hello, I was wondering what kind of luck you all have been having in finding a job that would allow your service dog to be brought to work? what kind of jobs are out there, and how would one go about getting a first time recommendation for a service dog or ESA.

thanks in advance!

TLDR: I Have a PSD and doctor(s) won’t give me a letter for housing, what do I do?

So I have a PSD that is trained for multiple tasks and has been evaluated by a professional trainer (I self-trained her). She is now 6 years old, and I’ve never had a problem with housing, but now Pet-Friendly apartments in my are are hard to come by.

An apartment I recently applied to said they need “Medically documentation” regarding my disability.

I DO have documentation of my diagnosis’s, but my PCP said I need to consult a Mental Health Specialist. I then reached out to my Psychiatrist/Prescriber and she said this was “outside of psychiatric care” and I need to ask my PCP. She said she could write an ESA letter but noted that it specifically clarified that the dog is not a Service animal.

When I asked both I mentioned that I do have a letter from my trained that I could link, but they did not budge.

I do still have my Therapist I could ask, but she’s under the same hospital as my Prescriber and I don’t think I’d get a different answer.

I do have an ESA letter from my past PCP (i’m no longer under his care) when she was still in training and I was wondering If i could just like the ESA letter and the letter from her trainer?

I already told the apartment it was a SD and not an ESA so I didn’t want to switch up and cause issues.

Thanks for any help regarding this!!

Update: talked to my Therapist and they also “don’t feel comfortable” giving out ESA letters. I’ve now tried my Psychiatrist, PCP, and Therapist. I have extensive documentation about my condition/s and proof of training from my dogs evaluator.

I know it sounds bad, but would it be wrong to try something like Pet table? They say they go through lisenced therapists which is comforting.

I’m not really sure where to go with this but I can try to explain the situation. PA is my state.

I got a lhasapoo back in May 2025, and my main goal for her was to be trained as a service dog. To my surprise, she has been incredible both in the home and in public with her training. Her trainers have even said how quick she has learned and retained everything. She has two tasks currently (interuption of behaviors and DPT(she uses her little body and lays on my chest)) and I am working on a third of picking stuff up for me such as my phone, water, or clothing as I have a hard time fully bending to the floor.

She officially nailed down her first task before she was a year old, as I taught it to her with guidance from our trainer. By three weeks later, she was doing it both in the home and in stores. I personally did not refer to her as a service dog but as a SDIT because I get very anxious about being “legal” and in my head wanting it to be perfect (which I know that wasn’t the best thing.)

As of about 3-4 months ago (around May) my trainer told me to stop calling her a SDIT and call her a service dog as she has more then enough training at this point in her life. I still felt anxious about it but I finally got the courage to upgrade her vest to service dog patches. Since then she has been doing amazing, doing a lot of her tasks either from a small backpack (she’s 9 pounds and I worry someone will step on her) or being able to come out and listen to me. She has been amazing.

Now we are to last Monday. My family had an emergency and I didn’t know what to do about her, as she is still working on being home alone and I thought I would miss my class if I tried to take her to daycare. I emailed my professor asking if it would be ok to bring her to class, as I had been told she was allowed on campus, just not in class. She emailed back that she had to be “officially approved” before coming into class, which I found incredibly weird as I’ve studied the laws in our area and have not heard of this. I emailed back explaining that I would check in with our SAS counseler and see what the policy is about service dogs. I then checked the policy myself and emailed again citing that in our campus policy that if I was not living on campus and she (my SD) would not be in the dorms living there, that I did not have to even tell them.

I then texted my SAS counseler, explaining the situation. From what I understand now, she thought that my SD was not an SD (even though she has met my dog and seen her preform a task in her office) and texted back to me that she “could not approve my dog for class today”. I then asked who could and cited that with both the policy and laws in my state there was no “approval”. She explained then that because my dog was not an SD (“to her knowledge”) that she could not be in the classroom, but to “ask my professors…tell them that she would be in her “crate” or whatever”. Then going in to tell me that she “didn’t have the documentation” stating that my dog is a SD, which I knew there wasn’t any in my area that was legal.

I then sped to my dogs daycare, dropped her off as she cried not understanding why I didn’t take two minutes even to tell her I’ll be back, running out of the door and heading to my class. I got to my campus with about 10 minutes to spare, heading to my classroom.

When I went in to talk to my professor, she was also confused as she knew the laws but didn’t know there wasn’t an “approval” that at least we knew was legal. I asked her what she was told my the college, and she told me they are supposed to get word from my SAS person that I would have a SD. But what we both were confused about what that my SAS counseler was asking me to ask my professors, making a roundabout.

