service animal

American  

[sur-vis an-uh-muhl] / ˈsɜr vɪs ˌæn ə məl /

noun

1. an animal that is specially trained and able to provide assistance to a person with a disability, such as guiding a blind person or assisting a person with epilepsy during and after a seizure.

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Etymology

Origin of service animal

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

After speaking with airline staff, they learned that the owner had ditched her dog when told she needed to complete additional paperwork in order to bring him on board as a service animal.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

The Americans With Disabilities Act allows the staff to ask just two questions: Is the dog a service animal, required because of the owner’s disability?

From New York Times • May 16, 2024

Studies of the potential benefits of animal interactions often take a holistic approach, comparing people's mood or hormone levels before and after spending time with a service animal.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2024

If it’s a service animal, the answer is yes.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023

It is rhetoric in the leader of extempore prayer; studied inflexions in the conductor of liturgical service; animal excitement, or sentimental pensiveness, or assent which is merely vocal, among the worshippers.

From The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Exodus by Chadwick, G. A.