What Is Assistance Dog International?

Assistance Dog International, commonly called ADI, is a global coalition of non-profit programmes that train and place assistance dogs. Founded in 1987, it exists to set quality standards for assistance dog organisations around the world, including those operating across Canada.

ADI accredits training organisations, not individual dogs or handlers directly. When a programme holds ADI accreditation, it means that programme has been reviewed against detailed standards covering training methods, dog welfare, handler education and follow-up care. In Canada, several service dog programmes have sought and received ADI accreditation to demonstrate the quality of their work.

Understanding what ADI is, and what it is not, saves Canadian handlers a great deal of confusion when navigating public access rights and documentation requirements.

What ADI Standards Actually Cover

ADI publishes standards that member organisations must meet in order to achieve or maintain accreditation. These standards cover a wide range of programme operations, from how dogs are selected and bred to how handlers are trained and supported after placement.

Key areas covered by ADI standards include:

• Dog selection and health: Dogs must meet minimum health and temperament criteria before entering formal training.
• Training methods: ADI prohibits the use of inhumane training techniques. Programmes must use methods that prioritise the dog's physical and psychological wellbeing.
• Task training: Dogs must be reliably trained to perform specific tasks that mitigate the handler's disability. General good behaviour alone does not qualify a dog under ADI standards.
• Handler instruction: The person receiving the dog must receive formal instruction in how to work with and care for the dog.
• Public access behaviour: Dogs must demonstrate calm, controlled behaviour in public spaces before being placed with a handler.
• Follow-up support: ADI member programmes are required to provide ongoing support to handler teams after placement.

These standards represent a rigorous benchmark. Not every service dog in Canada is trained through an ADI-accredited programme, and Canadian law does not require ADI accreditation for a dog to be legally recognised as a service dog.

Public Access Testing and Why It Matters

One of the most practical elements of ADI standards is the Public Access Test, often abbreviated as PAT. This is a standardised evaluation that determines whether a dog can behave safely and appropriately in public environments.

The PAT assesses a dog across a series of real-world scenarios. A dog must demonstrate that it can:

• Enter and exit a vehicle calmly
• Walk through a crowd without lunging, barking or showing aggression
• Remain calm when approached by strangers
• Perform basic obedience commands reliably
• Ignore food dropped on the ground
• Remain calm in confined or busy spaces such as elevators and shops
• Settle quietly when the handler stops moving

For Canadian handlers, passing a Public Access Test through an ADI-accredited programme provides a credible, documented record of the dog's capability. This documentation can be valuable when dealing with businesses, transit operators or landlords who question whether a dog qualifies as a service dog.

It is worth understanding that the PAT is not a legal requirement under any Canadian federal or provincial statute as of 2026. The Accessible Canada Act and provincial human rights codes establish rights for persons with disabilities who use service dogs, but none of these laws mandate a specific test score or ADI certification. The PAT's value is practical and evidentiary, not statutory.

How Canadian Standards Differ from US Standards

Canadian and American frameworks for service dogs share some foundations but differ in meaningful ways. Canadian handlers who have read American resources online often arrive with assumptions that do not translate cleanly into the Canadian context.

In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act defines a service animal narrowly as a dog trained to perform a specific task for a person with a disability. The US framework focuses almost entirely on the task-trained dog and places very few documentation requirements on handlers. Public access is broadly protected at the federal level.

Canada does not have a single equivalent to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Instead, rights for service dog users in Canada are protected through a combination of federal and provincial law, including:

• The Canadian Human Rights Act, which covers federally regulated sectors such as airlines, banks and inter-provincial travel
• The Accessible Canada Act, which requires federally regulated entities to progressively remove accessibility barriers
• The Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR), which govern service dogs on federally regulated carriers including Air Canada and Via Rail
• Provincial human rights codes, which vary by province and cover most day-to-day situations like restaurants, hotels and provincial transit

Under the ATPDR, which came into full effect for large carriers, handlers travelling with service dogs may be required to provide documentation confirming the dog's training. This is one area where ADI certification or a verified Public Access Test result becomes practically useful in Canada in a way that has no direct parallel in US domestic travel law.

ADI's own standards are international by design and apply equally to Canadian and American member programmes. The difference lies in how each country's legal framework incorporates or references those standards. In Canada, the patchwork of provincial and federal law means that ADI certification carries different weight depending on which province you are in and which sector is involved.

Provincial Recognition and Human Rights Codes

Each Canadian province has its own approach to service dog recognition, and the variation is significant. Handlers who move between provinces or who travel for work need to understand this landscape.