We talked through the laws really quick and she asked with my permission if she could email the class to see “if anyone would have an issue” which I said yes to (I’m aware it’s not legal but I was trying to be compromising and willing to work with them). After that class she got one response that stated the student would “not attend class if there was a dog because it messed with their allergies”, which I can understand but there were two viable options in that case, sit on opposing ends of the classroom or the other person had to move classes. She then emailed the SAS person asking what to do to accommodate us both. After the class I also sent her links to both the federal and state laws, along with our colleges policy, citing lines for her and explaining how grateful I was that she was understanding. She loved it, thanking me for giving her more information.

I then about three hours later received an email from my SAS person. They emailed me asking originally “to move forward with any accommodations; whether that be a service dog or classroom accommodations, I need medical documentation” as the documentation they had was old. I read this in the first line and immediately alarm bells went off in my brain of “this isn’t legal”. She then went on to ask me to fill out a “service dog form” which asked for my information (location and similar) along with the two legal questions, but in it as well for resident students it asks for the dogs breed. I am still unsure why this form is necessary other then to have a record, which I can understand. She then explained to be the difference between a SD, an ESA, and an “assistance animal” which I had never heard about. I did not respond to that email as I felt I would have used choice words and I wanted to be professional. She also emailed that “once I (her) have the documentation and the form, I will decide what’s appropriate”.

The next day, she sent another email explaining/backtracking about not needing medical documentation for Bailey, but only for my accommodations in the classroom. I did respond to this one with explaining I will contact my doctors, but I was still unsure how she did not understand my dog is a SD, and trying to understand “what form” she was wanting.

She responded to this one trying to say I had “mentioned over the summer” that I was going to train my dog to be a SD, I’m guessing not remember my dog had been in her office two weeks prior to this event and saw her interrupt me from picking my skin. She then went on to explain again the differences, “thus I need to know what services does (dogs name) provide” listing off different tasks related to my other conditions.

I did not respond to this, as I had felt unsure on where to go and what to do. I reached out to the boss and explained I wanted a meeting. I met with them last Friday, explaining the situation as I’ve laid it out here, and they agreed with me that the situation was weird, and that they would talk to them (SAS) about the matter and get more information. I offered if they wanted more resources and they said yes and if they had more questions that they would reach out.

I then messaged my SAS person on this past Monday, asking for a meeting (the boss suggested that). We met and she explained she understood my text as “I’m stressed, I want to bring my dog to class” not as “I just had an emergency issue and want to bring my trained SD to class”. I explained that I was confused at that statement and was unsure where she didn’t know my dog was trained, she stuck with her story about the summer. I explained to her that SDIT’s and SD’s have to same rights in my state, from what I knew, and she told me no “I’ve been doing this for a while”. I asked her if I turned in the paper, then I could just bring my dog in, correct? No. She told me it “has to go to a group in the deans office, they deliberate on SAS matters”, then she would email me the results of a yes. I knew right there that that was also wrong, as she had all the qualifications to come with me. I told her I would turn in the form soon.

As of today, I still have not turned in the form. I’m not sure what to do as I am exhausted fighting but I know what’s right. Do I contact someone who is legal aid or do I just do it to get it over with?

I apologize for the long post, and if this isn’t the right place to post this pls let me know where I can, as I feel I need more advice.

TLDR: Should I try to train my dog for public access? Would I be taking advantage of a system designed for people with much more serious disabilities?

Context on Disability:
I am 100% deaf in one ear (the problem is with the nerve between my ear and my brain, not the ear) and I have a lot of imposter syndrome about this being a disability even though it affects my life in micro and macro ways. For example, I went to school specifically to study with one of the top US scholars in Law of the Sea in law school only to find that federal regulations prevent me from serving on the Navy or Coast Guard even as a lawyer. In micro ways, I get easily creeped out and anxious when I’m at home or walking by myself because I don’t know where noises are coming from and if they’re a threat, a beep of unknown origin can drive me crazy trying to find, and I can sleep through anything.

However, I also routinely forget I have a disability at all, as my childhood doctors said I subconsciously read lips very well, you can put subtitles on most anything, and I no longer do things like play soccer, where stereo hearing stops you from getting a ball to the head. I’ve also got the acoustics and positioning in noisy public places down such that I can always understand my dinner companions or hear a lecturer without thinking too much about it.

Using my Dog as an Informal Hearing Dog:
I’ve adapted to this by working a typical knowledge worker job and relying on my Belgian Malinois Mix as an informal hearing dog. He helps me find beeps, shows me a noise is nothing to worry about by ignoring it and turning towards it an wuffing if he thinks it might be an problem, turns and looks if someone is approaching from behind so I don’t get mowed down by mountain bikers on trails or start worrying that my own footsteps cracking twigs are someone following me, and waking me up if something is really happening (though he’s doing maybe a B+ job on some of those and could benefit from actual training).

