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My husband has a service dog for PTSD. It's not a visible problem unless something triggers him, and then it is pretty obvious to anyone in the area because he is the person diving for cover while having a full-blown flashback or panic attack. If anyone asks he will say what the dog is for, and what tasks the dog is trained to do specific to his disability (the dog actually has specific tasks to prevent or lessen chances of a flashback; he isn't there just to be a support animal). There are a couple other people in our town who use service animals, and all of them are willing to answer the question about the animal's tasks even if they don't have to legally. Our county also allows you to get a specific license if you have a service animal, which requires supporting documentation. My husband's dog always has a clearly labeled vest, all vet documents (to show he is fully vaccinated), and info on the agency we got the dog from as proof that the dog has done hundreds of hours of training.
We actually did have an issue of someone bringing a pet dog inside a Safeway (grocery store) a couple weeks ago. We mentioned it to someone there and they immediately kicked them out.
Most of the stores we frequent are familiar with my husband, and our dog. Personally I am happy that he is allowed a service dog even if his disability isn't some obvious physical problem. Otherwise I would be stuck doing almost every errand by myself because my husband can't leave the house.
My husband has a service dog for PTSD. It's not a visible problem unless something triggers him, and then it is pretty obvious to anyone in the area because he is the person diving for cover while having a full-blown flashback or panic attack. If anyone asks he will say what the dog is for, and what tasks the dog is trained to do specific to his disability (the dog actually has specific tasks to prevent or lessen chances of a flashback; he isn't there just to be a support animal). There are a couple other people in our town who use service animals, and all of them are willing to answer the question about the animal's tasks even if they don't have to legally. Our county also allows you to get a specific license if you have a service animal, which requires supporting documentation. My husband's dog always has a clearly labeled vest, all vet documents (to show he is fully vaccinated), and info on the agency we got the dog from as proof that the dog has done hundreds of hours of training.
We actually did have an issue of someone bringing a pet dog inside a Safeway (grocery store) a couple weeks ago. We mentioned it to someone there and they immediately kicked them out.
Most of the stores we frequent are familiar with my husband, and our dog. Personally I am happy that he is allowed a service dog even if his disability isn't some obvious physical problem. Otherwise I would be stuck doing almost every errand by myself because my husband can't leave the house.
I don't think think those without a severe disability (or one of their close family members and sometimes closest friends) often have any clue how isolating certain disabilities can be. It can also end up turning our family members into our caregivers, which can be life altering for the whole family. Thank you for being there for your husband! I'm not sure how common it is for significant others to stand by their spouses when PTSD is the diagnosis, but my guess is it isn't very high. The more he gets out the better long term for him, I'm betting. And while you might in joy the company, I'm also betting it helps that he has his service animal at home that you can depend on when you need a break for yourself. It's wonderful if he doesn't mind explaining why he needs the dog, but I think this should be his decision, he shouldn't feel guilted into by society.
Okay, bring it on...I respect veterans. I think people with PTSD deserve respect.
But...I disagree that a "PTSD Dog" is a "Service Dog". It is a "Therapeutic Comfort Pet".
What "service" does a "PTSD dog" actually do? Can the person walk, stand, ambulate, hear, without assistance of the dog? If the answer is "Yes", I don't buy that it is a "service dog".
I don't think think those without a severe disability (or one of their close family members and sometimes closest friends) often have any clue how isolating certain disabilities can be. It can also end up turning our family members into our caregivers, which can be life altering for the whole family. Thank you for being there for your husband! I'm not sure how common it is for significant others to stand by their spouses when PTSD is the diagnosis, but my guess is it isn't very high. The more he gets out the better long term for him, I'm betting. And while you might in joy the company, I'm also betting it helps that he has his service animal at home that you can depend on when you need a break for yourself. It's wonderful if he doesn't mind explaining why he needs the dog, but I think this should be his decision, he shouldn't feel guilted into by society.
I would not leave my husband over his PTSD, but there are days when it is very difficult to live with. Having a service dog is helpful because I work and he doesn't so often it is necessary for him to run errands. When his old service dog died very suddenly last year it took us over a month to get another one. That is actually pretty fast, but it felt like FOREVER because I basically took on the role of being a service person during that time
Most people ask questions because they are curious about the dog. A lot of people don't actually know what PTSD is, or that it is not strictly a military thing (my husband has the combat type that many military people get, but it is from law enforcement). Occasionally we meet people who tell us sad stories about X person they know with PTSD who basically sits at home locked in their own mental world and how much they would benefit if they could get a dog.
Okay, bring it on...I respect veterans. I think people with PTSD deserve respect.
