The biggest help would be my panic in public as well as claustrophobia.
I know I could just buy a vest online and abuse the system- but how could I get this done legally?
Dog and Puppy Obedience Training - More Dog Training Tips
Recommended Answer:
http://www.psychdog.org/
That site will tell you a lot.
You need to have a psychiatrists letter in order to begin training your dog as a SD, and you need a letter to be exempt from general rules/laws (such as "no dogs allowed" in stores.) Your dog needs to be specifically trained. your dog should have a Good Citizens test and should be registered with a legitimate service dog corporation.
"Using a PSD without appropriate supportive documentation is legally risky. A safer way to proceed is to discuss your interest in PSD with your psychiatrist or therapist. S/he may ask you to provide educational materials on PSD to better understand what you are trying to do. Psychiatric Service Dog Society (PSDS) created its provider brochure specifically for this purpose. Print the brochure out and take it to your doctor, so that s/he will understand what PSD are all about.
Ask your doctor to support your decision to begin using a PSD, by writing you a generic letter of disability and support for using a PSD. This generic letter should be kept on file, in case you have legal problems in the future. Understand that a generic letter is not necessarily the appropriate letter for every situation.
Note: One should not use this letter, in order to gain access to places of public accommodation. To do so, is to teach gatekeepers that all Service Dog teams must show such a letter in order to access public spaces, and that simply is not the case. A doctor's letter of disability and support for your use of a PSD is critical legal protection and should be retained in your personal files. Do not skip this step!"
http://www.psychdog.org/faq.html#Get_PSD
Dog Training - Tips For Consistency
- Well, first of all, investigate online how to get him certified. Will he need to take a special class? What kinds of tests will he undergo to get certified? Will he get a special vest or just a dog tag? Will he be allowed into stores after being certified? Contact someone from the system and ask anything you can't find online. Good luck - and don't abuse the system!
- Emz - I'd imagine the dog is a familiar constant, and thus provides a stable baseline to any normal daily atmosphere.
To answer the question, snoop around here: http://www.psychdog.org/training.html
Also, http://www.psychdog.org/index.html
Contact info is on that page so you can ask just how it works. - I don't know the answer to your question but here are a bunch of sites about training a service dog.
"training my dog to be a service dog" via Yahoo search.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=trainin…
Lots of sites that may help you train your dog or put you in contact with someone who can help you. - How does your dog help you with your panic disorder? Curious to know...
- Hi...
We just had a lengthy discussion on this a week or so ago. I copied and saved the information because I took it back to my Dr. to share. I want to make sure I give this woman credit for her valuable info:
Y/A poster – Kirsten provided the below information in a previous discussion. I was certainly wrong in some of my information on the subject and was MOST grateful she cleared up some gross misinformation I had been given. She is a disability advocate specializing in service dog issues. I believe she is the “GO TO” person on this information.
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All service dogs are legally the same, the same requirements, everything. The owner must qualify as legally disabled and the dog must be trained to do something that mitigates that disability, regardless of what that disability is.
Businesses are permitted to ask whether the dog is a service dog and what it is trained to do. If the dog behaves inappropriately, is disruptive, or threatening, it can legally be barred, even if it meets the legal definition of a service dog. Most states have laws making it a criminal offense to try to pass off a pet as a service dog. Penalties may include fines and/or jail time, and in some instances confiscation of the dog.
Emotional support animals are not service dogs, but in most cases a landlord is required to permit them even in no pets housing. ESAs are not specially trained. They are pets belonging to people with disabilities and mental issues. To qualify, the tenant must present a letter requesting a reasonable accommodation to the landlord including documentation of the disability and need for an emotional support animal from a physician.
Then Kirsten added:
Therapy dogs are NOT service dogs. They are pets that have been tested, registered and insured so that they may be invited to visit people in nursing homes and hospitals. Their owners have no more rights than any other pet owner. They just have proof of suitability and liability insurance so that hospitals, etc. feel comfortable inviting them to visit.
ESAs are NOT service dogs. Their owners do not have public access rights to take their dogs anywhere that pet dogs are not permitted with only two exceptions: 1. they may keep an ESA in "no pets" housing and 2. they may fly with the ESA in the cabin with them with the proper documentation.
"Animals whose sole function is to provide emotional support, comfort, therapy, companionship, therapeutic benefits, or to promote emotional well-being are not service animals." -- U.S. Department of Justice
Toll-free ADA infoline: 1 - 800 - 514 - 0301
(I hope she is okay with me posting this. I felt it really was important to save the info since so many people are under the wrong impression as to what the legal truth may be)
ADDED by Felicia
Buying a vest and "faking" it is considered a serious offense that can include fines etc. If you're going to do it... do it legally. But.. as Kirsten educated me on - an ESA does not have the same public rights as an actual "Service Dog". Be cautious with that... - He wouldn't be a Service Dog but rather a Therapy Dog. He will need to pass the certification tests for Therapy Dogs and Canine Good Citizenship. Look up a tester in your area. You may have a good, well-trained dog but until he is tested and certified he's as risky as any other dog on the street. As a Therapy Dog, he won't be able to go everywhere like a Service Dog. You cannot just put a vest on him. You also need to keep his documents with you in case you are challenged. If you took him somewhere and some 'unfortunate event' took place, you would be asked for documents for the dog by law enforcement.
- To have and use a service dog in the US, one must meet the legal definition of "disabled" as set forth by the US Department Of Justice contained in the Americans With Disabilities Act, AND the dog must be trained in work or tasks that directly mitigate the effects of the qualifying disability.
No legal determination of disability = no service dog.
No specifically trained mitigating work or tasks = no service dog.
A "doctors note" is not legal determination of a disability. Simply having a disorder or diagnosis is not legal determination of a disability. Only a judge in a court of law can make that determination.
The work or task must be something that the person cannot do for or of themselves which is directly related to the qualifying disability and which impacts a major life function. The mere presence of the animal is not a legal task or work.
You must first be legally qualified as "disabled" and then your dog must be specifically trained to do something that you cannot do for yourself.
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