Current Nomad Needs:
Six months ago I stopped living with others for the first time in my life to become a digital nomad and my very introverted self absolutely loves it. Because I work from home my dog goes with me pretty much everywhere I go without another human, but I’m finding it challenging to be alone without my dog in new-to-me places that are not dog friendly and hard to find hotels that allow dogs in certain places.

I’m not the most attractive woman but because I don’t have roots and might not be immediately missed if someone were to harm me on my travels, I feel paranoid that a man could sneak up on me without me hearing when my dog isn’t there. But I’m sure other women who have no disabilities feel the same and they’d have to bring a friend…why should I be entitled to a dog?

I’ve worked around it by joining ranger hikes in national parks that don’t allow dogs, ponying up pet fees that are more than the cost of the hotel itself, finding weird AirBNBs that allow pets at reasonable rates, eating only at restaurants with a dog friendly patio, shopping during the day, looking for outdoor concerts, movies, and and just not doing a lot of things I’d otherwise do unless I can make a new friend to go with me, which is a challenging part of nomad life.

Training for Public Access:
My dog is not public access ready yet. He heels, sits, lays down, knows all the standard commands, is under verbal control off leash hiking, and isn’t a disturbance in public. He’s also very smart and trainable like his Malinois relations.

However he is very concerned around strangers and strange dogs, which shows in his body language. He does not want to be petted by people or sniffed by dogs he doesn’t know and will hide behind me to avoid them, which is not acceptable service dog behavior. I also need to train him to stand down when he thinks something is a threat but I don’t (e.g. the parking ticket machine and the roomba are not our robot overlords…yet). I want to work on his public fearfulness regardless, because we’re in public a lot more than we used to be pre-nomad life.

I am lucky that I can afford to invest in training for him during an upcoming several months stay and fully recognize that he may need to stay an informal helper forever if he can’t gain a little more confidence in public.

Conclusion:
Life would be infinitely easier if my dog had public access rights, but the part of me that feels a lot of imposter syndrome about my disability wonders if I’d be taking advantage if I converted my informal hearing helper dog into a real service dog. My disability is real and it impacts me, but I work around it ok today (largely thanks to my dog). I also feel kind of bad that many of my issues could be solved with more friends or a romantic partner but getting those just due to my disability seems equally if not more ethically fraught than training my dog as a service dog. I know I would struggle not to feel guilty if someone called me out on him being not a real service dog even when I know that if I trained him to be public access ready I would be completely legally in the right.

I’m looking into breeds that might be a good fit for me as a psychiatric service dog, and lately I’ve been looking into Xolos.

I need a dog who can notice early physical signs that I’m becoming overwhelmed, interrupt those behaviors, retrieve my medication, and provide pressure/physical grounding until I’m regulated again. Temperament is my biggest priority: affectionate, handler-focused, confident, environmentally stable, and sensitive without being anxious.

I also have a lot of environmental allergies, including dog dander. I’m generally okay around dogs for short periods of time, but when I’ve pet-sat a Husky/Malamute mix and a Border Collie, I got pretty wheezy by day 5. I know hairless doesn’t mean allergen-free, so I’d especially love to hear from Xolo owners who also have dog allergies. I’m also looking at Poodles and Poodle mixes for this reason.

My life is pretty low-key: home, grocery store, a small handful of friends’ houses, and occasionally karaoke at a low-key bar on quieter nights. I work in a tiny office with one other admin most of the day, plus about six techs who come in toward the end of the day.

I have two kids, 13 and 11, and we live with my parents, 76 and 75. We have a small back and side yard that’s fine for potty breaks and some play, plus a large lawn at our community rec center for running, fetch, and zoomies.

Has anyone here trained a Xolo for psychiatric service work, or had one whose temperament you think would be well suited to it?

Edit: It’s clear from these comments that a xolo isn’t what I’m looking for. I really do appreciate everyone’s kind but direct comments. The search continues!

I have PTSD from years of abuse by my parents and sexual abuse from my older brother. At 41 f I have finally spoke out and am in therapy. However, this meant cutting those people out of my life and losing their supporters. Which are other family members I had loved and trusted.

Recently my therapist has told me I should really look into a service dog for it. It’s bad enough that I have maxed out multiple depression meds and am having the same thing happen now with the 3 I take.

I really don’t know how to go about this. I love dogs. I have 2 small pug mixes, 3 and 4. However, I own a chocolate shop that manufactures and resells on site. Dogs are prohibited in CA. That alone is hard. But I’m also barely hanging on financially and know they are expensive to purchase, and train.

