An emotional support dog is a type of dog that provides comfort to help relieve a symptom or effect of a person’s disability. They may be trained for a specific owner, but they are NOT trained for specific tasks or duties to aid a person with a disability, and this is the main difference between ESAs and service dogs.

Therapy dogs are dogs who go with their owners to volunteer in settings such as schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. From working with a child who is learning to read to visiting a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of other people.
Therapy dogs are not service dogs.

A Service Dog helps a person with a disability lead a more independent life. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.”