Which of the following is recognized as a service animal by ADA standards?

The correct answer is A, a seeing-eye dog. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is specifically defined as a dog that has been individually trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability. These tasks may include guiding individuals with vision impairments, alerting individuals who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or other specific tasks that directly relate to the person’s disability.

While the ADA does recognize that miniature horses can be considered service animals in certain circumstances, this is contingent upon specific criteria being met, such as the horse being trained to perform tasks for the individual and its size being manageable in the location the individual needs to access. However, the majority of service animals recognized under ADA are dogs.

Therapy animals and emotional support animals, such as therapy cats or comfort hamsters, do not meet the ADA's definition of service animals, as they are not required to be trained to perform specific tasks related to a person's disability. These types of animals provide comfort or emotional support but lack the specialized training required for service animals to perform specific functions that assist individuals with disabilities.