Bringing Your Dog To Treatment

For many people, a dog is part of how they get through the day. If you rely on a service animal because of a disability, or an emotional support dog helps you manage stress and anxiety, the question of whether that animal can come with you may affect whether you feel ready to start treatment at all. This page explains how federal law treats service animals, how they differ from emotional support animals, and what Desert Hope requires if you want to bring your dog to rehab.

What Is a Service Animal?

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability, and those tasks must be directly related to that person’s disability.^1,2 Examples include guiding a person who is blind, alerting a person who is deaf, or a psychiatric service dog trained to recognize and interrupt an oncoming panic attack.² A service animal does not need to be professionally trained, certified, or wearing a vest to be protected under the ADA.² A service animal is not considered a pet.¹

When Can a Service Animal Be Denied Entry?

The ADA protects a person’s right to be accompanied by their service animal, but that protection has limits. A business or treatment facility may ask that a service animal be removed if:²

• The animal is out of control. The dog is behaving disruptively, such as barking repeatedly or wandering, and the handler does not take effective action to control it.
• The animal is not housebroken. Service animals are expected to be fully house-trained.
• The animal poses an immediate threat. The dog’s actual behavior, or a history of such behavior, poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.

Even when a service animal is excluded for one of these reasons, the person with a disability must still be offered services without the animal present.²

What a Business Is Allowed to Ask

When it isn’t obvious that a dog is a service animal, staff are only permitted to ask two questions:²

1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

Staff cannot ask about the nature of your disability, require medical documentation or certification, or ask the dog to demonstrate its task.²

Invalid Reasons for Denial

Under the ADA, a service animal cannot be turned away for reasons unrelated to the animal’s actual behavior. Invalid reasons for denial include:

• A “no pets” policy. Businesses must make an exception to a no-pets rule for service animals.^1,2
• No certification, ID, or vest. The ADA does not require any of these, and online “registrations” do not grant or remove any rights.²
• The dog’s breed. A service animal cannot be excluded based on assumptions or stereotypes about its breed.²
• Assumptions based on other animals. Staff can’t exclude a dog based on past experiences with different animals; each situation has to be judged individually.¹
• Allergies or fear of dogs. These are generally not valid reasons to deny access to a person using a service animal.³
• Extra fees or deposits. A person cannot be charged a deposit or surcharge because they use a service animal, though they may be charged for actual damage if that’s the facility’s regular practice for everyone.¹
• “Staff can provide the same help.” In inpatient healthcare settings, a service animal generally must be allowed in the patient’s room and cannot be excluded because staff could perform the same tasks.²

Keep in mind that the handler remains responsible for the service animal’s care, including feeding, toileting, and supervision, throughout their stay.²

Differences Between a Service Animal and an Emotional Support Animal

The key difference is training. A service animal is trained to perform a specific task tied to a person’s disability, while an emotional support animal (ESA) provides comfort simply by being present. Because ESAs aren’t trained to do a specific job, they are not considered service animals under the ADA and do not carry the same public access rights.²

The line can be subtle for people living with mental health conditions. If a dog has been trained to sense an anxiety attack coming and take a specific action to prevent it or lessen its impact, that dog may qualify as a psychiatric service animal. If the dog’s calming presence is what helps, it’s considered an emotional support animal.²

Can I Bring My Emotional Support Animal to Desert Hope?

Yes. Desert Hope welcomes emotional support dogs, and our requirements closely mirror the standards the ADA sets for service animals. To bring your emotional support animal to treatment, you will need:

• A well-behaved dog. Your dog must remain under your control at all times. A dog that barks constantly, jumps on people, or acts aggressively, where the handler does not stop the behavior, will not meet this standard. Your dog must also be housebroken and must not pose a threat to the safety of patients, staff, or visitors.
• A dog, specifically. Desert Hope accepts emotional support dogs only. Cats, horses, and other animals are not permitted.

Before admission, call our admissions navigators at to review your documentation and confirm your dog is approved.

Can My Emotional Support Animal Be Denied?

Yes. Because emotional support animals are not protected under the ADA the way service animals are, allowing an ESA at Desert Hope is at the facility’s discretion. Desert Hope may deny or withdraw approval for an emotional support animal for any reason, including if:

• Required documentation is missing, incomplete, or out of date
• The dog is out of control or disruptive and the handler does not correct the behavior
• The dog is not housebroken
• The dog poses a threat to the health or safety of patients, staff, or visitors
• The animal is not a dog

If your emotional support dog can’t join you, our admissions team can talk through options so that caring for your pet doesn’t stand in the way of getting help.

Ready to Start Treatment?

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction and has questions about bringing a service animal or emotional support dog to treatment, call Desert Hope today at . Desert Hope, American Addiction Centers’ substance abuse treatment center in Las Vegas, offers medical detox, inpatient rehab, and outpatient care. You can also check your insurance coverage with our quick and confidential tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Helpful Links:

• Addiction Treatment Process
• What to Expect: Patients
• What to Expect: FAQ
• Inpatient Photos & Amenities
• Veterans’ Program