California and especially the City of San Francisco are leading the nation in issuing special licenses to dogs (well, their owners) who -- on doctors' orders -- prescribe the companionship of a dog for the well being of someone. From the SF Gate:
Jackson, 55 and HIV-positive, had trouble with depression and was feeling isolated, not really wanting to leave home. But two months ago, he adopted Topper from a rescue agency. "It's the best thing I've done in 20 years,'' he said. "He needed love and affection as much as I did.''One of the first things Jackson did was register Topper with the Animal Care & Control agency in San Francisco as an "assistance dog.''
The official designation gives Jackson the legal right to take his four- legged companion on the bus or in a taxi and into shops, restaurants and public buildings. And, perhaps most importantly, his landlord had to make an exception to the no-dogs policy for the apartment Jackson rents in the city's Upper Market neighborhood.
Topper is not alone. By last week, San Francisco had issued 658 tags for assistance dogs -- a number that reflects a big jump since a 2002 ruling by a state regulatory agency that gave people troubled by psychological and emotional problems the right to keep companion dogs and to exercise the legal benefits that go along with it.
Service dogs traditionally have been paired with the visually and hearing impaired, and people using wheelchairs. Now, however, more are helping people who are depressed or anxious and who rely on canine companionship to help them cope.