The defining difference is trained work or tasks
Under the ADA, a service dog is individually trained to perform work or tasks directly related to a person’s disability. An animal whose presence provides comfort without trained disability-related work is not a service animal under the ADA.
Psychiatric service dogs can still be service dogs
A psychiatric disability does not make a dog an emotional support animal. If the dog is trained to take a specific action—for example, interrupting or responding to a disability-related episode—it can meet the service-animal definition.
Housing is different
HUD uses the broader term assistance animal in housing. An assistance animal can include an animal that provides disability-related emotional support, which is why housing rights should not be analyzed using public-access ADA rules alone.
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