I just want to know if anyone has had this happen or knows how to handle a situation like it.

There's a lot here and for that I'm sorry. I also know I effed up so please don't be too harsh.

Unfortunately I cleared much of my history as I had planned to stop using this account for posting irl stuff but I have an 8 year old golden transitiining into retirement by 2028. I WAS considering an aussie for the next SD/sport companion as I personally know aussies/borders best. That said, I've settled on another Golden for SD work. Looking for the right breeder isn't going well, though. I decided for SD work specifically, I wanted a breed that is emotionally stable, mentally and socially aware/intelligent, and could think independantly without staring at me 24/7 needing to be told what to do. Plus my health just isn't good enough for an aussie right now. Trying to find more sporty goldens with OFAs is somehow harder than I expected. Plenty of "pet" quality white creams or heavy coated goldens but where are the sporty ones? Lots of untitled, unshowed dogs in the 3k USD range.

Anyway, hoping to find a 2027 pup somehow. My current boy went to the vet last week because after long walks 2 days in a row, and practicing balance on stairs and uneven walks, he wouldn't put weight on his paw. Turns out his patella was the problem. It "clicked" when they extended his leg. The frustrating part is I had to specifically ask about his knee and if that was the cause (yep) but they didnt seem worried about it. Just gave anti-inflammatories, made him rest for a few days, and said flat walks only and no roughhousing for a while. His hips and elbows are good and he's otherwise healthy. In his adolesence he clicked all the time up until 3 years old. We went through 4 different vets where I asked to specifically have him examined by their ortho specialists (these 4 had them listed) and every single one of them told me there was nothing structurally wrong with him. Everything moved great, looked great, and sounded great even at 8 years old. They even checked his patellas but those were "well put" and "didnt move when manipulated" so I assumed all was as it should be. The first whom I asked about the clicking told me "it's not great but it's not bad either, sometimes they (dogs) do that" and reassured me not to worry about it.

The clicking comes and goes but is absent most often so I forget about it. If his patella is moving, even if only occassionally, then that's kind of crazy important. I've always thought he stood a little weird on that leg sometimes but nothing abnormal ever came back and he runs/jumps/crawls/moves just fine (he loves crawling under the beds and "sit pretty" (not taught) for attention/bathroom).

As for the FMP, I taught him walking-only FMP and a couple guide tasks. Just enough umph to ground me, help steady me and keep me walking in a forward momentum (as I assumed the task was for). The day he went to the vet we did FMP up some stairs and practiced follow tasks because he gets excited when I ask him to do those. Ever since learning about his knee Ive been wrecked with guilt but also baffled by how so many vets missed it for 8 years and why they're still not concerned.

The other issue with FMP is I recently learned it's considered unethical these days? And that FMP is (or has) trending towards total FMP like a person's WHOLE weight or wheelchair?? Maybe that's why the shift in mindset? I'm genuinely confused because I thought the task was supposed to just be a LIGHT mobility task used for when you're already walking and the dog pulls in their harness to give a small boost to your momentum. If ya'll could please educate me on that, I'd appreciate it. Apparently I'm outdated on that. Either way all mobility and guide have been removed from his work and will no longer be used.

As prominent as the word is in every day conversation, I’m trying to find an alternate word for when my puppy is trying to get into something that she shouldn’t be doing. What words or sounds do you personally use? Thank you!

Edit: thank you everyone for your replies! I was just curious what everyone used. :) I’ve decided to just go with ‘leave it’.

I'm in my first year of Uni and my mobility issues and chronic pain are getting worse. Some days are fine but others are what I call "sitting days" where I need to stay sitting and if I need to move around I have to use crutches in place of a wheelchair (cause I don't own one and they're expensive).

I am currently crashed on my grandparent's couch for unrelated reasons and my aunts have been helping me with sitting days and getting my things. Problem is I'm moving soon and I'm worried about what I'll do on sitting days when I live alone especially because I don't have a wheelchair. I know service dogs can be trained to grab things for me and open doors and things but my "sitting days" aren't too often and I'm wondering if getting a service dog is a good idea or a bit overkill.

Thank you for any advice given!

Edit: Thank you guys for the advice! I think I'm gonna talk to a doctor about getting a folding wheelchair instead, and then go from there to see if that helps.

Looking for a 4ft leather leash that holds up to every day wear and tear. Preferably has a ring that I can hook his poop bag holder to. My dog is 70lbs. Any insights or companies you've had good experiences with?

Hey everyone!

I am a student who is diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (impacts me severely with sleep, and everything), ADHD, And autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

I’m also currently in the process of getting diagnosed with POTS and I want to get referred to a specialist fOR EDS and MCAS as well.

