Hey, this is my first time in this subreddit so sorry if I don’t know much about service dogs besides the basics I hear from other people with service dogs!

I’m 15, a trans male in his freshman year with diagnosed depression and anxiety (not entirely sure if it is generalized or social, but I believe it could be both? It wasn’t really discussed any further so I’m not sure) I take antidepressants, this is my second one ever since middle school. I take other pills too. I am in therapy.

But, I am close to my last straw. Everyday is fear, anxiety, and stress. I feel like I am constantly being targeted. I feel like the world is against me at times. I feel like people are judging me, staring at me, gossiping about me or my physical appearance or the way I walk. I am scared when I am outside, even when taking out my dog (I have two). I always feel like SOMETHING is going to happen to me, even when it never does.

I am always told “you can get through it” and “it’s unlike to happen!” But my brain DOESN’T register any of it. If it does, it’s for a few hours before I go through the cycle AGAIN. I’m really tired of this, and this trimester before summer break is making my depression and anxiety worse than any of the other trimesters I’ve had. I’m taking 2 antidepressants at this point because it’s just exhausting.

I have my own favorites for dogs, but to be honest, I don’t care what dog I get or need, I just want to know if a Psychiatric Service Dog is good for me, because I’m at a big low right now and I don’t know how to handle it.

Any advice is appreciated, please and thank you 🙏

Is there something thing about a sd that attracts people? People constantly tell me how my husky malamute is so calm unlike a typical husky. I know they want to talk more, dogs have this effect on people. Esp service dogs. In a store today ( Canadian tire in napanee) a gentleman repeatedly tried to talk to me about my dog saying how cute he was & also trying to call out to my dog. The first time, I just walked my dog away as I want to avoid conflict to keep my mental sanity. He followed me to the aisle where mine was in a down stay & then proceeded to reach out to stroke my sd while saying cute boy all the while. I told him, " Sir, this is a working sd, you cannot touch him. That will distract him from his duty" in a firm & respectful voice. He was going to continue, but something in my voice stopped him. And he said oh he's working.

Could be ignorance. Could be we live in a touch deprived society. My trainer also added that he's seen people with emotional challenges gravitate towards sd's as there's something grounding & soothing about sd's.

While I wish my sd could help soothe others, I have to remember his hard work & primary training is to support my health & he doesn't have the bandwidth to care for the whole world.

How do you react to strangers commenting on/ touching your sd without your permission?

I was wondering if anyone has direct experience or what your opinion is on this: I'm thinking about flying with Allegiant and they (other airlines as well?) have separate charges for bulkhead seats. I can't recall where/who I got the idea that an airline would assign you an available bulkhead (non-emergency exit), if available. It's only an extra $150 to reserve the seats, but should I call them to get them for free?

So, my wife has a standard poodle and he is a cardiac alert service dog (she has tachycardia). We are considering going yo Montréal later this year. Will we be able to fly there with him? What must we do to make the process go smoothly? Laws and regulations?

I have a 6 year old Australian shepherd, I’ve had her since she was 6 months old. She’s my best friend, she has an innate ability to sense emotional changes and physical changes (I won’t be specific but I have some chronic conditions) and she has been a wonderful at home service dog. She redirects behaviors in me and provides some deep pressure therapy that I helped train myself at home casually. However she was raised on a farm and is the offspring of farm aussies. She retains many of the Australian shepherd qualities: autonomous decision making (some amount of stubbornness), she is wary of strangers, and she is dog reactive. These innate breed qualities do not allow her to do public work currently. I have recently been needing a service dog that can go out in public with me. My partner and I have toyed with the idea of getting a separate dog to be trained as a puppy with a trainer and us to help my service dog. But I don’t want to give up maybe being able to train my Aussie for public work. She is incredibly smart and a fast learner, with a proper trainer for service work, is it possible for “an old dog to learn new tricks”? She’s 6 years old and set in some of her ways although we have never brought her to a professional trainer to help. I am booking a consult within the next few weeks to see what an experienced trainer will say but I also wanted to ask here- has anyone worked with an older dog and trained them from scratch to be able to do public work? Especially as a herding dog and their innate breed instincts? Thanks everyone :)

I PROMISE this relates to service dogs! Especially to any of us service dog handlers in the U.S.

