service dog

American  

[sur-vis dawg, dog] / ˈsɜr vɪs ˌdɔg, ˌdɒg /

noun

1. a dog trained to assist a person with a disability, especially a disability other than blindness, such as by alerting a deaf person to important environmental sounds or a person with an allergy to the presence of their allergen in food.

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Etymology

Origin of service dog

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

She has a service dog and was able to book first-class tickets — a significantly more modest experience than most major airlines’ premium cabins — to have some more legroom for a reasonable cost.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

She was told by airline staff that she did not have the required documents to travel with the animal as a service dog and was subsequently denied a boarding pass, police said.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

If a veteran with a service dog tried to get onto a train and was denied, they’d be appealing to the Federal Transit Administration.

From Slate • Jul. 4, 2025

Guimaraes returned to his duties at Marina del Rey, but allegedly faced difficulties with his necessary accommodations, including having a service dog and requiring a well-ventilated workplace.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2024

Relief finally came in the form of a service dog named Aura, a black labrador retriever with "lovable brown eyes" with whom Evans was paired in 2015.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2024