Ontario provides one of the more detailed frameworks under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Ontario's framework recognises service animals broadly and does not require a specific certification, but businesses may ask for documentation from a regulated health professional confirming the person's disability-related need.

British Columbia addresses service dogs under the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act. BC issues its own provincial certificates for certified service dogs, which provide a high level of legal protection. Dogs that are not provincially certified in BC can still access public places under the Human Rights Code, but the provincial certificate carries stronger and more explicit protections.

Alberta operates under the Service Dogs Act, which created a provincial identification card system for trained service dogs. ADI accreditation from an approved programme can support an application for this provincial ID, giving ADI standards a more direct legal connection in Alberta than in some other provinces.

Quebec handles service dog rights primarily through the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Quebec uses French-language administrative processes, and handlers in Quebec benefit from working with bilingual providers when gathering documentation.

Across all provinces, the common thread is that a handler's right to access public spaces with a service dog is protected, but the documentation and certification requirements differ. ADI accreditation is respected across Canada, though it is not universally required. Our team at TheraPetic® works with handlers from every province and understands these regional differences in detail.

What ADI Certification Means for Your Rights in Canada

ADI certification does not grant legal rights on its own. Your rights come from human rights legislation and accessibility law. What ADI certification does is provide strong, credible evidence that your dog meets a recognised international standard.

This matters in practical situations. A restaurant manager who questions whether your dog qualifies as a service dog is far less likely to challenge a handler who can produce documentation from an ADI-accredited programme, including a passed Public Access Test result. Airlines operating under ATPDR rules may request documentation, and ADI records provide exactly the kind of evidence those rules contemplate.

ADI certification also strengthens your position if a dispute arises under a provincial human rights code. Human rights tribunals in Canada look at evidence of training, behaviour and the connection between the dog's tasks and the handler's disability. Records from an ADI-accredited programme speak directly to all three of those factors.

Handlers who trained their dogs independently or through non-accredited programmes are not without rights. Canadian law does not require ADI accreditation. Those handlers carry a greater burden of demonstrating their dog's training and task work when challenged, because they do not have an accreditation record to reference.

If you are navigating service dog documentation or need support understanding your provincial rights, our online screening process is a practical first step to getting clarity on what applies to your situation.

How to Get Your Dog Evaluated Under ADI Standards

If you want your dog evaluated against ADI standards, there are several paths available to Canadian handlers.

The most straightforward route is to obtain your dog through an ADI-accredited programme. These programmes train dogs, match them to handlers, provide instruction and issue documentation. A list of ADI-accredited programmes in Canada is available through the ADI website directly.

If you already have a trained service dog, some ADI-accredited programmes offer Public Access Test evaluations to dogs trained outside their programme. This is sometimes called an owner-trained evaluation. The availability of this service varies by programme and province. Not all ADI member organisations offer third-party evaluations, so it is worth contacting programmes in your region directly.

Owner-trained service dogs are legal in Canada. The Canadian Human Rights Commission does not require that a service dog come from any specific programme or hold any specific certification. If your dog performs trained tasks reliably and behaves safely in public, your rights under human rights law apply regardless of whether you pursued formal ADI evaluation.

For handlers who want documentation that supports their rights without pursuing full ADI programme accreditation, a letter from a qualified healthcare provider confirming your disability-related need for the dog is recognised under most provincial frameworks and under federal carrier rules. You can learn more about the documentation options available to Canadian handlers on our service dog letter page.

How TheraPetic® Supports Canadian Handlers

TheraPetic® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit healthcare provider group with a clinical team led by Licensed Clinical Doctors who understand both the legal landscape and the lived experience of Canadian service dog handlers. Our mission is to make sure every person who needs a service animal has access to proper documentation, clear information and compassionate professional support, regardless of which province they live in.

In our experience supporting Canadian handlers, the questions around ADI standards come up most often in two situations. The first is when a handler is challenged by a business or carrier and needs documentation quickly. The second is when a handler is applying for a provincial service dog ID, such as in Alberta or British Columbia, and needs to understand what evidence will satisfy provincial requirements. We help handlers navigate both situations.

Our Licensed Clinical Doctors conduct assessments in both English and French, which matters for handlers in Quebec and bilingual regions of New Brunswick and Ontario. We understand that the documentation needs of a handler in Vancouver differ from those of a handler in Halifax, and we approach each case accordingly.

If you are unsure whether your dog meets the standards required for public access in your province, or if you need documentation that supports your rights under the ATPDR or a provincial human rights code, we encourage you to start with our handler screening process. It is a simple, accessible way to get a clear picture of your options.

For direct support, you can reach our team at help@mypsd.org or call (800) 851-4390. We are here to help every step of the way.