I'm going to link this at the top for easy access

https://www.project2025.org/policy/

This link takes you to Project 2025's website and for any of you who are unfamiliar with Project 2025, I suggest you scroll down to the red button that says "read the mandate" and click on it. It will give you access to a PDF that outlines the entire project. Pages 35-49 are a 14 page foreword that essentially summarizes the project's main goals.

Now, to get to the specifics about service dogs, I think the biggest thing is they aim to defund the DOJ (Department of Justice) which is who we U.S. handlers report access denials and more to.

Another thing for U.S. handlers to consider is that if you are on SSDI and/or Medicare, they plan to privatize Medicare and make changes to social security.

I'm sorry to anyone this doesn't affect directly but it's got me freaked out about my rights as a disabled person and as a service dog handler here in the U.S.

It's already hard enough on us as it is without them defending our help and changing our disability and health benefits!

I have been looking at different breeds for a while now. The energy levels of the fab three, along with the heavy shedding of the two retrievers, and the intense grooming levels of poodles, makes me say no to them.

Years ago, I very briefly looked at English Bulldogs. Recently I looked deeper into them. The Bulldog Club of America has a section for Bulldogs in performance, from agility to parkour. This has me thinking of putting one into a service role.

The things that interests me in the breed is their smooth wash and go coats, their good sturdy size, their friendly and tolerant dispositions, and their lower than average energy levels. They seem like easy keepers.

Has anyone done this before? Is it even allowed? I fly with my service dog all the time, but this time I have to bring my cat.

Thanks!

I am 16 and suffer from a number of chronic illnesses, and have begun the process of looking for a good organization to apply to. I applied to Canine Companions but was told they are unsuitable for my needs, which was surprising given that I have seen a lot of people with similar needs get dogs from them. My main illness is dysautonomia, and I am looking for a mobility dog along with cardiac alert and possibly migraine alert.

I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on an organization that could be a good fit to look into? I am located in the DMV, so it needs to be somewhere that serves that area, but I am willing to travel. Most places I have come across have super long wait lists, and I would be inclined to owner train, but am concerned about the undertaking of training the tasks that I need, because I would have no idea where to start. Please let me know if you have recommendations, or any advice for how to proceed.

UPDATE: I found out that I am preliminarily accepted to ECAD, which we will be moving forward with, along with being on a couple other waitlists. Speaking to ECAD, they said that it will likely be late 2025 to early 2026, although it could be sooner depending on how long fundraising takes. Thanks for everyone’s advice, though, it has been really helpful to hear people’s perspectives.

Hi! I’ve been looking into both show/field line labs and show/field line goldens. For those who have owned them, what’s your experience? What are the pros and cons of your dog?

So, a few days ago, my SD and I went to Target for some groceries. We were in the store for about an hour. For reference, my SD is a Husky/German Shepherd mix and is a year and two months old. She is excellent with her tasking and PA. I have never had a problem with her at all. Also, she is always clearly vested with her patches and is always in a heel next to me or about 5 inches behind so that I don’t accidentally bump her while walking. She is always leashed with the exception of a select few places as I have POTS and had an accident once where I fainted and the leash was caught under me, keeping my SD from tasking or finding help. I have now switched to a hands free to avoid this.

After we had checked out, we were walking in front of the registers to get from the clothing/pharmacy side to the produce side. I did this because it’s very hot where I live right now and I didn’t want my SD to walk in the heat too much (she wears boots). As we were walking past the customer service area and through a crowd, a woman I didn’t see beforehand started passing by us with a doodle of some kind. The dog was not vested and only had a collar and leash on.

As we were parallel in passing, the doodle lunged at my SD, causing her to flinch and set her boundaries with a small bark. I quickly put her back into a heel, focused this time. The woman did not apologize or even say a word. She just got her dog and quickly walked away.

My SD was fine and quickly got back into work mode after I put her in the focused heel. I don’t know if this woman was a handler who was having a bad day or what, but it definitely bothered me that someone would bring a leash reactive dog into any place. I didn’t go to customer service or anything because I could tell that she was already leaving as well, but should I have told a manager or something?

I feel like I did what I could in this situation, considering my SD was not hurt, but I’m not sure. Was there anything that I should’ve done differently?

