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Member
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 310
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 310
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Psychological Support Animals & Psychiatric Service Dogs
The last time period that I did relatively well psychologically, I had a dog, even tho I lived in a very tiny apartment. She and I went for regular walks and she was a great aid to my meeting and socializing with people ...
I started a thread in the sub-forum for service animals under Pets that talks about Psychiatric Service Dogs AND Psychological Support Animals.
Service Dogs have to undergo long expensive periods of training and not all dogs make it successfully thru training. They are allowed to go virtually everywhere, including air planes and trains, restaurants, grocery stores and more. Federal laws support access for these animals.
A more recent covered category is Psychological Support Animals. These can even be cats and other animals. They need no special training, tho they must be inside animals unless outside under reasonable control by the owner. We are not talking about backyard outdoor pets. They can be your existing animal or they can be rescued animals. All that is necessary is that they make your life more comforting by their love and affection.
The laws of public access are not as generous for PSAs. It does not include restaurants, for instance. To gain any sort of access and to bypass "no pet" clauses for housing, they must be prescribed by your physician as being necessary for your emotional psychological health and functioning. Rental Housing, including HUD rent-subsidized housing, MUST allow you to have your prescribed dog or cat as long as the the apartment building is more than 4 units to a building in size. A duplex, I believe, is also not covered and it is up to the landlord. Otherwise, you cannot be denied.
I am working towards having a Psychological Support Animal again. It has been one of the worst parts of being disabled - that rent-subsidized housing allows you no roommates and no pets. It is very difficult living alone and I am socially phobic to quite an extent, and a dog would get me out of the apartment several times a day instead of once every couple of weeks.
Anyway, besides the kisses and wiggles and cuddles, I want someone to share my easy chair and share my bed. I would like a medium sized dog - not too big, but able to get on and off the bed by him/herself, to manage stairs easily, and manage a reasonable length walk.
I have spent a lot of time reading up on many purebred types for information on trainability, house-breaking and shedding. Of course, I will most likely get a cross-bred, but the predominant breed type can help me predict a lot of these things. I prefer an adult dog, for then you know the adult personality, energy level and what manners they have and what training they've had.
Teri
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