Open Service
Animal Registry

What Makes Us Different

Registration is free. Verification means something specific.

OSAR was designed to avoid many of the practices commonly associated with commercial animal registries.

We do not believe legitimacy should be something a handler purchases.

That begins with a simple commitment:

Basic registration is free

There is no fee to establish an eligible OSAR record.

There is no annual registration charge.

There is no recurring subscription simply to keep a record active.

There is no premium membership required to receive an OSAR record number or participate in the registry.

We separate registration from verification

Creating an OSAR record does not mean OSAR independently verified every statement contained in it.

We make that distinction visible.

A record may contain information that is:

Handler Attested

The handler supplied the information and formally affirmed its accuracy.

Independently Verified

OSAR or an independent third party performed a defined verification process concerning that specific fact.

This distinction allows anyone viewing an OSAR record to understand the evidence behind the information rather than simply seeing an official-looking badge.

We independently verify handler identity

OSAR offers optional identity verification through a specialized independent provider such as Stripe Identity.

The purpose is straightforward:

Can we independently establish that the person associated with this record is the person they claim to be?

OSAR is intentionally designed so that copies of government identification documents, identification selfies, and similar highly sensitive materials do not become part of the ordinary OSAR registry database.

The identity provider performs the identity check. OSAR records the relevant verification result.

Identity verification does not verify a disability and does not create service-animal status.

It verifies identity.

We attempt to verify actual training relationships

If a handler states that an animal was trained by a professional trainer or assistance-dog organization, OSAR may independently contact that trainer or organization.

Rather than treating an uploaded certificate as proof by itself, OSAR may ask the named training source to confirm factual information such as:

  • whether it worked with the animal-handler team;
  • the approximate training period;
  • the general categories of training performed; and
  • other relevant information within the scope of the verification.

If the organization confirms the information, the record can reflect that.

If the organization does not respond, OSAR does not automatically accuse the handler of providing false information. The record instead accurately reflects that independent confirmation could not be completed.

We recognize owner-trained service dogs

OSAR does not require professional training.

Owner-trained service dogs are fully eligible when they satisfy the applicable registry criteria.

A professionally trained animal may have information that can be independently confirmed through its trainer. An owner-trained animal may not have that particular source of third-party evidence.

That difference does not make one animal inherently more legitimate.

OSAR reports the difference in evidence, not a difference in legal worth.

We do not register Emotional Support Animals

OSAR deliberately focuses on task-trained service animals and working dogs.

An Emotional Support Animal may provide an important benefit through companionship or presence, but that is different from an animal individually trained to perform identifiable work or tasks.

OSAR does not:

  • operate an ESA registry;
  • sell ESA certificates;
  • sell ESA letters; or
  • connect users with healthcare providers for the purpose of obtaining ESA documentation.

Maintaining a clear distinction between emotional support and task-trained work is part of protecting the credibility of the registry.

We do not sell the appearance of legitimacy

OSAR does not sell:

  • service-animal ID cards;
  • certification documents;
  • registration certificates;
  • service-dog vests;
  • patches;
  • badges; or
  • related merchandise.

OSAR provides digital credentials because they connect directly to a live record.

A physical card can become outdated while continuing to look authoritative. A live verification record can show whether a record is active, retired, archived, updated, or has received additional verification.

Public verification is free

Someone should not have to pay OSAR simply to determine whether an OSAR credential is authentic.

A person with an OSAR QR code or appropriate record number can access the corresponding public verification information without purchasing a subscription or verification service.

Privacy is part of the architecture

OSAR seeks to collect the minimum information reasonably necessary to operate the registry.

Among other things:

  • medical diagnoses are not required for ordinary registration;
  • OSAR does not sell registrant information;
  • private account contact information is not automatically public;
  • full microchip numbers are not displayed publicly by default;
  • government identification documents are processed through specialized third parties rather than stored in the ordinary registry database; and
  • handlers control important aspects of what appears on their public record.