Hi, I, well, this is a bit embarrassing to admit but, I well, don't really know what to do, I have a strong BPD and DID as well as suffering from autism, and I have been recommended a service dog both of help and emotional support by my therapist, but all of it seems so overwhelming, I see it costs thousands and thousands of dollars and in a way I'm scared, cause I'm barely functional as a person and it's not like I can get help from my ableist parents, and I don't know what to do, like i said i'm barely functional so I don't have enough money to get or train a dog and I have no idea how to raise funds because i just now learnt its a thing (plus it's already a hard time convincing myself I deserve help in the first place) and at first i thought maybe it will be easier to train it myself but i dont even know that, long story short I dont know how to get a service animal to help me exist and function, if it helps for pointers i'm in Alabama

My niece needs a service dog for her severe anxiety. We've never needed service dogs in my family, and the one trainer I know doesn't train mental health service dogs. I'm hoping I can get some help with how to do this. From what I've been able to find, there aren't really any laws around training and certifying service dogs, but if there are some official channels we can make use of, we would like to. Her current doctor doesn't do service/ESA letters, so we're not sure where to start.

Edit: Thank you for the comments in just a few hours, I'm definitely looking into ADI and Psychiatric Service Dog Partners. I'm hoping we'll be able to move forward soon, but I still welcome more advice.

What does everyone do when flying alone with your SD? Do you book an extra seat or cram into economy? I have a 65 pound lab and I can't imagine her fitting at my feet without so much as a paw going into the next person's space (and room for my feet).

Is there a field that is stereotypical for a lot of people with service animals to end up in?

This is in Arkansas. I have a physician-prescribed, professionally-trained service dog for PTSD and agoraphobia. I went to an ophthalmologist appointment and they stopped me at the door, refusing my service dog entry and stating "this is a sterile building." I remained calm and stated I have a disability, and this dog is trained to assist me with my disability. The receptionist brought out the doctor, who greeted me with, "Get out." I stated I would comply, but politely requested something on paper explaining they were denying me access. The doctor told the receptionist, "Call the police." I relented, and said there is no need for that. I walked outside and called them myself. The police arrived. Being a civil matter, I asked them to document my side of the story, and to document the facility's side of the story. They did. I thanked them and took the report number.

I submitted a complaint to the Department of Justice. Their reply, paraphrasing, is that it sounds like my civil rights were violated, but they do not have the resources to investigate. Being disabled, I cannot afford to hire a private attorney, and no attorney on-contingency would go further than the initial consultation, citing "insufficient damages." The federally-funded organization in my state, which exists for situations like these, said they would mail the clinic a pamphlet. I've written to my congressional delegation, asking for assistance with the Department of Justice, following up by phone many times, but passing a year with no response whatsoever. The state medical board and the state department of health both say it is out of their area of control.

The doctor continues to discriminate against patients with service animals, in a state where there are few ophthalmologists, and often travel of an hour or more to get to one is necessary. Am I out of options?

People with Psychiatric service dogs, what have been your journey? What have been your biggest struggles? What specific tasks have you tough them? How have they helped you the most? Any advice?

I feel so defeated for some reason and insulted.

My service dog is a Doberman, floppy ears, but docked tail. He was docked when I got him and I like that it cannot get run over by any carts or stepped on. But the weirdest thing happen and I have NEVER had anyone confront me about it before… I was in line, my sdit was in a sitting position and a guy told me he was a beautiful looking dog and had a good demeanor. I was proud of this because his breeder was reputable and I loved when people told me directly the compliments and not towards my sdit lol. Well anyways- The younger woman in the second line (dollar store, so two lines at the register were fairly close) kinda looked him over and said “he’d look better if he wasn’t mutilated.” I kinda just furrowed my brows at her and then kept waiting in line but… who says that? Who just goes out of their way to SAY those things to a stranger? It really bothered me and maybe I should’ve said more but I try to avoid fights.

I’ve never had someone complain about these things to me.

EDIT: I never said my opinion on docking, I never said whether I requested it or not (I did not), and if people would actively call out people publicly over something you disagree with, that is just flat out rude. I truly don’t care if you disagree, if I’m out with my sd I don’t want to be stopped and hear you be extremely rude to me. That’s crazy that people have no problem being nasty to others they don’t even know.

