(As requested)
Service animals – PSYCHIATRIC
The Psychiatric Service Dog Society (PSDS)
This link here gives a description of what the PSDS can teach a psych dog to do for people living with major depression, bipolar disorder, panic, anxiety, agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia. ****Also includes Psychiatric Service Dogs for Veterans****
Service Dog Tasks for Psychiatric Service Dogs
Detailed list of what a psychiatric service dog can do for a person with for panic disorder, PTSD, depression, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Schizophrenia, etc. Among these tasks are: go get medication, deliver a note to a person stating you need help, assist out of emotional overload where the person has shut down or severely dissociated, help ease panic attacks. One lady said on TV that her dog helps her manage reality in that if he’s not barking at the person she sees in the window then she can have her mind a little eased that no one has come to hurt her. He helps her manage anxiety and reason in her mind that she’s hallucinating. If the dog isn’t attacking then there isn’t anyone really there. She can take steps to calm and gather herself. PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOGS WORK!!
Prescription Protocols for Psychiatric Service Dogs
This is another list of what service animals can do, it’s short and to the point. It covers the same disorders as the service above but also includes Depersonalization Disorder.
Circle Tail provides dogs for hearing impaired, psychiatric service dogs, mobility impaired, as well as neurological disorders. They provide adoptions, training and boarding.
Low, low cost training ranged from $3 (three) to $75 (seventy five). This is in the downtown Cincinnati, Ohio area.
Commentary
According to the American’s With Disabilities Act a service animal is an animal that gives assistance in some way to a person with a disability. Check your state for more details. Currently in the state of Indiana cats can legally be considered service animals but you can not take them in public with you like you can a dog. In Indiana if you have a cat as a service animal a letter from your doctor makes him/her legal meaning no deposit and no extra payment each month. However, to take advantage of this by attempting to get 5 or 6 cats as legal service animals will cause complaints from renters and force Indiana to change its laws thereby hurting others. Use this law with consideration for everyone.
Service animals – PYSICAL AND NEUROLOGICAL
Susquehanna Service Dogs – International, also in 26 US States. Balance, hearing and companion only, no psychiatric service dogs. Clients may apply for a need-based scholarship.
Indiana Canine Assistance Network - Downtown Indianapolis canine network for service animals focusing on physical disabilities only.
Release Dogs - highly trained dogs that didn’t pass the final test in the time given available for adoption as in home companion animals.
Helpful Service Animal Links
National Council for Support of Disability Issues
FACTS:
- Any person with a service animal is 100% responsible for the behavior of the dog.
- Any person with a service animal has the potential to gain happiness and freedoms at a faster rate than without the dog.
- Any person with a service animal should have time to keep up with reminder type training to keep the dog on his toes paws and fresh in his/her responses.
- Any person with a service animal would do well to remember the dog isn’t a pet but a life partner dedicated to making your existence the happiest and healthiest possible.
- Any person thinking of getting a service animal should know that dealing with the public will change and could be rather stressful at times.
- Any person with a service animal is a blessed human being.
I hope these will be helpful to you.
Note on cats as service animals: The American’s With Disabilities Act is written in such a way that allows for cats to be used as service animals. You can not be charged extra rent nor can you be charged a deposit the same as with a service dog. This law is federal and supersedes local laws and policies. Policy is not law.
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
Bern Williams
Wow. I didn’t have any idea that a dog could do all these things. How amazing. I wonder if I could train my current dog to turn lights on and off? Or remind me to take meds? I do love that I can be assured that if she is not barking, my over-sensitivity to noise is causing my paranoia and not someone at the door. And she is good about waking me up from nightmares.
Captain will pat my foot with his paw to help me back from dissociative states. He wakes me from nightmares. He can open the door to let ER crews in. When I’m anxious in public he’ll nudge me until I get up and take him outside where I can get fresh air and calm down. Watching Captain helps me know how I’m doing. I know when I get up to move across the room if he jumps to his feet to follow me that my anxiety level is sky high and he’s responding to it. I just wish they hadn’t taught him to put his cold nose in the small of my back when he’s trying to bring me out of a flashback that I’m stuck in. That’ll bring anyone back I mean to tell ya. LOL He puts his nose under my shirt right at the small of my back. COLD!! The most helpful thing is having him stand so close to me and having his paw on my paw. It helps keep my grounded, helps keep me in the here and now. Service Animals are certainly life savers. If it weren’t for Captain I’d still be the kind of girl that stays home too afraid to go anywhere. I don’t call him Captain My Captain for nothing
Now that he’s older and ill I am privileged to be the one that serves him. Its hard to watch him slow down, to see the tumors that once were small take him over but when I care for him I am proud to be the one doing it. When I do his medication stuff I’m happy and honored to be the one he’s laying still for. Maybe that makes no sense or is overly sentimental but what this boy has given me I can not ever repay. He’s a good, good boy.
Austin
I am so sorry for Captain’s deterioration. So glad for him that you honor him so well.
Service dogs are great. I’m afraid my dachshunds may be disservice dogs!
Dear Austin,
There wasnt a single thing “overly” sentimental about what you wrote. It brought more than a couple tears to my eyes, and you very much have helped me see what a service dog can do, for people with not-so-obvious disabilities. So thank you very very much, to you and to Captain