The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has done much to guarantee that people with disabilities are entitled unlimited use of their assistance dog within parameters in which regular dogs are not allowed. The most obvious use of an assistance dog is guide dogs for the blind. Boxers were one of the first dogs used as guide dogs for the blind, and they are still used today, though the more popular German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, and golden retrievers have become more common.

More assistance dogs are used by the deaf and hearing-impaired to alert the people to doorbells and knocks on the door and the telephone ringing. Dogs are also used by those who are wheelchair bound to help by picking up dropped objects, helping people in and out of the wheelchair, alerting at signs of a seizure, and a whole host of other issues. Dogs have finally come into their own as a true working companion in the field of assistance dogs.