I have an sdit (psd) close to graduation and am doing an overnight trip in Ohio. She's not fully trained but very solid on public access and actively tasks both in public and at home. Any idea where I can look into Ohio access laws?

What are some good patch and gear makers you all know about? Im getting new gear for my 2nd service dog after my first had to be retired due to trauma from a dog attacking them a year ago

For individuals suffering from mental health conditions that significantly impact their day to day functioning, psychiatric service dogs are an option. Medication and therapy are also options. Should psychiatric service dogs only be an option if medication and/or therapy doesn’t work? Should the individual be able to choose the service dog route instead of medication if they want to go a more natural path in managing their symptoms?

Edit 1: thank you everyone for the info! Looks like I was wrong in thinking this would be a situation where SD access should be automatically allowed; glad I asked here, instead of just assuming the surgery center was in the wrong. Seems like one of those gray areas with a lot of "it depends" and various factors to consider. I'll make sure to speak more thoroughly with one of the nurses prior to my next procedures, to figure out if this is a case where it would be safe (for myself, nursing staff, other patients, etc.) to have my SD with me, and I won't push it if it's not possible.

Edit 2: I'm not sure why some people feel the need to make rude comments on this post (most comments have been wonderful, but a few have been particularly rude). I don't think my question was unreasonable, given that 1) friends/family were in the recovery room and SDs are typically allowed in areas where the general public can go, 2) the nurse during my pre-op phone call told me it was fine, and 3) I've had my SD in hospital settings before without it being a problem (which is legally allowed). I didn't argue with the nurse when told I couldn't have my SD with me, because I realized there may be factors I wasn't aware of. I now fully understand why it could be an issue, and I'm not going to do anything that could interfere with other patients' safety and/or with the nurses' ability to do their jobs. There's nothing wrong with asking for information/clarification with an open mind and a willingness to admit when I'm wrong.

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TL;DR: I know service dogs aren't allowed in operating rooms or other sterile environments, and that they might not be allowed in the recovery area if I were too disoriented give my dog commands (e.g., if coming off of general anesthesia). But procedure was done with local anesthesia, and recovery area was non-sterile (friends/family were allowed to wait with me there), but service dog was denied access for "cleanliness/safety" reasons. Is this allowed, and how can I best approach this in the future?

Longer version:

I was at an outpatient surgery center for a relatively minor medical procedure (was in the operating room for less than an hour, and it was done with local anesthetic and no sedation). While I was in the OR, my dog stayed with a friend in the general waiting room. After they brought me out of the OR and into the recovery area, the nurse asked if I had someone with me and said he could bring my friend back. A few minutes later, though, the nurse came back and said service dogs couldn't come to the recovery area and would've needed "prior approval."

For context, the surgery center had me fill out an online pre-op form the week before, and I had indicated that I had a service dog under the "additional accommodations" section. I also mentioned it when a nurse called me to go over pre-op instructions, and I was told that my dog couldn't come into the OR with me (which I obviously knew) but otherwise it was fine.

Even though it was a minor procedure, part of the procedure had flared up POTS symptoms, and I was extremely dizzy/nauseous and very close to passing out while in the recovery area. Having my service dog to do DPT and alert to syncope would've been super helpful. I also have a lot of medical trauma/PTSD, so medical environments are triggering, and my dog is amazing at keeping me grounded. He's very well behaved in those environments, he's well-groomed and clean, and I was oriented enough to give him commands.

My doctor said I'll likely need two more similar procedures within the next few months. So for those future procedures, I'm wondering... 1) Is there something I'm missing as to why my SD wouldn't be allowed in the non-sterile recovery area? I'm open to feedback if I'm missing something. 2) If this should be allowed, how can I best approach this for my next procedures?

It was shocking, my dog was unvested and a man reached out really fast to pet him and I guess my dog thought he was attacking. Luckily the guy was SUPER nice and forgiving, so no authorities or anything, but… God, where do I go from here? I can’t get another dog. I will be keeping my current one, I guess as a pet… I assume this is an automatic wash? Right? 😭

Hey friends,

Im looking for any tips and tricks for taking your SD on long public transport trips.

