Owner-Trained Assistance Dogs

PTSD Assistance Dogs UK: What Qualifies, How to Train One and Your Legal Rights

📖 12 min read·By the ADR Team·Updated May 2026

What is a PTSD assistance dog?

A PTSD assistance dog, more precisely called a psychiatric assistance dog, is a dog trained to perform specific, discrete tasks that mitigate the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on its handler. This is a critically important distinction: a psychiatric assistance dog is not an emotional support animal (ESA). The difference is not semantic. It is legal.

An emotional support animal provides comfort through its presence alone. It has no specific training and, in the UK, has no special legal status or public access rights beyond those of any pet. A PTSD assistance dog, by contrast, performs observable, trained behaviours that address a disability-related need. That trained task work is what makes it an assistance dog in law, and what gives it the same public access rights as a guide dog for a blind person.

The confusion between ESAs and assistance dogs causes real harm. People with PTSD who need a legitimately trained assistance dog are sometimes told their dog is "just an emotional support animal" and refused access to shops, transport or housing. This article explains the distinction, the law that protects you, and how to build a legally defensible case for your dog's status.

Specific tasks a PTSD assistance dog performs

To qualify as an assistance dog in UK law, the dog must perform trained tasks that mitigate the effects of the handler's disability. "Making me feel calmer" is not a trained task. The following are:

Nightmare interruption. The dog is trained to wake the handler during a nightmare or night terror using a specific, deliberate behaviour, pawing, nudging, licking or a trained vocalisation. This is learned through repeated conditioning and can be confirmed as a discrete task. It directly addresses one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of PTSD: disrupted sleep.

Room checks and perimeter patrol. The dog searches a room on a verbal or hand signal command, moving through the space systematically and returning to the handler to indicate the room is clear. This addresses hypervigilance, the constant, exhausting threat-monitoring that characterises PTSD, by outsourcing the check to a trained animal.

Creating personal space in crowds. The dog learns to position itself directly behind the handler in public spaces, walking heel-to-heel, so that no person can approach from behind without first encountering the dog. This is particularly effective for handlers who experience acute distress when someone enters their blind spot.

Grounding during flashbacks and dissociation. Deep pressure therapy (DPT) involves the dog applying firm pressure, typically lying across the handler's lap or pressing against their legs, during a dissociative episode or flashback. The physical sensation anchors the handler in the present moment. This is a trained behaviour, not spontaneous contact, and it can be documented as part of a training log.

Medication reminders. Trained to alert at set times using a timer or to fetch medication when the handler is in a dissociative or avoidant state, the dog ensures consistent compliance with a prescribed treatment regime. Missed medication during PTSD episodes is a documented clinical problem; a trained reminder addresses it directly.

Alerting to dissociation. Some dogs are trained to recognise the physiological or behavioural signals that precede a dissociative episode, changes in breathing rhythm, prolonged stillness, altered vocal tone, and to alert before the episode fully takes hold. This gives the handler time to move to a safe location, use a coping strategy or contact support.

Any one of these tasks, consistently performed on cue and demonstrably linked to the handler's disability, is sufficient to establish the dog's assistance dog status in UK law. A dog that performs multiple tasks has an even stronger evidential basis.

Does PTSD qualify as a disability under the Equality Act 2010?

Yes, in most cases. The Equality Act 2010 defines disability in section 6 as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. "Substantial" means more than minor or trivial. "Long-term" means the condition has lasted or is likely to last 12 months or more.

PTSD, particularly complex or chronic PTSD, routinely meets this threshold. A person who cannot travel on public transport, leave the house without a safety protocol, sleep without nightmares, or function in crowded environments is experiencing substantial adverse effects on day-to-day activities. A clinical diagnosis from a GP, psychiatrist or psychologist is strong supporting evidence, although the Act does not technically require a formal diagnosis label: it requires the functional effect.

The EHRC's Equality Act guidance is explicit that mental health conditions are covered under the definition. PTSD appears by name in examples used in official guidance. There is no serious legal argument that chronic PTSD does not amount to a disability within the meaning of the Act.

Veterans and PTSD dogs: a growing UK community

Some of the most significant work in PTSD assistance dog training in the UK is happening in the veterans community. Organisations including Hounds for Heroes, PTSD Resolution and a number of smaller veteran-led charities have explored or supported the use of assistance dogs alongside other therapies for former Armed Forces personnel.

