FAQ
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A Service Dog is individually trained to perform specific tasks that mitigate a handler's disability — for example, guiding a person with vision loss, alerting to seizures, or interrupting panic attacks. In Canada, Service Dogs generally accompany their handler in public spaces under provincial human rights codes and, where applicable, provincial service-dog statutes. An Emotional Support Dog (ESA) provides comfort and companionship that alleviates symptoms of a mental health condition, but is not required to perform trained tasks; its primary legal protections relate to housing and, in some jurisdictions, air travel. A Therapy Dog is trained to provide affection and comfort to multiple people in settings such as hospitals, schools, and care facilities; it does not have public access rights for a single handler and must be invited into each facility. Our registry issues credentials for all three categories, but the rights and limitations attached to each depend on the category and the province or territory where you live.
No. Service dogs and emotional support animals are protected under provincial and territorial human rights codes, the Accessible Canada Act, and provincial residential tenancy legislation regardless of registration. Registration is optional documentation that makes conversations with landlords, businesses, and clinicians easier.
No. In Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, statutory public-access rights for service dogs flow from provincial qualification or certification programs (e.g. the Alberta Service Dogs Act, the BC Guide Dog and Service Dog Act, the Nova Scotia Service Dog Act, the NL Service Animal Act). Your registry credentials complement those programs — they do not replace them.
Every letter we generate includes a province-specific checklist confirming (1) that you are under active clinical care, (2) that you live with a disability recognized by the applicable human rights legislation without disclosing a specific diagnosis, (3) that the animal is necessary to alleviate identified symptoms (the disability–animal nexus), and (4) that the recommendation is based on a treating relationship. Additional statements are added where required — for example, Ontario Regulation 429/07 (AODA) language, Charter s. 10 references in Québec, and the pet-damage-deposit exemption under BC's Residential Tenancy Act.
During intake we match your registration to a network clinician of the appropriate specialty and generate a letter tied to your registration ID. The letter is signed, cites the human rights, service-animal, and tenancy legislation for your province or territory, and includes a scannable QR code that verifies against the live record.
Anyone. The verification page is public — landlords, business owners, transportation carriers, and clinicians can enter your Registration ID at /verify or scan the QR code from any credential to see the non-sensitive fields on file.
Yes. There are no breed or weight restrictions. Rescues, mixes, seniors, giants, and puppies are all welcome. Note that some provincial service-dog qualification programs (for example in Alberta and British Columbia) have their own temperament and public-access assessments.
Records are active for two years from the issue date. Renewal is optional — expired records remain on file and can still be verified.
Yes. Your credentials live in the registry, so you can reprint your ID card, certificate, and doctor letter from your dog's public record at any time.
Provincial & Territorial reference
The statutes below are the ones our certificates and doctor letters cite for each province and territory. This is a summary for orientation, not legal advice.