At the conclusion of our pilot study in Canada, we were left with this question: There were some benefits that were shown, but were those due to having a companion animal and having constant companionship and association, or were they due to the fact that these were psychiatric service dogs that were trained for that purpose? Generally, the training for a psychiatric service dog is much more expensive, so that's one consideration, and the supply is very limited.
It's important for us, or any provider, to know which benefits can be derived from which type of service animal or support animal.