So far we’ve spent a lot of time on neutrality around trains (especially the sound) and confidence on moving surfaces and all is well.

Our goal is to be able to take a particular trip which would be 3 hours total train travel time, however this would be broken up into 3 legs minimum over one day.

PT is going to be a huge part of his job. We are really committed to slow is fast with an emphasis on neutrality.

He’s never done a train ride longer than 30 minutes, so I’m wondering if there’s other things I could be doing to prep him for an extended train journey besides continuing to slowly increase duration.

Delete if not allowed, I'm looking specifically for connections and advice on finding a dog to train myself or an organization nationwide who can train for low or no cost. I'm having trouble as mine is needed for cardiac alert... Not many programs do cardiac alert from what I can see. If you're around VA and know of someone in state or that I could drive a state or 2 away to, I'd also be fine with that. Most of the ones I have found also have extremely long wait-lists... Which is why I'm considering owner training. Any tips, advice, online training programs, etc.

Thank you.

ETA : I definitely agree after reading some of these I'd be in over my head and am applying to wait-lists as much as I can for multiple organizations. Thanks for the input, I'm glad I asked about it. Here's to hoping I get a dog sooner rather than later!

Otherwise, would a loan/payment plan be a good idea for this? Has anyone done that?

I have had my dog for 7 months, and really just jumped straight into having him with me at all times. I have the unfortunate “invisible disabilities” which make people assume he is in training for someone else, or that he is training in general. I have severe social anxiety and have a really hard time telling people no when they don’t ask, or just reach out for him. If he is vested, and I am asked, he has a “greet” command that I use. How have other people gotten over this- or what suggestions do you have? I did my best to prepare for people trying to distract him, but I didn’t realize people would just pet him without leave (stupid, I know). Help, please!

What are some of the best ways to fundraise for service dog training? I already set up a GoFundMe but I was just wondering what other ways I can fundraise and get the word out? I have a reputable place lined up already so I want to fundraise as quick as possible.

Hi I'm fairly new to this group . I was diagnosed with PTSD many years ago and more recently diagnosed w/ depression and anxiety Disorder. I have been under regular treatment for about 2 years at this time and some treatments have helped with my Depression but not w/ my PTSD. for context only (I have a delete and blocking button and not afraid to use it so please no hateful comments).

I know I qualify for a PSD and attempted to start the process in 2019 w/ the purchase of my very first personal puppy. Basic Training want really well and as everyone recalls the Covid incident, is where things fell apart for me. My pup developed food allergies and I couldn't afford getting help from anyone except my regular vet who I'd paid for visits ahead of time and who se front staff refused to allow me a five minute chat w/ the vet who had told me I was welcome to call and ask questions at any time. I tried seeking help from my local resources but was told I didn't qualify for their help. I ended up losing custody of my Pup due to false allegations of a horrible neighbor and ended up w/ legal issues because of their blantent lies and a backstabbing brutis of a lawyer despite this being my first offense ever (not even a speeding ticket ever...) . I'm hoping to be in the process of fixing this absolute nightmare soon but my symptoms have continued despite my and my Doctor's best efforts. Is the process really this difficult in this state? I've researched the laws and requirements prior to 2019 when I made the decision to pick my pup and tried to keep up w /the recent changes but I thought it would be best to ask this group ... How should I go about this ? Should or do I get a letter from a primany Care doctor or is it needed? Or do I go get my next prospect and try to figure this out as I go? just looking for some guidance from folks who hopefully are more knowledgeable and helpful.... I want to thank everyone in advance as my schedule often prevents me from engaging in Conversations by replying immediately .

Hey everyone,

I was recently diagnosed with severe sensorineural hearing loss, and it has been a significant adjustment for me. As I navigate this new reality, I've been exploring various ways to improve my daily life and increase my independence.

One suggestion that has come up is getting a service dog. I've heard that service dogs can be incredibly helpful for individuals with hearing loss, alerting them to sounds they might not otherwise hear and providing emotional support.

I'm curious if anyone here has experience with service dogs for hearing loss or knows someone who does. Did you find that having a service dog significantly improved your quality of life? Are there any challenges or considerations I should be aware of before pursuing this option?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights on whether a service dog could be beneficial for someone in my situation. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!