Does anyone have a service dog?

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I've been thinking about service dogs lately. (yes, that means I've been obsessing and researching 24/7 LOL)

I had never considered one before because I have a bit of a phobia regarding dogs. I haven't always been afraid of dogs. On the contrary. I grew up on a farm with dogs. The day I came home from the hospital our dog Kilo was there. (She was a German Shepard, and a retired drug dog) She was my constant companion and went everywhere with me. When I was little my feet turned in and if I ran too fast, I'd trip and fall. She would run with me and gently nudge me when I was going too fast so that I slowed down. She put up with a lot from me and I loved her. Eventually she had to be put to sleep because of her hips. I was around 10 at the time.

Years later we got a German Shepard/Doberman mix and named her Kilo II. She was loving and kind, and once past the puppy doberman nipping stage was a joy. LOL She too was put to sleep years later because of progressive cancer. Multiple surgeries couldn't contain it and she was in pain.

When I was 13, my grandmother was at a garage getting her car fixed. It happened to be across the street from a person I knew from school. And older girl, the closest I had to a friend. So I went over to see her for a minute. They had a large family with lots of children, there was a new dog there I hadn't seen before. A black Labrador. It jumped up on me and I patted its head. It seemed very loving. Then it bit my face. I couldn't get it off. It held on. Finally I was able to put my hands in its mouth, it bit my hands.. but let go of my face at least. It turns out that one of the children in the house had picked up his hind legs and that prompted him to bite me. He was also being quarantined at the time for biting someone else. (my friends father was a sheriff) Quarantining in your own home with children seems bad practice to me. The dog went on to bite two other kids. 4 total. Before it was put down. It came from an abusive home.

I had over a hundred stitches and lost a lot of blood. The only ambulance in town was already busy so we had to drive to the hospital. It was nearly an hour away. I came close to not making it because of the blood loss and shock. Two painful infections later, I was finally healed. All the remained was some pretty bad scars and a terrible fear of dogs.

So why do I want a service dog?

Well, over the years my fear of all dogs has turned mostly into an avoidance of Labradors. I want the opportunity to get over this fear. I also want to get back that bond I had as a child. My own dog was so useful to me. I know a service dog would be helpful to me as an adult. I have OCD, PTSD, Panic and Anxiety Disorder with Agoraphobia on top of Asperger's. I rarely leave the house on my own because I just can't function alone. If I take one of my children though, I am suddenly at least able to function. It grounds me somehow.

I can't work. I'm on SSDI. I want to at least be able to check my own mailbox. I have two companion cats, and I love my cats. However they can't go anywhere with me. I can think of a million ways that a service dog would be useful to me beyond the emotional aspect.

Do any of you have a service dog? Where did you get one from?

i don't have a service dog, just a companion dog. i don't really have agoraphobia, but i do go through periods when i'd just rather not leave the house. i pretty much bring my dog everywhere. she's abundantly friendly (and silly) and this does help to ground me somewhat too (like bringing your child along does.) it seems to help me be out and about longer without overwhelm.

I don't think you would need a fully trained service dog for this purpose! A well-trained dog, not specifically a service animal, would probably do the same thing (you seem to be looking for an emotional-support sort of animal, not an animal that would actually perform a specific physical function for you; for example, you no longer need a dog to do things like what your dog did when you were ten to stop you running too fast and falling down). If this is so, you are probably looking at a lot less money than a service dog; what you need is a dog that is trained to be very well-behaved, so that he can be taken into public places without running/barking/being disruptive. Somewhere between a service dog and a well-trained pet... a dog you can take with you so that you aren't alone in public. You would probably need to justify this to your psychiatrist, who could point you in the right direction. It would probably be a good idea to do a trial, at least, before you figure out whether to get a dog permanently. A professional dog trainer could probably fill your needs. You might even be able to adopt a puppy from an animal shelter instead of getting a purebred; mutts with Lab or Golden heritage tend to be just as smart as their purebred parents and just as good for emotional support/service jobs. I think it's a great idea--and getting rid of a phobia is a wonderful thing, highly recommended

There is an organization called North Star Foundation that trains service dogs specifically to work with people on the spectrum. They have a YouTube channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/northstarvids

Unlike seeing eye dogs, which are trained to perform specific tasks, North Star's service dogs are trained to provide emotional support for people with autism and Asperger's.

~ Caterina

I think there are a few things that I could benefit from a service dog over an emotional support animal. One being, I need it for public places. An emotional support dog can't go in all public places no matter how trained they are. It has to be trained to do something other than what a dog can normally do to qualify for a service dog.

This is what I've thought about as far as helpful things a dog would be able to provide me personally:

Trained to keep distance between me and other people
Trained to provide tactile stimulation to help with overload
Trained to interrupt repetitive behaviors, either excessive stimming or OCD behaviors.
It would give numerous benefits in helping me in public. Right now I cannot shop on my own, or go anywhere because my social phobias are too extreme. Its been this way for years and it hasn't gotten any better.

There are a lot more but I'm having a hard time focusing at the moment on writing this.

I am currantly looking into getting a service dog for my 3 year old son. Wilderwood Service Dogs seems to offer the most affordable, autism service dogs. You can contact them at 865-660-0095. The ladies Name is Tiffany Denyer.