The need is well-documented. Combat stress affects a significant proportion of veterans, and PTSD, often combined with physical injury, is one of the most common presentations in veteran mental health services. Traditional talking therapies are effective for many, but not universally so, and for veterans whose PTSD involves severe hypervigilance, social avoidance and night disturbance, an assistance dog can address symptoms that medication and therapy alone do not.

Veterans with PTSD dogs have consistently reported improvements in sleep quality, willingness to leave the house, ability to use public transport, and reduction in hypervigilance episodes. The dog serves both as a practical task partner and as a social bridge, the visible presence of a working dog often makes interactions easier in ways that reduce the social isolation common in veteran PTSD.

Veteran handlers should be aware of two specific points. First, Service charities such as the Royal British Legion and SSAFA may be able to provide funding support toward training costs or ADR registration. Second, the Ministry of Defence does not formally endorse any specific assistance dog organisation, but the Veterans UK welfare team can direct veterans to relevant civilian support.

The ADUK situation: why owner-training is your only realistic route

ADUK, Assistance Dogs UK, is the national coalition of UK assistance dog charities that have achieved accreditation through Assistance Dogs International or the International Guide Dog Federation. Its member organisations include Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Dogs for Good, Medical Detection Dogs and others. They provide excellent services for specific disability types.

But there is a gap that is important to understand clearly.

ADUK does not accredit any PTSD-specific assistance dog charities. There are no ADUK-accredited organisations providing PTSD dogs in the UK. This is not a failing of ADUK, it reflects the complexity of psychiatric assistance dog training, the relatively recent recognition of this need, and the volunteer and funding models of the member charities. The charitable sector simply has not developed a programme in this area to ADUK accreditation standard.

What this means in practice is significant. A person with PTSD cannot go on a waiting list for a charity-trained PTSD assistance dog in the UK in the way a visually impaired person can apply to Guide Dogs. That route does not exist. Owner-training, supported by a clinical behaviourist and your GP or psychiatrist, is the only realistic route available to the overwhelming majority of people who need a PTSD assistance dog.

Legally, this puts your dog on entirely equal footing with any charity-trained dog. The Equality Act 2010 does not define assistance dog by reference to ADUK membership. The definition for public access purposes in services and housing depends on whether the person is disabled and whether the dog performs trained tasks that mitigate that disability, not on who trained the dog. A venue that refuses your owner-trained PTSD assistance dog on the grounds that it is not ADUK-accredited is applying a criterion the law does not support.

This position is confirmed by ADUK itself, which states publicly that ADUK accreditation is not a legal requirement for public access and that disabled people are not required to produce evidence of ADUK membership to exercise their rights.

How to train a PTSD assistance dog: task work, public access and clinical sign-off

Owner-training a PTSD assistance dog is a substantial commitment. It typically takes 12 to 24 months of structured work before a dog is ready for public access. The process has three distinct pillars: task training, public access preparation, and clinical documentation.

Task training

Tasks must be deliberately trained, not spontaneous. A dog that happens to lick your face when you cry is not performing a trained task. A dog that has been conditioned to perform a specific, repeatable behaviour in response to a specific cue, whether that cue is a command, a physiological signal, or a timer, is performing a trained task. Every task should be documented in a training log with dates, duration of sessions, method, and the handler's assessment of reliability.

The most important tasks to establish early are those that directly address the most debilitating symptoms. For most PTSD presentations, this means nightmare interruption and room checks, because sleep disruption and hypervigilance are the symptoms that most limit daily function. DPT and grounding behaviours can be developed in parallel, but they require the dog to have the confidence and body awareness to apply controlled pressure, this is not appropriate to train in very young dogs.

Public access preparation

A PTSD assistance dog that is reliable in your home but reactive in public is not yet an assistance dog in the practical sense. Public access training means systematic, progressive exposure to the environments in which the dog will work: supermarkets, public transport, cafes, hospitals, crowded streets. The dog must be able to work calmly in all of these without being distracted, reactive to other dogs, or showing stress behaviours.

A qualified clinical animal behaviourist (CCAB) or a trainer accredited by the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) should assess the dog's public access readiness. They will look at the dog's response to unexpected stimuli, ability to settle under a table or in a waiting area, response to other dogs and strangers, and whether the dog can perform its tasks reliably under distraction. This assessment should be documented.

