Finally a question I can help with! I've been a service dog handler and advocate for well over a decade.
First, know that there is no such thing as "service animal licensing." There is no officially recognized agency that approves or issues any service animal credentials. Yes, there are training programs that offer to train dogs in obedience and in various tasks that may be helpful to an individual with a disability, and they may issue their own certificates of completion or whatever they do, but these are not required in order to meet
ADA guidelines: "
Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task."
State law, as well, echoes this very simple definition: "For the purpose of this chapter, 'service animal' means an animal that is trained for the purposes of assisting or accommodating a disabled person's sensory, mental, or physical disability." No stipulation about how or where the animal must be trained. Many people, in fact, train their own service animals, especially if they are very experienced.
Now, the dog must be trained, that's true. For documentation purposes, I usually recommend a medical provider's letter stating that a service dog would benefit the disabled patient; obedience training through any established training program (I've used PetSmart); and a training log kept at home for training the various tasks and work related to the disability (I did mine in Microsoft Word). It's also very helpful if the dog has passed its Canine Good Citizen test (sponsored by the AKC and offered through many local training establishments) and a Public Access Test (there are various versions, but here's a good one). Once all of this is complete and you feel confident that the dog is ready to perform as expected and needed in public settings, it's a good idea to cap it all off with something like this.
This documentation would be very helpful if the person were ever challenged in court for my use of a service dog. Most judges would expect to see something in writing -- that's just how they think. Hopefully, the dog has been trained to such a high standard that there would never be a challenge, but in the unlikely event that the dog causes damage or injury to any property, person, or other animal, the handler could find themselves facing a judge. And it is a civil infraction under state law to misrepresent an animal as a service animal.
Granted, some handlers will not have the experience, patience, or physical ability to train their own service animal. In that case, if a training program is selected, I'd recommend the person inquire of the program about financial assistance.
Hope this helps! I always love a chance to educate folks on service dog law.
Cheers,
~~Cheryl