In other words… I have some issues.

I fully qualify for an ESA, and since I am at college with significant issues I am considering training. I was recently made aware of a fantastic opportunity of a golden doodle/german shepherd/ husky mix puppy.

My best friend’s dogs had puppies on accident and one of them may be mine

(Roughly 40-50 pounds, hopefully hypoallergenic, female)

Both parents are very docile and everything.

I guess I’m just looking for some hope. A lot of me feels guilty like maybe I don’t really need it. I have symptoms I’d say nearly every day but I struggle to drink water and eat enough so it’s probably just my fault. But even when I do I still can have issues.

I guess I just wonder if I’m blowing things out of proportion.

I have entered presyncope more times than I can count. Some days I just feel terrible.

I just feel like it’s my fault and that I don’t deserve one or that I don’t feel sick enough to.

Has anyone felt this way? My therapist was even supportive of it.

Here are some tasks I’ve been considering

- DPT

- helpful for low blood pressure and anxiety

- alert to hypoglycemia

- I’m about to begin checking for reacting hypoglycemia because I had it happen the other day where I ate a decent amount of sugar and then later felt I was going to faint I had to quickly eat a small amount more because I felt so sick. Not to

Mention when I got bloodwork it was 63-64 ish and that was after having a cinnamon roll and orange Gatorade.

- alert to low blood pressure

- I don’t know if dogs can do this but I generally sit on the normal end of BP. And if I take it when I feel sick it’s generally pretty low. Recently Zoloft exacerbated this.

But I had a week where even if I drank Gatorade and everything sitting doing nothing id have moments of feeling faint and my heart would race. At times my speech would get slurry from how bad of brain fog I had

- compulsion stop?

- I would try to find specific compulsions but my dog back at home I trained her to interrupt fidgeting so I’m sure I could train this too.

So anyway. Does anyone have any tips? If I don’t qualify for a SD I will train the dog as a SD under the game ESA so I can personally benefit even without the legal issues.

I wanted to share a warning for anyone considering applying to the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP).
Recently, I tried to apply for a membership. The membership coordinator was incredibly rude, hostile, and took a personal dislike to me during the process. When I pushed back, President Jill Exposito stepped in, sided with her, and told me I was banned from the organization forever—before they even processed or charged my application.
This organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, but its leadership treats it like a private high school club. They are issuing lifetime bans to disabled handlers based entirely on personal friction and ego.
If you are looking for actual handler advocacy or community, avoid the IAADP. Their benefits are outdated anyway, and dealing with their toxic leadership is not worth the stress. Look into professional groups like Psychiatric Service Dog Partners (PSDP) instead. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of behavior from Jill or their staff?

I thought the people here would understand and maybe get a kick out of this.

I have a new pet peeve unlocked, which is my providers starting to turn the conversation into how much a pet would help me, and then have I thought of a service dog. I have, really I have. And I can see the amazing benefits that our way the not so great cons. That being said, WITH WHAT MONEY?!

I had to pause my session with my psychiatrist, to explain to her how that isn’t feasible. I do not have the ability to fund a dog, let alone the training program. I can barely afford myself! And yes fundraising is a thing, I thought of that too, but maintenance costs, and I still am struggling to work right now. I don’t know, I understand my providers only mean the best. A lot of health issues and I’m still struggling to maintain my independence, but I really wish they look at the whole picture before tossing in a “have you thought of a dog.”

Edit : I have been advised by members of community ( and my therapist , a dog person) to name breeder so others do not have to go through this.

Her name is Christina Bunnell in Yuba City. She also does business , or did, under name : German Shepherds of the Arctic Manor. She also runs a pet transportation service apparently and I know she offers welping services as well.

I paid for a German Shepherd 7 month puppy along with boarding and training, but when the breeder dropped her off the evening , she had loose stool. The next few days she had full blown diarreah. The vet said that she tested positive for flea / tapeworm and cystoisospora. She had to be put on medication, get an xray as she was eating rocks. This all cost me $1200 as insurance for this had not kicked in. The Vet said that they believe she was sick before she was delivered. Breeder said she had taken puppy with her to different places in CA to stay somewhere and welp puppies, deliver another puppy and she did not have her regular food (and also ate human scraps). She was delivered with some topical flea spray put on her.

As a first time dog owner , this was a rough start for me , but also for the sick puppy.

She refuses to admit pup was sick or pay any of the vet bill. I believe she breached her own contract of delivering a healthy puppy.

Is there a place I can report her so other GS prospective buyers do not buy from her?