Clinical documentation and behaviourist sign-off

This is the element that many handlers overlook, and it is the element that matters most when your dog's status is challenged. Your documentation package should include:

• A letter from your GP or psychiatrist confirming your PTSD diagnosis, that it substantially affects your daily life, and that an assistance dog has been recommended or supported as part of your management plan
• A written report from your CCAB or ABTC-accredited trainer confirming the tasks the dog has been trained to perform, the training method, the date training was completed to a reliable standard, and the trainer's assessment of the dog's public access suitability
• Your own training log covering the full training period
• Video evidence of the dog performing its trained tasks, dated clips stored in a folder are sufficient

This documentation does not give your dog any additional legal rights, it already has those, but it makes it significantly easier to respond to challenges from venues, transport operators or housing providers, and it provides the foundation for an ADR registration profile.

PTSD assistance dog tasks, visual guide

Public access rights: what you are entitled to

A PTSD assistance dog, owner-trained or charity-trained, has full public access rights under the Equality Act 2010. This means your dog is entitled to accompany you in all public-facing premises and on all public transport. There are no exceptions based on the type of disability or the organisation that trained the dog.

All premises open to the public. Shops, supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, bars, cinemas, theatres, hotels, GP surgeries, hospitals, banks, leisure centres, and any other place that provides goods or services to the public must not refuse entry to a disabled person with an assistance dog. This duty falls under Part 3 of the Equality Act 2010, which covers the provision of services.

All public transport. Bus, rail, London Underground, tram, taxi, private hire vehicle, ferry and domestic air travel are all covered. The specific transport provisions in Part 12 of the Act reference ADUK charities for taxi licensing purposes, but this does not restrict assistance dog rights on other forms of transport. An owner-trained PTSD assistance dog is entitled to travel on all public transport.

Workplaces. An employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee under Part 5 of the Equality Act. Permitting an assistance dog in the workplace is likely to be a reasonable adjustment for an employee with PTSD. This does not mean permission is automatic, it means the employer must engage with the request seriously and demonstrate a legitimate reason if they decline.

Housing. A landlord's blanket no-pets policy does not automatically extend to assistance dogs. Under Part 4 of the Equality Act, a landlord may be required to make a reasonable adjustment, which could include allowing an assistance dog, to avoid placing a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage.

When you are challenged. You are not legally required to carry documentation, but having your ADR ID card, QR-linked profile and training log available significantly reduces the practical friction of access challenges. If a venue refuses entry, ask them to put the refusal in writing with reasons. A refusal without justification may constitute disability discrimination and can be reported to the EHRC or pursued through the county court.

Mental health stigma and assistance dogs: dealing with scepticism

One of the most consistent difficulties reported by handlers with psychiatric assistance dogs is the scepticism they face, from venue staff, from members of the public, and sometimes from family members, that their dog is a "real" assistance dog. This scepticism has a particular edge in the PTSD context because the disability is invisible. A guide dog handler's need is self-evident. A PTSD assistance dog handler does not appear, to a casual observer, to need anything.

This scepticism is a form of disability discrimination even when it is not legally actionable, it creates an environment in which disabled people must justify themselves in ways non-disabled people never do. It is worth being direct about this rather than offering strategies for accommodating it: the burden of proof does not lie with the disabled person. You do not owe a cafe manager a medical history.

That said, practical tools help. A calm, confident presentation of your ADR ID card, which shows your dog's registered status, name, trained tasks and QR-linked profile, resolves most access challenges without confrontation. Training your dog in a vest or harness with a clear "assistance dog" label reduces the number of challenges you face before you even speak. And understanding your rights well enough to state them clearly, "This is a trained assistance dog and I have the legal right to be here under the Equality Act 2010", is the most effective de-escalation tool available.

For persistent or hostile challenges, the EHRC helpline (0808 800 0082) is free and can advise on whether a specific refusal amounts to discrimination. Citizens Advice can help you understand your options. If a venue refuses you and you want to take action, keeping a record of the date, time, what was said and any witnesses is the starting point.

Frequently asked questions

Key terms explained

Sources

• Equality Act 2010, section 6, definition of disability
• Equality Act 2010, Part 3, services and public functions
• Equality Act 2010, section 20, duty to make adjustments
• Equality Act 2010, section 173, assistance dogs (transport provisions only)
• EHRC: Disability discrimination guidance
• ADUK: Assistance Dog Registration and Proof, official position on ID requirements
• Citizens Advice, free guidance on disability discrimination
• Animal Behaviour and Training Council, register of accredited practitioners
• Equality Act 2010, Schedule 1, supplementary provisions on the meaning of disability

Owner-Trained Assistance Dogs

Autism Assistance Dogs UK: The Complete Guide for Families and Self-Advocates

📖 14 min read·By the ADR Team·Updated May 2026

What tasks can an autism assistance dog perform?

The term "autism assistance dog" covers a wide spectrum of trained behaviours. Unlike guide dogs, which perform a narrow and well-understood set of tasks, autism assistance dogs are trained to the specific needs of the individual, which is why the work they do varies significantly from handler to handler.

That said, there are six categories of task that recur consistently across autistic handlers of all ages. Understanding these tasks matters not only for families considering a dog, but for anyone who might challenge an autism assistance dog in a public setting. These dogs are not pets performing cute tricks: they are performing safety-critical work.

Grounding during sensory overwhelm or anxiety. The dog applies physical pressure, typically nudging, leaning against, or placing a paw on the handler, at the onset of anxiety or sensory overload. The physical sensation interrupts the escalating cycle and redirects the handler's nervous system. Many autistic people describe this as their dog providing a reliable, non-verbal anchor that words or instructions cannot replicate.

Interrupting meltdowns and self-injurious behaviour. Trained autism dogs learn to recognise early cues, behavioural and physiological, that precede a meltdown or self-injurious episode. The dog intervenes at this early stage: nudging, licking, pawing, or applying body pressure. In many cases the intervention prevents full escalation. This task requires the dog to have learned an individual's specific warning signals, which is one reason personal familiarity between dog and handler is a significant advantage for owner-trained dogs.

Tracking and preventing bolting. For families of autistic children who bolt, a serious and potentially life-threatening behaviour, a trained dog on a fixed-length tether can prevent a child from running into traffic or becoming lost. Some dogs are also trained to track a child who has already bolted, using scent discrimination. This application is almost exclusively relevant to younger children.

Tethering for children. A specially designed harness connects the child to the dog at all times when in public. The dog is trained to walk beside the child, providing both a physical anchor and a source of sensory comfort. The child focuses on the dog rather than on overwhelming environmental stimuli, which reduces the likelihood of a bolting incident. Tethering requires the dog to be large enough to provide a meaningful counterweight, typically a medium to large breed.

Deep pressure therapy (DPT). The dog lies across or against the handler, providing sustained firm pressure. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system and reduces cortisol levels. DPT is used both as a preventive measure during high-stress environments and as an intervention during or after a distressing episode. It is particularly effective for autistic handlers who find physical touch from humans difficult but respond well to animal contact.

Preventing bolting and providing a safe focus. Beyond tethering, dogs can be trained to walk at a consistent pace, stop at kerbs, and wait at entrances, cues that autistic children and adults can read and follow more reliably than verbal instructions from a human. The dog's presence also provides a structured, predictable social anchor in unpredictable environments like shopping centres, transport hubs and school corridors.

Who qualifies for an autism assistance dog in the UK?

Under UK law, there is no formal gatekeeping process that determines whether a person qualifies for an autism assistance dog. The relevant legal test is set out in the Equality Act 2010: a person qualifies as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Autism spectrum condition (ASC) meets this test for a great many autistic people, though the Act assesses each person individually.

Importantly, the law covers both adults and children. There is no minimum age requirement. A family with an autistic child who needs a tethered dog for bolting prevention has the same legal basis for an assistance dog as an autistic adult who uses a dog for sensory grounding at work.

The practical question is less about legal qualification and more about readiness: whether the individual can engage with a dog safely, whether the household can support a working dog, and whether the dog has been trained to a standard that genuinely mitigates the individual's specific needs.

There is also no requirement that an autism diagnosis come from a particular type of clinician, or that it be formally verified before a dog can be used as an assistance animal. What matters, if anyone ever challenges your dog's status, is that you can explain clearly what tasks the dog performs and how those tasks relate to the effects of your or your child's disability.

Charity route vs owner-training: the honest comparison

Families researching autism assistance dogs will encounter two routes: applying to a charity for a trained dog, or training a dog themselves with professional support. Neither route is inherently superior, but the practical realities of each are very different, and most families are not given an accurate picture of the charity route when they begin their search.

