What's the Difference Between a Therapy Dog and Service Dogs?

Service Dogs:

• Provided to people with disabilities that need aided assistance
• Trained to perform specific tasks that would ease their handler's disability 
  • Training is specific to one person only
• Usually have a "no petting" policy 
  • Interacting with other people can distract them from performing their tasks

Here's a list of a few Service Dog Organizations:

• Canine Companions for Indepedence
• K9s for Warriors
• Autism Service Dogs of America
• Freedom Service Dogs
• Paws With a Cause

Therapy Dogs:

• Trained to interact with a variety of people
• Usually have stable temperaments and have a friendly, easy-going personality
• Help provide psychological or physiological therapy to individuals other than their handler
  • They help provide comfort and joy to people they encounter
• They visit people in various social settings such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc.
• PAC Teams are certified to perform animal-assisted therapy through Pet Partners