What is an assistance animal?
Assistance animals are highly trained to assist people with disability. These animals perform specific tasks that support and enhance a person’s independence and everyday life.
Common assistance animals in the community are:
- Guide dogs
- Hearing dogs
- Mobility dogs
- PTSD service dogs
- Medical alert animals
Therapy animals and assistance animals
Animals make great companions, whether assisting those with disabilities or emotional therapeutic support. However, it is important to understand assistance animals and therapy animals are treated very differently under the law.
Under the Companion Animals Act 1998 (NSW) and Australian Law, assistance animals are animals that are trained to assist a person with a disability to alleviate the effects of that disability.
Assistance animals:
- Are specially trained to perform specific tasks
- Support people with physical, sensory, psychiatric, neurological, or medical conditions
- Are legally permitted to accompany their handler in most public places
This includes access to:
- Shops and shopping centres
- Cafés and restaurants
- Public transport
- Council facilities
- Public beaches and parks
Assistance animals are not pets. They are working animals and must always be under effective control.
Therapy animals
Therapy animals provide comfort, companionship, or emotional benefit to individuals or groups, often in settings such as:
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Aged care facilities
- Community programs
Therapy animals:
- Do not have the same legal access rights as assistance animals
- Are usually invited into specific settings with permission
- Provide emotional support but are not trained to perform disability-related tasks
- Because of this, therapy animals do not have automatic access to public places where animals are normally restricted.
| Assistance animals | Therapy animals |
| Trained to assist a person with disability | Provide comfort or emotional support |
| Protected by law | No public access rights |
| Allowed in most public places | Access only by permission |
| Working animals | Not considered working animals |
Etiquette around assistance animals
If you see an assistance animal:
- Give the animal and handler space
- Do not pat, feed or distract the animal
- Do not question the handler about their disability
Assistance animals are working and distractions can place their handler at risk.
Respecting assistance Animals helps create an inclusive and accessible community for everyone.