Assistance Dog, What?
An assistance dog is any dog trained as a Guide Dog, Signal Dog, or Service Dog. A “guide dog” means any dog that was trained by a person licensed under Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 7200) of Division 3 of the State of California Business and Professions Code or as defined in the regulations implementing Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336). A signal dog” means any dog trained to alert an individual who is deaf or hearing impaired to intruders or sounds. A “service dog” means any dog individually trained to the requirements of the individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, minimal protection work, rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items. California Penal Code section 365.7 states that any person who knowingly and fraudulently represents themselves to be the owner or trainer of any canine licensed as an assistance dog, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. A licensed and certified assistance dog has the:
