Public Access & Legal Status Policy
TDT UK Last updated: [16/09/2026]

Purpose This policy exists to give clients, referring organisations, and members of the public a clear, honest explanation of what different types of trained dog are and are not entitled to under UK law. TDT UK takes this seriously because misunderstanding in this area can lead to distress, legal difficulty, or damage to the reputation of genuine assistance dog handlers.

1. Categories of a Trained Dog

Assistance Dogs (protected under the Equality Act 2010) An assistance dog is a dog trained to carry out specific tasks to help a person with a disability. Under the Equality Act 2010, assistance dogs are granted public access rights (e.g., shops, restaurants, taxis, workplaces), and it is unlawful for a service provider to refuse access on the basis of a genuine assistance dog, except in limited, specific circumstances.

In practice, courts and service providers generally recognise assistance dogs trained by a member organisation of Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK), or dogs whose training and task work meet an equivalent standard, alongside evidence of the handler’s disability-related need.

TDT UK adheres to all the standards and Public Access Testing Criteria of ADUK and ADI. Eligibility of a handler’s disability is evidenced before a PAT assessment is undertaken

Therapy Dogs A therapy dog is trained to provide comfort, calm, and social interaction, typically in settings such as care homes, hospitals, schools, or hospices, usually as part of an organised visiting scheme by individuals operating a volunteer or paid for service and normally by invitation of the host institution. Therapy dogs have no public access rights. Access to a venue is entirely at the discretion of that venue and is arranged in advance, not a legal entitlement.

Emotional Support Dogs / Comfort Dogs These provide comfort to their owner through companionship but are not task-trained to mitigate a disability in the way an assistance dog is. Emotional support dogs have no legal public access rights in the UK. This is a frequent point of public confusion, including from vests/certificates purchased online, which have no legal weight. TDT Canine Services UK Ltd | Company No. 12199362 | Summers Hill, Clarbeston, Pembrokeshire, SA63 4QZ www.tdtuk.co.uk | www.therapydogtraining.co.uk

2. What Our Training Does and Does Not Provide
• We provide training in obedience / task work / public-facing behaviour / therapy visit readiness Public Access Testing and placement assessments, certification and dog training awards.
• Completion of our course, and any certificate we issue, is evidence of training standard only. It is not a legal credential and does not itself confer any right of public access.
• We will not describe, market, or certify any dog as a legally recognised “assistance dog” unless the relevant legal and organisational criteria are genuinely met.
• Clients who need to seek a legally recognised assistance dog for a disability from an ADUK organization (sometimes Universities and Colleges may have this written into their a policies) should be signposted to an ADUK member organisation. We are happy to provide this signposting on request.

3. Client Responsibilities Clients must not: - Represent a dog as a legally protected assistance dog to a venue, employer, transport provider, or member of the public unless it genuinely meets that legal standard. - Use equipment (vests, ID cards) implying legal status the dog does not hold. TDT UK reserves the right to end training arrangements if a client persists in misrepresenting a dog’s legal status after being informed of this policy.

4. Reviews This policy is reviewed annually or upon any relevant change in law, ADI or ADUK guidance.


TDT Canine Services UK Ltd | Company No. 12199362 | Summers Hill, Clarbeston, Pembrokeshire, SA63 4QZ www.tdtuk.co.uk | www.therapydogtraining.co.uk