When someone's ability to venture into public becomes an issue so great that it fulfills the law's definition of disability.

Those who know me best know that I am against buying a puppy with the intent to raise and train your own service dog. One of the reasons service dogs of any kind (for the blind, the wheelchair bound, etc) and work dogs of all kinds (for police, for drug sniffing, etc) have traditionally begun as pups of certain breeds farmed out to families to raise the pup to an age to begin training. The vast majority of these pedigreed dogs, who now have at least a couple of years (and thousands of dollars) invested in them, will WASH OUT and have to placed as household pets.

Vet school studies (see Texas A&M) of large numbers of dogs rescued from shelters, but chosen by reliance on a battery of screening tests to evaluate a dog's personality, stability and trainability has proven to reduce the cost of professionally trained Service Dogs to a tiny fraction of previous costs, enabling more dogs to be ready for placement and making them more affordable.

I have spoken before of my firm set of notions of what kind of dog makes the best Psychiatric service dog... And I have spoken of the resistance the traditional service trainers and certifying agencies have to the very notion of a service animal with no special training to do specific tasks that go beyond the dog's innate nature to relate to his human companion.

But there IS an area of training that ANY service dog, even psychiatric service dogs, must accomplish to an exceptionally high level, and that is in areas considered normal obedience training.

> A service dog must have a bladder the size of a horse and be willing to chew off his own foot rather than eliminate on anything but a grassy surface. He must be able to let you know his needs, but most definitely not continuously whine nor bark. You must be the alpha animal and he is not allowed to be your boss, set your agenda and manipulate your behavior.

> A service dog must not bark or whine when at work unless their job entails training for certain events that would necessitate such attention-gaining utterances.

> A service dog must exude a maturity in his calm and quiet demeanor. He may not jump around, do tricks, play bow, or attempt to socialize or even greet others, human or canine.

> On the other hand, a service dog must be well-socialized with dogs and with people of all ages and all ages. He must have no social anxiety and absolutely no aggression.

> A psychiatric service dog must be able to lay at rest in a relaxed state for up to several hours at your feet under your seat, or in a portable soft-sided carrier. He must never get up to stroll around, greet others or demonstrate neediness for your attention (petting and talking to him, etc).

There are very few dogs able, by virtue of just training or in combination with natural behavior attributes to be all this before the age of 2, even tho training can and should begin by the age of 8 weeks.

Many people who NEED a psychiatric service dog hope that their own pet can suffice. Some can. Most cannot, even with professional training.

One must not look to the purchase of a puppy or your own present dog as anything more than an emotional support animal. We cannot expect, no matter how much his presence comforts us and makes us feel more secure, to impose an under-trained or under-socialized or tempermentally unsuited dog upon the public. Such exposure to a supposed "Service" dog will do nothing but set back the calendar on achieving full acceptance of the psychiatrically disabled's equal rights to service animals.


As I said earlier, I am known for rather firm notions of regarding the "best" kind of psychiatric service animal. The public at large is surprisingly accepting to small quiet dogs who are soft-side crated or laying quietly in a shopping cart on a cushioning towel or mat.

I have walked my dog on a short "working leash" into the pharmacy and post office for short direct tasks at time of low foot traffic. And I've done the same periodically elsewhere, but I do not advise it and tended to avoid it. Obviously, sun and temperature rarely make it safe to leave your dog in the car and open windows invite theft, so the best way for most buildings in in a soft-sided over the shoulder mesh-window ventilated bags. Under the bottom panel, I place several layers of bubble wrap for comfort.

Dogs weighing over 12 pounds make for a bit of baggage - and with mine at 15 pounds, she is at the very limits of fitting into an over-the-shoulder bag.

So why not just take your dog with you on a leash? Well, service dog agencies spend up to an year of training, working daily with advanced trainers in both advanced obedience and special skills training. They will not place a dog unless they can virtually guarantee the consistency of behavior and the total safety and predictability of the dog. Few dogs reach that point, thus the fact that their cost runs over $10,000 a dog.

We simply cannot have a dog on a leash who scares anyone, who can be intimidated by the presence of others, who feels specially protective of you, or who otherwise could conceivably cause someone to suffer an injury or mishap. A leash between a human and a dog, especially a heavier dog, can easily yank someone's feet out from under them. Someone suddenly thrusting their face close to the dog's could receive a growl, a snap or a bite - and no matter their age, it would be YOUR fault and you would be held legally responsible.

Now, you may wish to consider acquiring a trained service dog that washed out at a high level of training - IF you realize that you will have to travel and then train with the dog so you can become a team... Then you could conceivably have as large a dog as you wanted, but remember that, no matter what size the dog, if you are frightened by people, the dog could do the wrong thing by perceiving your fears as a reason for him (the dog) to also be fearful and/or to protect you by driving off the cause of your anxiety.

What I said above bears repeating. People are more prone to be accepting of a public companion psychiatric service dog if the dog is of a small size so it can be carried and if you keep a soft-sided carrier with you for the dog to use as his "cave". My dog, tho she had never experienced one before, immediately loved hers and PREFERS to be in the crate when in stores or offices or libraries. It is her comfort place and she can relax sufficiently to nap away the time. Simply being with me is the reward, the good and exciting part. She knows that once we hit the door, she is back out on a leash and we are going to go for a stroll.

There is no law saying what size dog you can pick as your psychiatric service dog and not even a code of behavior or criteria of emotional stability --- but if each and every one of us does not attempt to be part of a team to be proud of, to best represent a partnership that provides a prescribed treatment for your disabling symptoms, we could experience a backlash that ends up restricting the definition of a PSD to one who has gone thru the long expensive process of being professionally trained and certified.

We are, each of us who ask our doctor to prescribe a PSD for us, volunteering as a publicly visible envoy, ambassador and educator for the sometimes hidden disabilities we suffer and the role our dog has played in helping us achieve a higher level of functioning. PSDs can even enable a person to resume employment outside the home, and every taxpayer (ie, those who pay the salaries of legislators and judges) should understand the economics of a disabled adult becoming a higher functioning employable fellow taxpayer.

I realize that the lure of a puppy may make my words here so very forgettable, but for those who already own a dog who simply is not right to make the trek to public PSA, recognize that a second dog would most likely make both of you and your pooch happy.

Theresa - OneMoreTime