My wife and I have a therapy dog. It's our second dog to be one. They don't just go places, they're supposed to be invited and have a task (like having children read to them, or visit with willing persons in a nursing home). They are well trained, good natured dogs that passed a test by an evaluator. It can be pretty rewarding to work with them.
A service dog is a different critter. They are highly trained to do a task for a person who cannot. They don't need an invitation and are generally the only animals allowed in a restaurant.
Emotional support animals, I don't understand. If you have a need for a service dog, that's that, get one. People that use that as an excuse to force a dog on everyone give other ones a bad rap. Every pet is an emotional support animal (even those bees), but they don't belong in every situation. I've got no gripe with someone bringing a well behaved animal into most places, but pets on a plane ? Do you want to ride next to my 200 lb dog ? I wouldn't do that to someone who didn't get a choice.
