Tags
Disability, Disabled, Dog, Panic attack, Pet, Service animal, Service dog
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Most of us know that service dogs exist to help the blind, the wheelchair bound, even the deaf. What many people don’t know is that service dogs also exist to help those with mental disabilities.
The mental disabilities that dogs can help range from helping a schizophrenic, to agoraphobia, to anxiety, and even to helping with mental retardation. The things that dogs can do to help the people they love is almost endless.
This isn’t an excuse for someone to say, “Hey I’ve had an anxiety attack, I should take my dog everywhere with me.” Your particular issue must be disabling meaning that your functioning is impaired significantly by your problem.
The best resource I’ve found for psychiatric service dogs is the Psychiatric Service Dog Society. Joan Esynara is, in my opinion, the best expert in the field. She, and others in her newsgroup list helped me when I was first considering that a service dog might be an option to give me more independence.
Part of that choice for many, if not all people is the willingness to give up a certain amount of control. Once trained, you need to be willing to listen to your dog and let them help you. Also, it’s a huge lifestyle change to have your dog with you at all times. Service dogs aren’t sometime helpers. They are constant companions that help you get freedom, companionship, and help to make your disability less disabling.
One of the few drawbacks I have personally experienced is the attention that using a service dog draws to you. We don’t go anywhere without getting attention that by myself I would not have gotten.
It’s mostly children wanting to pet or play with the dog, although I have had a few exceptions of being asked what my dog does for me since I’m not blind or in a wheelchair, and one experience where a person who was dog phobic did not want me to seek treatment at the facility she worked at because she was scared of dogs. It takes a certain amount of courage when you have an “invisible disability” like mine to use a dog and make it obvious that I need help.
Check out Joan’s website if you are like me and think a service dog may be useful for you. Feel free to ask me questions as well. On this one topic I reserve the right to politely refuse to answer depending on the question, but I think it’s important enough for people to know what service dogs are actually capable of that I probably will answer you. As always, I value your comments. Please feel free to share your thoughts.
Related Articles
- Service Dogs and Children (trainyourdogs.wordpress.com)
- Are service dogs in training allowed in restaurant (wiki.answers.com)
- How Do I Find a Psychiatric Support Dog? (everydayhealth.com)
- My Service Dog is Misbehaving (trainyourdogs.wordpress.com)
- Coppers Diary (trainyourdogs.wordpress.com)
- My Service Dog Copper’s Diary Post 1 (trainyourdogs.wordpress.com)
- Psychiatric Service Dogs (trainyourdogs.wordpress.com)
Time To Train Your Dog 
I have gone to the psychiatric dog society website, and it is simply a picture of a flag and a statue or something. has this site changed it’s address?! I would surely like to see what info I could get from it…
Jenn
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I’ll look into this and write an new post on service dog links soon.
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I realize that this post was from a while ago but I am hoping you still check. I am a 21 year old with PTSD, anxiety and depression. Things have become so bad that I rarely (if ever) leave the house alone, missed many of my classes and had to quit my job. I started experiencing night terrors and have become dissociative during certain attacks and hyperaware during others. Making being alone almost impossible that I just try to sleep all day long, which has compromised my eating. I get frozen in bed and get too afraid to even leave from under the covers. I was hoping to have my dog trained as a PSD but it is so overwhelmingly expensive that there was no hope for that option for a college student that cant hold down a job. My dog is very smart, but is a rescue herself. Which most organizations won’t take on because of her issues, but I have a gut feeling, and won’t give up on her so I can finally get my life back. If you have any advice of coping or training my own dog or organizations that could help me, I’d really appreciate it.
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First, hang in there. It can get better. Don’t give up. Second go to the american service dog society and don’t limit yourself to your immediate area. I know this response is way late so if you want to give me more details or let me know what you’ve tried since then I’ll help with your research.
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Hi. I am a high schooler with multiple emotional/mental illnesses. I am on a 504 plan which required a proof of disabilities, and many of my problems make me unable to do everyday tasks, which is the definition of disability if I am not mistaken. Do you think I qualify for a PSD? If so, would you please(and/or anyone else who has knowledge about PSDs) email me at KittyCat0327@gmail.com? I have a lot of questions I have been unable to find answers to, and I think the best way to find them would be by talking to an actual person who has experience or knowledge in this area. Thank you so much.
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Magnificent website. A lot of useful info here. I’m sending it to several friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you to your effort!
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This is only necessary if there is an infection more than a month
before the treatment starts. If you haven’t made the decision already, which you probably should have, you’ll need to decide which breed you are going to focus on.
If you want to use natural products then quite a lot of dog arthritis medicine brands use only natural items.
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Yes, however I’m not willing to use a dog who might be in pain as a working dog. He is now a loving, pampered pet with appropriate medication.
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I miss using my service dog. He did so many wonderful things for me. For those of you who are wondering, he did fit the legal definition. I do have PTSD as well as some form of anxiety… the exact diagnosis changes depending on the severity at the moment, and depression. Copper also did so much more than just ptsd work. He alerted to anxiety attacks, allowed me space by helping me not to be crowded from behind (big dogs have big rear ends and can give you space if placed properly, followed a hand command to act like he had to go potty so I could escape an overly crowded situation or find a safe place before a panic attack.
I wish I knew of someplace that would train a new service dog for me. Copper can help minimally at home, but as the service dog users out there know, loosing your service dog can be like loosing a limb. You grow to depend on them.
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service dogs also help those of us coming back from afghanistan and iraq with various physical injuries also. not just mental issues. there is a difference with the ada laws, my service dog, lizzy, is a mobility sd. thanks for sharing….
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To my knowledge there is no difference between a psychiatric service dog and a mobility service dogs as far as their access to public places. There is however a difference between emotional support animals and service dogs. It’s a matter of training, tasks, and the requirements of the disabled person.
Which differences were you referring to.
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the ada laws require paperwork from a mental health provider if you have an emotional support/psychiatric service dog.
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I thought you had to have proof of blindness to have a seeing eye dog and proof of mobility issues for a mobility dog. I’ve been wrong before. I have a perscription from my doctor, a letter of support, and a few other documents.
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possible, those letters will assistance you for traveling on public transportation. here is the defination according to ada: Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
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My husband has PTSD. He suffers from elevated blood pressure, panic attacks, flashbacks and hallucinations. His (our?) PSD cues him at onset and leads him to a safe and quiet area at onset. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. What a blessing!
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The PSDS is an outstanding resource. I’m fortunate to have the option of working with trainers who train seizure alert, signal (hearing assistance), mobility assistance, autism, and psychiatric service dogs both for their local organization and in conjunction with owner-trainers, with whom they meet twice a month for a very reasonable price. I look forward to future posts!
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How did you find the local trainers? I would like to find a psych dog specialist in my area as well.
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I think it’s wonderful you’re sharing your experience with others. I imagine you will be able to connect and help so many people in the same situation as you!
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I can definitely imagine how helpful a service dog could be with mental issues. My neighbor’s dog (not a service dog at all) is entirely different when out and about with their autistic son, and you can see the difference in his comfort level when he’s got the dog with him as well. I’d imagine a service dog (or this dog trained for service) would be even better able to help him.
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