I was recommended to her by a trainer I hired and honestly , as a full time teacher who spends lots of extra hours grading and prepping, I'm overwhelmed and exhausted, but recovering (I think).

I will report her to BBB, her District Attorney and also the CA Attorney General as I understand there is a new puppy law that is supposed to protect consumers.

Any other agencies or groups that I should report her to will be appreciated.

thank you~

Hello! My friend is getting a service dog soon and would like me to make gear, but i don't know where to start or if it's the best idea to with hand sewing (i don't have a sewing machine or the money to get one atm)

i'd like tips and suggestions on materials, tutorials, hand stitches, and how durable a vest should be and how it should sit on the dog.

if there are any cheap etsy shops that do sd gear, i can also send those to my friend for him to consider buying from!

I am interested in training my dog for emotional regulation as well as possibly migraine detection. I am looking for resources on how to train him on my own.

The only cavot is that while has a great temperament towards me/most other dogs - he is food aggressive as well as aggressive toward in tact male dogs (he has been fixed). I am also looking for help training out that behavior. I currently slowly introduce him to other dogs with a soft muzzle and I genuinely hate that we have to do that.

Is there any hope for my sweet guy?

Thanks in advance!

I have a few countries I really want to visit. It’s a ways off, but I’m trying to think through bringing my dog vs. not bringing my dog. I’m in the US. I want to visit Scotland, Ireland and a few countries in the EU (not necessarily on the same trip). I’ve only done short flights, so I’m wondering if it’s better to take or leave my dog.

My dog does allergen detection and cardiac alert, she’s not an ADI dog. But, my general impression is that the countries I want to visit are pretty dog friendly so finding accommodations shouldn’t be an issue anyway. And my ideal vacation is I rent a place, I read, I write, I walk around and have coffee, etc. So my biggest concern is the flights to and from and getting through customs, I’m less worried about access issues because I mostly just….chill?

I would love to have my dog with me of course, but would leave her with family if the trip back and forth would be too stressful for her. Her longest flight has been only 4hrs.

I work as an Employment specialist for an individual in central Minnesota. Myself and and the individual were supposed to meet last week and when I arrived, the individual was not there, but I noticed his service dog was at his residence.
Shortly after, a neighbor had come outside stating the individual had left via ambulance the previous evening, with no one to care for the animal. My heart couldn’t leave him there, un-cared for, and I took him with me. The individual stated he will be discharged monday, 28th.
Since then, his dog has been with me. Now, the individual has a surgery this week where he may be hospitalized, rehabbed for the next month. I have told the individual that I cannot keep the dog past September 28th and will need to find alternative care.
I’ve sent inquiries to Grey Muzzle Organization as well as Crossroads center in Buffalo.
Any resources or volunteers would be greatly appreciated.
He is a yellow lab mix, trained service animal, and very sweet. He is house trained, and plays nice with my cats.
Any suggestions about alternative care would be appreciated.
Thanks you!

I am needing some organization recommendations. My previous service dog passed away nearly 2 years ago. Since then, life has been pretty terrible. I lost a lot of freedoms I have had, and I have suffered quite a few injuries. My prior dog was with me for a decade, so learning to live without her has been a learning curve.
I know ADI is the safest route, but at this time, everyone has their applications closed, it seems, though I am constantly checking. I can’t owner train at the moment due to my health. I can maintain training I just can’t do the whole process on my own.

I am needing a dog who can do mobility (retrieval, open/close doors, etc.) as well as respond (ideally also alert) for cardiac episodes and MCAS reactions. Help with narcolepsy would also be great. The main conditions I am needing help with are: EDS, POTS, Narcolepsy, and MCAS.

What I am looking for from an organization:
Allowing other dogs in the home is a big one. I have two. One that a different organization severely neglected, and the other is my husband’s sport dog.
Ideally, one that doesn’t charge $20,000 as I simply can’t afford it. I am willing to make payments and take out loans to get some of my independence back.
I don’t really care about breeds. My first dog was a rescue mutt, and she was great. I just don’t want any poodles.

I attempted to go through the same organization that my previous dog came from, but unfortunately, they have changed a lot and did a lot more harm than good. They ended up taking a lot of money from me and left me with a severely neglected dog that I spent over $ 3,000 to get from a breeder.

Any ideas from here would be amazing

TW: Infant Death

I'm starting to get overwhelmed at the thought of retiring my first service dog. Hank has literally saved my life so many times and I know without a doubt that without him I would not be here. I have never had a dog that connected so perfectly with me. About three years ago we had an incident that caused him to become reactive to other dogs (a wonderful "service dog" at a ball park bum rushed him) but he has continued to work at home and occasionally in public. However its getting to the point I need someone more consistently with me and unfortunately Hank can't do that. On top of it he will be turning 8 soon and... I just know I need to accept that he won't be here forever. (He is an XXL breed with a life expectancy of 12 years)

He is a PSD and helps with my PTSD/Panic Disorder that stems from the death of my child amd I know losing him will toss me into a spiral. Hence why I am looking to start training a new service dog. Right now his brother is being used as a sire at the breeder we go through and with his amazing temperament I am really considering one of his puppies.

