ASIST/Assister: Why Standards?
Standards rule many aspects of our lives. From the food we eat, to the vehicles we drive, to the computers we use for work and pleasure, standards have been developed to protect us from harm.
In the service animal field, several organizations have developed standards, but, other than guide dogs for the blind, there is no single set of international standards for the training of service animals. Without training standards, trainers have no recognized requirements that they have to meet. Currently in Canada, it is possible for someone to promote themselves as a trainer of service animals without any qualifications whatsoever. This not only can lead to persons with disabilities being defrauded but also raises the question of safety around such animals.
From the beginning, ASIST/ASSISTER has promoted the development of standards for the training of service animals to avoid the problems noted above. The 5-part draft standard presented here has been written in accordance with the rules for developing international standards. The acceptance of such standards may begin regionally, but through public education and government assistance they can become nationally recognized. Certifying service animal teams – that is, evaluating the training through testing to see if the teams meet a generally accepted standard - proceeds from this point. To ensure transparency and no bias, certification would be conducted by an independent third party.
The five-part draft standard* outlines are available in PDF. If you require an alternate format, please contact information@asist.ca:
- general requirements for a service animal team – Part 1
- requirements for the performance in public of a service animal team – Part 2
- enhanced requirements for service animals providing non-physical support to a person with a psychiatric disability – Part 3
- requirements for a service animal to respond to a person with a disability who is undergoing an incident related to the disability, and to alert about a pending incident – Part 4
- requirements specific to the ability of the Person(s) with disabilities, to ensure the health and well-being of the service animal – Part 5
This five-part standard is very much a work in progress; the drafts are obviously missing sections that have yet to be developed. The framework here, however, provides a starting point on which we will elaborate.
We expect that approximately 85% of service animals trained under ASIST/ASSISTER developed standards will be dogs, and the wording in these draft standards reflect the training of dogs. However, recognizing that other species such as cats, ferrets and pot bellied pigs can and do provide support for those with disabilities, these standards can be modified to take into consideration additional species.
Note: Parts 1–4 are based on standards developed by Manitoba Search and Rescue, and used with permission.
