I have two dogs one a Boxer and the other a Pomeranian. They are not service dogs. I had them before I ended up with CRPS. They do know when I am having a bad day. They will lick my legs. I call them drive by licks. The CRPS is in my legs. This was not something they did prior to CRPS. They are a pain at times but they are truly a help too they force me to get up even when I am having a bad flare up. I did find a place where you can register a dog as a emotional support dog. I thought about that myself. There is a huge difference between a service dog and an emotional support dog. For me they are my best source of friendship as my husband is on the nascar tour right now for his work. They are good for me.

Thanks everyone for the input. I may have to figure out how I can travel. I understand why people would need emotional support dogs, but my desire is for an out of the house service dog. As long as I can walk more or less normally (I only have a slight limp now) I will continue to do so. I have no desire to make myself worse by babying myself until I can't walk without assistance. But I spend every time I'm out of the house in complete fear. Fear that someone will hit me with a cart, bump me, let their kid step on me or run into me, just so many things. I find it hard to just let go and enjoy the fact that I can be so independent. I also have to carry an insulated pack with ice packs in it because of my heat allergy, which has become difficult with the spread into my left shoulder. A dog would perfectly suit my needs, s/he could provide the barrier I need while carrying my ice in a little pack. I'll continue to do some reading and look more into things. The more read, the more I think a dog is perfect for me.

cats are much better at keeping strangers at bay,

Hi Adalaide, From my own experience I also have that bump syndrome and little children with so much energy [that's the way they are] and loud screaming babies. The noise bothers me as much as the physical does. I have augmented my personal shopping schedule to times when few people are in the store. Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays are traditionally the busiest shopping days. Note; "days"---I shop early morning to avoid shoppers and noise. The store is almost empty at 0;700 in the morning. It is the same just before closing also. This may help a little until you get your dog. Good luck with your dog. I hope you get one soon and that your discomfort may be improved.

PS; Sundays are not heavy for shoppers either.

Just as my spinal cord stim helps distract me from the unrelenting pain of rsd, my miniature dachshund Bo does the same. I'm more alert when driving with him along and I go out more. My pain psychologist wrote the letter that allows Bo to go wherever I go. He has access to every store, movie, restaurant..and he looks mighty cute in his service dog vest. Bo is truly the only positive thing that has happened to me since rsd stole my life. BEST of luck to you. Sometimes bigger isn't better!

I'm not sure that a service dog could/would be able to prevent things like that, unless it were especially trained for it, and even then I think there would be problems as the temperment for a service dog is quite different than for... basically, a very specialized type of guard dog.

Those rates sound outrageous; rates in this area are about $50/mo for groups; $100-$150 for individualized sessions, but it may be a supply/demand issue, as competition here is substantial.

Doc

I was reading that this is something they can do. They don't act as a guard dog exactly, but as a barrier. It may have been something I was reading about from the PTSD dogs in particular, I'm not sure. (my memory is about as awesome as that of a brain damaged goldfish some days) There are many other functions a dog can serve that would be useful to me, this is just the one that would most alter my life.

Hi Adalaide, I've been following your thread with interest, not because I'm thinking of a dog myself, but because I have a friend who helps train service dogs at puppy stage before their next stage of intensive training.

A service dog for outdoor and/or outdoor use is trained pretty intensively from the word go. As puppies they are taught to only mess in a particular area, to obey certain commands, etc. Once they are grown they go on to an intensive training programme, where any dog not able to fit the very precise characteristics and temperament they need are moved to ordinary owners.

The process is very controlled, because as another poster said, the dog cannot be used as an outdoor service dog if it might react badly to any given situation, and pose a risk to the public and it's owner.

I went to ordinary training sessions with my own dog, and it is completely different, mostly because the vast amount of actual training takes place at home, where you try to consistently keep up the commands and training you are shown in your lessons. BUT home training can very very rarely replicate the kind of environment service dogs are trained in - the process for them has been perfected over decades, and is very specialised.

I only say this because, like with anything, there are places that will claim to be able to do the same thing, because they are running a business and trying to make money. I'd be very wary of paying a lot of money out for training lessons, the chances are tiny that you would end up with a dog anywhere near the level of training a service dog gets.

Now obviously there are dogs like Bo (love the name ) who act as a companion, and their role as a service dog is to give support and psychological assistance to their owner. Bo is never intended to guard at street level... That support is invaluable to someone like OhioDiane, and so her own dog can be classed as a service dog for the purposes of being allowed into places where ordinary dogs can't go.

My concern for your very understandable desire for protection when you are out, is that a service dog walks slightly in front and to one side of you. It cannot be all around you, and so can never fully protect you from crowds or bumps or children running. They are not intended as a human shield, and cannot concentrate on the job they are trained for if they are leaping around you getting in front of every small child who comes near. You can't take that risk away except by avoiding crowded places altogether, and going to stores etc at quieter times, as others have suggested. A service dog would maybe give you more confidence though, so it's definitely worth looking at.

Not trying to be a little grey cloud lol, just worried for you that you might spend a lot of money and still not end up with what you are hoping for. It happens a lot to folk like us who become a little desperate when fighting this monster and everything that comes with it...

Take care of yourself and good luck x

Bram.

Another thing is to factor in is care of the dog.
also the size of the dog, age, lifespan...
food & potty
vet care - getting to it and back..
grooming- long thick coat , one that needs clipped, or a short hair non shedder