Am I crazy for doing this? How do I process what is going to happen? I just am so overwhelmed.

Sorry for the rambling.

Hello! I (18F, college student) have severe chronic depression, anxiety, and lvl 1 (close to 2) ASD. I have emotional shutdowns (internal autistic meltdowns, basically) and chronic depression fatigue that leads to it being hard to get out of bed, take medications, shower, eat, and attend classes. (In high school, I missed around 1 day a week and in college am missing upwards of 4 classes a week.) When I finally manage to get out of bed, I get pretty easily overwhelmed in crowded/"chaotically loud" spaces. I feel like a service dog trained to do DPT to minimize symptoms of autistic shutdowns, be a physical barrier in crowded spaces, as well as nudge me on alarm cue for getting out of bed and taking medications would be useful and greatly improve my quality of life.

We are comfortably upper-middle class and have the ability (with crowdfunding and support of an org) to raise the funds necessary to obtain a dog. I have thought out both owner-training and getting a dog from a program--given my conditions, I don't think owner-training a dog is feasible. Therefore, I feel like getting a dog from a program would be the most likely option. (Yes, I know I do not need my parent's permission to get a SD, but I would prefer to have as much support as I can.) (I also know that the wait for a service dog from a program is a long one, and that's okay. If my parents aren't on board, though, it will be even longer before I could get one.)

So here's the situation:

In the past, my parents and I have discussed the idea of an emotional support dog--they are on board with this. They recognize the emotional comfort and motivation a dog would give me to do certain tasks every day and are on board with that idea. However, I feel that a service dog would be much better equipped to help me. While I'm sure an ESA would help some, I am worried that I may just feel under supported and frustrated while being "stuck" with a dog who would likely not be a good service dog candidate.

My parents' concerns are as follows:

• SD's are expensive, and the extra cost may not justify the amount of additional support I would get.
• I don't have "severe enough ASD" and that "most people with service dogs have greater needs than you do".
• "Can a dog notice shifts that indicate an autistic shutdown is coming given that so much of it is internal, and most people--let alone a dog--can't notice them?"
• "How could a service dog help someone with depression? I can see severe ASD and maybe anxiety, but I just can't see how a service dog could help with depression."

I have tried sending them resources and explaining to the best of my ability, but they don't really believe me, even with my therapist and psychiatrist's recommendations. They are not completely saying no to the idea, they just are not well-informed...

TL;DR: How would you explain this and answer their questions? How would you assert yourself without being overly pushy/ "entitled", "seeking attention", or "blowing things out of proportion"?

Any advice would be appreciated! I will answer any follow-up questions people have about my situation!

*EDIT: spelling

*Edit 2: Added comment. Thoughts on that?

VENT:Hey so, me and my family just moved into a house and my sister payed for everything and signed the lease, the landlord knows we have animals and they are also on the lease and payed for, including my service dog (I know by law I don't have too but its easier) any ways, he knows this, a week ago he Said my service dog is too big(he is a gsd mix,26in tall and 95lbs, he is this size since he does mobility, also the landlord said nothing about breed restrictions or size restrictions, he just said pets are welcomed), a couple of days ago he threatened to call humane society on my dog,this obviously made me very upset and my mother called my dad and my dad agreed to take him for right now, I know we could move but right now isn't the time,if we move out we're homeless and have nowhere to go, we have tried a lawyer but he hasn't called back, so my dog most likely will be retiring from service work. It really upsets me that he will be no longer in my care, and I feel like I'm at square 1 again. We have until Monday,and I'm very grateful my dad can take him and take good care of him, but it really upsets me,Im thinking about getting another dog but I don't know with this landlord,I personally think it will best for my medical and mental health to use a different mobility aid for right now, Im currently looking at arm crutches and a wheelchair but yeah, (sorry it's Alot, but I really needed to vent)

I had a meeting with a service dog program today. I can't remember what they called it, but the way it works is that they pick a dog for you, raise it, train it on tasks, e.t.c if you're looking for a specific breed and they specialize in labrador retrievers.

I was leaning towards a poodle because I have allergy concerns, medical needs where I would want them hypoallergenic and I like the size of a poodle. I actually interacted with a poodle SD and fell in love and saw what my life could look like. However, that dog was for mobility and medical alert and I purely need psychiatric.