The charity route involves applying to one of a small number of UK charities that place dogs with autistic people. These charities assess the applicant, select and train a dog over one to two years, and then carry out a placement process that includes follow-up support. The dogs are trained to a high standard by experienced professionals.

The drawbacks are significant. Waiting lists run from three to five years from initial application to placement. Selection is highly competitive, and many applicants are declined. The cost to the charity of providing a dog is over £25,000 per placement, which means that charitable funding cycles, volunteer availability and demand all affect how many dogs can be placed each year. Families cannot choose the breed or individual dog. And because placement priority is often given to children, autistic adults may find the waiting time even longer.

The owner-training route involves the family selecting a dog with suitable temperament and working with a qualified assistance dog behaviourist to train the dog to perform specific tasks. This process typically takes 12 to 24 months of consistent, structured training. It is demanding, but it is the route that most families who end up with an autism assistance dog actually take, not because they preferred it on paper, but because the alternative meant waiting years for a child who needed help now.

Owner-trained dogs carry identical legal rights to charity-trained dogs in shops, restaurants, public transport, schools and workplaces under the Equality Act 2010. The training organisation is legally irrelevant. An owner-trained dog that has been properly socialised, task-trained and is under control in public has the same protections as a dog that cost a charity £25,000 to produce.

The ADUK capacity reality: why owner-training is not a compromise

Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK) is a coalition of UK assistance dog charities that have achieved accreditation through Assistance Dogs International or the International Guide Dog Federation. ADUK accreditation represents a genuine quality standard, and the charities within the coalition do important work.

But the numbers tell a sobering story about capacity.

There are fewer than 10 ADUK-accredited charities in the UK that work with autistic people. Combined, these organisations place approximately 100 dogs per year across all types of autism assistance placement. The diagnosed autism population in the UK is over 700,000 people, and rising as diagnostic criteria improve and access to assessment widens.

The arithmetic is stark. Even if every one of those 100 annual placements went to someone who had never had a dog before, it would take seven thousand years to reach every autistic person in the UK who might benefit. In practice, placements are concentrated on those with the highest documented need, children are often prioritised over adults, and many applicants are declined after waiting years.

Owner-training, supported by a qualified canine behaviourist, is therefore not a fallback or a lesser option. It is the route that the system's capacity makes necessary, and it is a route that the law explicitly supports. The Equality Act 2010 does not define an assistance dog by reference to its training organisation. It asks whether the dog performs tasks that mitigate the effects of a disability. An owner-trained dog that does this is an assistance dog in the eyes of the law, period.

Legal rights: schools, shops, transport and restaurants

The legal basis for an autism assistance dog's public access rights in the UK rests on the Equality Act 2010. The Act is broad in scope and applies to virtually every public-facing setting. What follows is a plain-English breakdown of how the law applies in the settings most relevant to autistic handlers and their families.

In schools. A school, whether state, academy, free school or independent, is a provider of education and a service. Under Part 6 of the Equality Act, schools must not discriminate against a disabled pupil and must make reasonable adjustments. A head teacher who refuses an autism assistance dog at the school gates is not exercising a general discretion: they are potentially committing unlawful disability discrimination. The school does not need to accept the dog unconditionally, they can ask about the dog's tasks, ask for evidence of training, and make reasonable operational arrangements, but a blanket refusal without individual assessment is almost certainly unlawful.

In shops and restaurants. Part 3 of the Equality Act covers service providers, which includes every shop, restaurant, cafe, supermarket and leisure venue in the UK. A business that refuses entry to an assistance dog handler is refusing to provide a service on grounds that relate to the person's disability. This is direct discrimination. There is no "no dogs" exemption for food businesses: health and hygiene legislation in the UK contains specific exceptions for assistance dogs, and businesses that refuse entry using hygiene as a pretext are relying on a misunderstanding of that legislation.

On public transport. Buses, trains, trams and the London Underground are all covered. While section 173 of the Equality Act defines assistance dogs for taxi licensing purposes only (using ADUK-charity dog definitions), the broader anti-discrimination provisions of Parts 3 and 12 still apply. A rail operator that refuses a passenger with an autism assistance dog is refusing to provide a service to a disabled person and must demonstrate a proportionate justification to avoid liability.

In workplaces. Part 5 of the Equality Act covers employment. An autistic employee who uses an assistance dog has the right to request that reasonable adjustments be made to allow the dog into their workplace. An employer who refuses without considering the adjustment individually is likely failing the reasonable adjustments duty. The duty is anticipatory: employers should have considered this possibility in their disability inclusion policies, not just when it first arises.

