Canine Allies CIC

There is no official registration in the UK for assistance dogs currently. Certain teams may opt to partner with ADUK, an organisation of sub-organisations that supply programme dogs. Although, it is not required for an assistance dog to be registered with one of these or any organisation to be an assistance dog.

Almost any breed can be an assistance dog, including mixed breeds, big and small! The only breeds that cannot be an assistance dog are those listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (Pitbull terrier, Japanese tosa, dogo Argentino, fila Brasilerio & XL Bully).

Emotional support dogs do not have public access rights under the Equality Act 2010 and should not be taken anywhere non-pet friendly. Emotional support is not a task and therefore, would not suffice as an assistance dog.

No. Some organisations have ID booklets or ID cards for assistance dogs partnered with them but they are not required by law, they hold no legal value within the UK. It is illegal for a business to deny you access for not showing ID.

Every dog is different so it will take a different amount of time for each team. Overall, the process takes generally about 2 years before a dog is fully trained. For a dog to become fully qualified with Canine Allies they must be in the programme at least 6 months. 

Assistance Dog = Task trained to mitigate their handler's disability, they are protected by the Equality Act 2010 and have public access rights (are allowed in non pet-friendly establishments) 

Therapy Dog = Are trained to provide comfort to multiple people, they do not have public access rights but may be invited to places such as hospitals, care homes, etc

Service Dog = This is the US term for Assistance Dog. In the UK, Service Dogs are known as military or police dogs. You should not use this term instead of assistance dog in the UK as this could be considered passing your dog off as police/military personnel. 

Emotional Support Dogs = Provide comfort to their handler by just being there, they are not trained, not protected by law and do not have public access rights.