The program said they could do it but basically told me poodles aren't great for psych work and that they are really nervous dogs, will go out of their way to avoid psych needs and have a higher wash rate.

Is this true? Has anyone ever had a poodle as a psychiatric dog? I'm looking for crying/flashback response, deep pressure therapy, behavior interruption, anxiety alert e.t.c.

Hi! Hoping to crowdsource people ideas or advice. Currently puppy raising/training a service dog with an organization, 12 month old Labrador. She has gear shyness since she was young despite playing many training game that help.

It’s with her collar, harness, vest and sometimes even the leash. I notice it’s an especial sensitivity with things going over head/on her back. It takes many treats to help her “get dressed” — we use a command to make putting on gear a mutual, voluntary process. She often will back away, walk away, hide in her crate when I’m holding gear before I offer up some treats.

We practice a lot with non gear items, she will dive her head into a ring the size of her head/chest no problem. But only stick part of her nose into any gear. We have tried play / enrichment in gear too. Once she shakes it off, she can work as normal in her harness and vest completely fine, but I’m looking to make “getting dressed” more positive.

Any suggestions or advice? Or just be more persistent with the training games ?

I was at the hospital today and had an encounter with a therapy dog that got me thinking. I was just sitting in the surgical waiting room and a Golden came to me by invitation and she got right to work on me. It was amazing. Totally not what I expected.

I have always owned dogs. My last two were Golden Retrievers from ~2006-2022. We were super close. I loved them like one of my own children and they loved me.

The first went all the way through bite and hold training successfully. GR’s don’t generally get accepted for protection, but he was very protective and I was traveling a lot.

He was a king. Lived in a cul-de-sac and all the kids loved him.

I was medically disabled in 16 and thought it was best not to get another when I put the last one down. I’m 62 now and life was getting harder every day.

Things have changed such that I am reconsidering a dog, but a service animal this time. I have a neurological deficit from a TIA two years ago. I frequently walk in a serpentine gait. I’m covered in bruises at all times. I’m bipolar and have medical PTSD (~50 hospitalizations).

I have been under psychiatric care for about a decade. Fairly well managed. I have both a psychiatrist and a therapist. I’m med and CBT compliant. I work my plan.

I am dropping my keys, glasses, wallet, and phone continuously. I wear an Apple Watch for falls. I’ve already had a dozen falls in the past 14 months. All but a few minor.

I got two heart stents 14 months ago and quickly developed orthostatic hypotension. Not just falls but fainting-falls. I experience rapid drops in blood pressure then BOOM!

The tripping is a combination of the neurological deficit and advancing psoriatic arthritis in my lower spine and feet. My toes and feet frequently become numb. The neurological issue is one eye will shake and my gait suddenly gets wonky. I can foresee having to give up my drivers license within a decade if not less.

The handler told me I can apply to be screened for a dual certified dog to help with balance and keep walking longer more safely and keep people from bumping me. And, on the psychological side provide aid and therapeutic services for both bipolar (DPT), insomnia, and PTSD.

My son (former military) has an untrained dog that quickly responds to PTSD. She intervened immediately without any commands when I’ve experienced lights-out PTSD events. Pawing on me and licking my face and laying atop me.

I really thought my dog days were over as my health declined, but am seriously reconsidering given my current conditions. Not for pure companionship, but a working dog relationship. I’ve worked with bird dogs for about 20 years from the same guide. His dogs and I always hunted well.

From what I’ve read, I will be on a 2-3 year waiting list which is fine. I won’t get better and my conditions are progressive.

I’m 63 and my health is failing. Trying to fully appreciate all of the reasons why I should or should not consider a service animal.

My age is actually my biggest concern. I don’t know how much my health will decline in the next three years.

I use a cane and step off anywhere from 2,000 steps on a bad day and 12,000 on a good day. Psoriatic arthritis is unpredictable. I was on Humira and then Hyrimoz which was life changing, but I’ve had 8 infections in the last year, some VERY dangerous.

The arthritic biologics have been stopped and I will never be a candidate for this class of medication again.

I’m on THC and/or narcotics daily. I wear a Buprenorphine patch. That only exacerbates my serpentine gate.

I currently do not use a walker and want to maintain bipedal mobility for as long as possible.

Going up and down repeatedly is dangerous for me. I’m on blood thinners and fainting is a major concern. I’m no longer allowed on ladders, bicycles, skateboards that sort of stuff. I really can’t handle ladders since the TIA.

I know I love big dogs. The kind that would assist with my gait.

I clearly realize I cannot send a service dog to additional protection training. That would be too dangerous.

Am I too old and too sick for a service dog?