In rented accommodation and hotels. Part 4 of the Act covers premises. A landlord who includes a "no pets" clause in a tenancy agreement must still consider whether refusing an assistance dog amounts to a failure to make a reasonable adjustment for a disabled tenant. The Equality and Human Rights Commission's guidance makes clear that blanket pet bans are difficult to apply without individual assessment where the animal concerned is an assistance dog.

Autism assistance dog tasks at a glance

Training milestones: what to expect and how long it takes

Owner-training an autism assistance dog is a significant commitment. Most families who approach it realistically and with professional support succeed, but it helps to know what the journey looks like before you begin.

Choosing the right dog (weeks 0–8). Breed and individual temperament matter enormously. Assistance dog work requires a dog that is calm in novel environments, resilient to loud or unpredictable behaviour, willing to work closely with a person who may be distressed, and food or play motivated enough to train consistently. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Standard Poodles are frequently used for autism assistance work, but breed is less important than individual character. Work with a behaviourist from the beginning to assess candidate dogs before you commit.

Foundation socialisation (months 2–6). Before any task training begins, the dog must be thoroughly socialised: supermarkets, school corridors, public transport, busy streets, restaurants. The dog must learn to remain calm, focused and controllable in every environment the handler uses. This phase cannot be rushed. A dog that is task-trained but not reliably public-access ready is not yet an assistance dog.

Public access training (months 4–12). Loose-lead walking, sustained attention, ignoring food on the ground, ignoring other dogs, settling calmly in restaurants and waiting rooms, riding in lifts, all of these must be trained to a reliable standard. Many behaviourists use the ADUK public access test criteria as a benchmark, even for owner-trained dogs.

Task training (months 6–18). Once the dog is solid in public, task training begins in earnest. Tasks are built in small, consistent increments. Grounding behaviours, for example, are typically trained by marking and rewarding any physical contact the dog initiates during moments of arousal or distress, then shaping this into a reliable and deliberate behaviour.

Consolidation and real-world reliability (months 12–24). A task trained in the living room must be generalised to every environment the handler uses. This takes time and deliberate practice. The dog should be performing all trained tasks reliably across a range of environments before being considered ready for full working status.

Registration and ongoing support. Once working, the dog can be registered with the Assistance Dog Registry, providing documented evidence of the dog's assistance role and the handler's disability. Ongoing training is important: tasks should be maintained and refreshed regularly, and new tasks can be added as the handler's needs evolve.

How to register with ADR, and why it matters for public access disputes

There is no legal requirement to register your autism assistance dog with any organisation. Your rights under the Equality Act do not depend on it. So why does registration matter?

The honest answer is: not in law, but in practice.

When a shop manager tells you that you cannot bring your dog in, or a school secretary calls you to say the head teacher has decided the dog cannot be on the premises, you are in a real-time confrontation where paperwork matters. In that moment, the person in front of you does not know your rights, does not know your dog's training history, and may be acting on nothing more than a vague sense that "you need special documentation" to have an assistance dog.

ADR registration gives you something to show. Your dog's registration card and certificate document the dog's name, registration number, trained tasks, and your status as a handler. This does not create legal rights that did not exist before, but it resolves most disputes on the spot, before they escalate into formal complaints or tribunal proceedings.

ADR's register is open to all assistance dogs regardless of training route. An owner-trained autism assistance dog that has been properly task-trained is eligible to register. The process involves submitting your dog's details and trained tasks, and the registry provides documentation that you can carry at all times.

For families whose children use autism assistance dogs at school, an ADR registration card can be particularly valuable. It gives the school something to note on file, something to reference when questions arise about public access on school trips, and something to show supply teachers or unfamiliar staff who may not be aware of the arrangement.

Frequently asked questions

Key terms explained

Sources

• Equality Act 2010, full text (legislation.gov.uk)
• Equality Act 2010, section 20, duty to make adjustments
• Equality Act 2010, section 6, definition of disability
• EHRC: Disability discrimination guidance
• EHRC Technical Guidance on Further and Higher Education (2015)
• ADUK: Assistance Dog Registration and Proof, official position
• National Autistic Society, resources and guidance for autistic people and families
• Citizens Advice, free guidance on discrimination
• APDT UK, Association of Professional Dog Trainers directory