The Best IDs for Service Dogs

Sometimes the best friend a man, or woman, can have is a dog. Service dogs are trained to assist individuals with a wide range of needs ranging from blindness and physical limitations, to medical conditions such as unpredictable seizures. Fortunately, federal law allows service dogs to accompany their owner into areas where pets may not otherwise be allowed. However, proper identification of a service dog makes its certification obvious to outside parties.

  1. Vests

    • Dog vests provide a comfortable and widely recognized form of service dog identification. Available in a wide range of colors, the vest displays a swath of fabric across the dog's shoulder blades and a portion of the back, securing with webbing straps underneath the dog's legs. Service dog patches can be applied to the vest, or the vest can be ordered with the words "Service Dog" embroidered on the fabric. Embroidering text that requests people not pet the dog unless given permission to do so can also be helpful for the handler.

    Customized Collars

    • Large service dog breeds can be outfitted with a large width collar that identifies them as a service dog. Typically ranging between 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and embroidered with text that reads "service dog" or "working dog," collars provide a form of identification that can be worn all of the time. Constant identification allows individuals with service dogs to leave the house without worrying about outfitting their pet with service dog identification.

    Badges

    • Much like an identification card worn by individuals who work in a secure area, service dog badges provide large, easy-to-read identification. Badges are intended to be secured to a service dog's collar and act as an oversize dog tag. However, the badge, which is approximately the size of a credit card, features the animal's photo, name and identification as a service dog. As an additional benefit, many badges come with preprinted information regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act on the back for times when a dog may be wrongly denied access.

    Tags

    • Everyday dog tags that provide identification for nonworking dogs can be customized to identify a service animal. Instead of labeling the tag with the dog's name and address, tags should be created to read the dog's name, state that the animal is a service dog and what to do if something has happened to the dog's owner, such as calling 911. However, in addition to a service tag, a standard tag with the owner's contact information should be worn in case the two become separated. Dogs that may be overly protective of their owners should also be fitted with an alternate form of identification, because tags must be read in close proximity to the dog.