But...I disagree that a "PTSD Dog" is a "Service Dog". It is a "Therapeutic Comfort Pet".
What "service" does a "PTSD dog" actually do? Can the person walk, stand, ambulate, hear, without assistance of the dog? If the answer is "Yes", I don't buy that it is a "service dog".
I know that will be an unpopular point of view.
Stand by my personal opinion.
A service dog has to be trained to perform specific tasks. A therapy dog does not. My husband's dog does the following:
-Body blocking: depending on where my husband is standing, the dog will move to a specific location. If my husband is at a counter, the dog places himself behind my husband. If my husband is speaking directly to someone, the dog moves in front of him. A normal walking position is by his left side. It is a preventative measure to avoid a panic attack, or a person getting randomly punched for "sneaking" up behind my husband and tapping him on the shoulder.
-Alerting: the dog is trained to give a certain signal based on what it sees/hears/etc. If there is a strange noise, the dog categorizes it. A mundane sound gets an alert from the dog but no reaction. A strange sound gets a different signal. Again, it's a preventative measure.
-Stopping a panic attack: the dog is trained to stay with my husband, period. If he is having a panic attack or a flashback, the dog will attempt to stop it via licking, nudging, or simply staying there and waiting. The ability to walk normally under most circumstances doesn't really help when a flashback means my husband is suddenly sprawled out on the pavement in a busy parking lot trying to avoid non-existent guns.
-Retrieving: My husband has a very spotty memory at times, and usually no memory after a flashback. The dog has an excellent memory, and knows to retrieve things that were possibly dropped (like a wallet, keys, phone, etc).
Those are all pretty common tasks for a dog trained for someone with PTSD. Most of them also carry medication, ear plugs, etc. Some dogs are trained to search buildings or turn on lights. A lot of people with PTSD also have physical issues.
Ultimately I don't really care what some random person online thinks. People are always going to judge.
a properly task trained PTSD dog is JUST as valuable as a seeing eye or hearing dog or medical responce dog.
the point of the dog is to prefrom trained takss that allow thier hanler to live as close to a normal life as possible...
so how is a task trained ptsd dog who acompanies his highly agoraphobic handler to public places and performs tasks to help negate the sever overwhelming anxiety, and fear (im not talking stands there and gets petted for reassurance thats not a trained taks, but as the above poster said body blocking, ect...) ANY different than a dog that nudges his handler when the fire alarm goes off, or lets his blind owner know to stop at a curb?
i DO understand thats its IMPOSSIBLE for someone without a disability to understand what its like to live with one...and i lso understand a person with one disability is not going to know what a person with another is going though...
but i can tell you that ANY properly TASK TRAINED service dog is an asset to someoen that truly needs it, wether "you" personally think someones disability is worthy of a dog or not.
my evenual service dog while primarily a medical responce dog will also be a psychiatric service dog, it will be specifically task trained to help me with tasks that most poeple cant even fatholm being dificult. i dont expect people to understnd what i feel or think or how badly my disabilities effect my normal every day life...
what i o expect is for people to be respectfull and follow the law. if my service dog is doing its job of being QUIET generally inconspicuous and ready to assist me at any given moment, whats it anyone elses right to tell me im not diabled enough because my disability doesnt fall into your own peronal idea of whats classed as a service task?
a dog that just snuggles, ect is a therapy dog, an emotional support animal and doesnt have the rights of a service dog, (and shouldnt) but a TASK TRAINED psychiatric service dog is JUST as important as a seeing eye or hearing dog.
A service dog has to be trained to perform specific tasks. A therapy dog does not. My husband's dog does the following:
-Body blocking: depending on where my husband is standing, the dog will move to a specific location. If my husband is at a counter, the dog places himself behind my husband. If my husband is speaking directly to someone, the dog moves in front of him. A normal walking position is by his left side. It is a preventative measure to avoid a panic attack, or a person getting randomly punched for "sneaking" up behind my husband and tapping him on the shoulder.
-Alerting: the dog is trained to give a certain signal based on what it sees/hears/etc. If there is a strange noise, the dog categorizes it. A mundane sound gets an alert from the dog but no reaction. A strange sound gets a different signal. Again, it's a preventative measure.
-Stopping a panic attack: the dog is trained to stay with my husband, period. If he is having a panic attack or a flashback, the dog will attempt to stop it via licking, nudging, or simply staying there and waiting. The ability to walk normally under most circumstances doesn't really help when a flashback means my husband is suddenly sprawled out on the pavement in a busy parking lot trying to avoid non-existent guns.
-Retrieving: My husband has a very spotty memory at times, and usually no memory after a flashback. The dog has an excellent memory, and knows to retrieve things that were possibly dropped (like a wallet, keys, phone, etc).
