of assistance dogs as labradors or golden retrievers, they can be any breed of dog. In the UK, there have been staffordshire bull terriers, dalmatians and even mastiffs who have been trained as assistance dogs.
Assistance dogs are protected in public spaces when accompanying a disabled person under the Equality Act 2010 (England, Scotland and Wales) and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 ( Northern Ireland). Under these acts assistance dogs are considered an auxiliary aid for a disabled person, like a wheelchair is, and so are allowed access to public spaces as a ‘reasonable adjustment’. Unlike pet dogs, assistance dogs are also protected from dog attacks under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2014.
Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles are covered separately under the act
*Mental Health Conditions must be considered a disability to have an assistance dog. Please check with your medical professional whether this is the case for you. This Mind page may be able to help.
Did you know?
The definition of assistance dog found in S173 of the Equality Act 2010 for Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles doesn’t apply for the rest of the act? This means there is no explicit definition of assistance dog for other public spaces.
