39-1113. Assistance dogs and professional therapy dogs; definitions.
39-1113
39-1113. Assistance dogs and professional therapydogs; definitions.As used in this act and in K.S.A. 39-1101 through39-1109, and amendments thereto:
(a) "Assistance dog" means any guide dog, hearing assistance dog or servicedog.
(b) "Guide dog" means a dog which has been specially selected, trained andtested for the purpose of guiding a person who is legally blind.
(c) "Hearing assistance dog" means a dog which is specially selected, trainedand tested to alert or warn individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing tospecific sounds.
(d) "Professional therapy dog" means a dog which is selected, trained andtested to provide specific physical or therapeutic functions, under thedirection and control of a qualified handler who works with the dog as a team,and as a part of the handler's occupation or profession. Such dogs, with theirhandlers, perform such functions in institutional settings, community basedgroup settings, or when providing services to specific persons who havedisabilities."Professional therapy dog" does not include dogs, certified or not, which areused by volunteers for petvisitation therapy.
(e) "Service dog" means a dog which has been specially selected, trained andtestedto perform a variety of tasks for persons with disabilities. These tasksinclude, but are not limited to: Pulling wheelchairs, lending balance support,picking up dropped objects or providing assistance in, or to avoid, a medicalcrisis, or to otherwise mitigate the effects of a disability.
(f) The presence of a dog for comfort, protection or personal defensedoes not qualify a dog as being trained to mitigate an individual'sdisability and therefor does not qualify the dog as an assistance dog coveredunder the provisions of this act.
History: L. 2003, ch. 64, § 1; July 1.