Those are all pretty common tasks for a dog trained for someone with PTSD. Most of them also carry medication, ear plugs, etc. Some dogs are trained to search buildings or turn on lights. A lot of people with PTSD also have physical issues.
Ultimately I don't really care what some random person online thinks. People are always going to judge.
Thank you for sharing about your husband, his injury, and his dog. As Litlove said, people who don't live it, don't understand it. My brain injury issues are very similar to those with PTSD, and my dog's training has been based on PTSD dog training. Prior to her training, someone in my family had to be with me at home most of the time, and always when I went out. She has not only allowed me to be more independent, she has allowed my husband to go to work, and my children to go to college, without having to worry so much that I will be OK during the day. Thank you, too, for being a patient caregiver. I know from experience how much that support means.
A service dog has to be trained to perform specific tasks. A therapy dog does not. My husband's dog does the following:
-Body blocking: depending on where my husband is standing, the dog will move to a specific location. If my husband is at a counter, the dog places himself behind my husband. If my husband is speaking directly to someone, the dog moves in front of him. A normal walking position is by his left side. It is a preventative measure to avoid a panic attack, or a person getting randomly punched for "sneaking" up behind my husband and tapping him on the shoulder.
-Alerting: the dog is trained to give a certain signal based on what it sees/hears/etc. If there is a strange noise, the dog categorizes it. A mundane sound gets an alert from the dog but no reaction. A strange sound gets a different signal. Again, it's a preventative measure.
-Stopping a panic attack: the dog is trained to stay with my husband, period. If he is having a panic attack or a flashback, the dog will attempt to stop it via licking, nudging, or simply staying there and waiting. The ability to walk normally under most circumstances doesn't really help when a flashback means my husband is suddenly sprawled out on the pavement in a busy parking lot trying to avoid non-existent guns.
-Retrieving: My husband has a very spotty memory at times, and usually no memory after a flashback. The dog has an excellent memory, and knows to retrieve things that were possibly dropped (like a wallet, keys, phone, etc).
Those are all pretty common tasks for a dog trained for someone with PTSD. Most of them also carry medication, ear plugs, etc. Some dogs are trained to search buildings or turn on lights. A lot of people with PTSD also have physical issues.
Ultimately I don't really care what some random person online thinks. People are always going to judge.
Thank you for all of this. I have a friend with a PTSD dog that I've posted about on these forums before. As with your husband's dog and the vast majority of PTSD dogs, he is not simply a therapy animal. PTSD dogs are service animals just like dogs for the visually impaired. My friend's dog is trained to perform actual service tasks that go far beyond 'just being soothing' like many people seem to think.
My friend has balance issues when rising and the dog is trained to help him balance. The dog is also trained to stop or prevent dissociative episodes and lead my friend to an exit. Such an animal can make a HUGE difference in a person's life. My friend can now confidently enjoy social situations that most people take completely granted.
There does need to be changes in how service animals are registered and handled. But those changes should be designed to help prevent abuse of the system, not make it harder for people with legitimate service animals. And that includes PTSD dogs.
Okay, bring it on...I respect veterans. I think people with PTSD deserve respect.
But...I disagree that a "PTSD Dog" is a "Service Dog". It is a "Therapeutic Comfort Pet".
What "service" does a "PTSD dog" actually do? Can the person walk, stand, ambulate, hear, without assistance of the dog? If the answer is "Yes", I don't buy that it is a "service dog".
I know that will be an unpopular point of view.
Stand by my personal opinion.
Your personal opinion is obviously not unique. It falls in line with many others in our society that don't choose to educate themselves about the issues, but prefer to stand in judgement of the disabled, based upon superficial appearances.
You think they deserve the respect that falls within the parameters you deem appropriate. So, if a person can walk, stand, ambulate, and hear without the assistance of their service animal most of the time, but needs the PSA because they can't predict when they'll need them, then do you judge that they should be allowed to bring them into commercial establishments?
And as addressed previously in this thread, Emotional Support Animals are only given additional rights in two instances--in housing and for flying.
I'm sure there are people that claim their dog is a Psychiatric Service Animal, but is not. Perhaps they could legitimately be labeled an Emotional Support Animal, or perhaps they are merely a pet that some narcissistic person likes to bring along with them as company, or perhaps it is a person with a psych issue that needs a trained Psychiatric Support Animal but is incapable of managing the training themselves, let alone having the financial ability to pay for it.
Life is difficult enough for the severely disabled, without having to deal with the hostility directed at them as a response to con artists that take advantage of the protections which they have no right to assert. Passwithoutatrace's account will hopefully help expand your definition of who is deserving enough to qualify for a Service Animal.
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