I've had my SD for 8 yrs and I know time is getting closer to retiring him. I have another that I am training to be ready for the actual testing and registering. He actually picks up on things real quick from watching my SD working. I have aggressive m.s, epilepsy, narcolepsy, and heart problems.

I would love a service dog
 

would medicaid approve it, I have Parkinson's Disease, I am 39 years old -
for the last 4 years... ;)
I live alone and I know nothing about the program?
however, I am very interested...

Service Dog Yes
 

YOU CAN HAVE A SERVICE DOG IT NEEDS ALL BASIC TRAINING FIRST AND BE TRAINED TO DO THREE TASK FOR YOU. YOU CAN SELF-TRAIN YOUR OWN DOG.

I WOULD RECOMMAND THAT YOUR SERVICE DOG HAS VEST AND PATCHES ON WHEN OUT IN PUBLIC SO PEOPLE WILL NOT BUG YOU ALL THE TIME ASKING IF IT IS A TRAINED SERVICE DOG

ADA SAYS ANY BREED OF DOG CAN GO OUT IN PUBLIC IF THERE DOG IS TRAINING TO DO A TASKS FOR YOUR DISABILITY ONLY!!!

ADI BELIEVES RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN ANIMAL AND AN INDIVIDUAL, STANDS ALONE, IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE AN ANIMAL TO BE REGARED AS A SERVICE ANIMAL. IF AN INDIVIDUAL, WITH A MENTAL, EMOTIONAL OR PHYSIOLOGICAL DISABILITY WANTS ACCESS RIGHTS WITH ANIMAL AS AN ACCOMODATION, THIS ANIMAL MUST BE TRAINED AS REQUIRED BY THE DEFINITION OF A SERVICE ANIMAL PUBLISHED IN THE CFR IN OCTOBER 1991 BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

MAKE SURE YOUR SERVICE DOG CAN RING THE BELL ON DOOR KNOB SO YOU WILL KNOW IT NEED TO GO OUT SIDE.

ALSO MUST KNOW HOW TO ALERT YOU TO A SMOKE ALARM, AND A POT BOILING OVER ON A STOVE. THIS JUST IS NOT A TASK FOR HEARING DOGS ALL SERVICE DOGS MUST KNOW THIS.

I have a service dog
 

I have had my service dog for about 2 years now. He is a full service dog that does all wheelchair monuvers, mobility assist, and medical alert. He knows 110 commands and can dog it all pretty much. He has saved my life twice and my husbands once. He has just turned 3 years old in Dec. 2007 and he has been with me since he was 9 months old. I've known him since he was 6 weeks old. He was my friends daughters dog. They moved into my basement when he was about 4 months old and he medical alerted me when he was only 9 months of age so she gave him to me. He has been my partner at all levels. I could not function with out him. His name is Hoss I love him dearly and my husband is a wonderful man that wants to make life easier for all with service dog partners. Always give your service dog a hug and kiss and be sure to praise praise praise and they will do anything for you. Better go it is getting very late. Enjoy your service dog, I know I will enjoy mine.

I have had a service dog for 5 yrs. My first dog retired last yr and I've had my current dog for a little over a year. She isn't done training yet. She is a 19 month old german shepherd. She still has a lot of maturing to do before she's done training. She is very well bonded to me. She tends to be a velco dog but doesn't have bad separation anxiety. However if given a choice she'd rather follow me around but it ok being away from me. I do get one heck of a greeting if I've been away from her for too long. Having a german shepherd does have it's benefits as people are less likely to bother you. People tend to part and get out of your way in a crowd. She is the sweetest thing but I feel safe with her in not so great places because I know that if we are threatened, she will at least bluff with a hail of barking. I am working on making her ready to pass the CGC and hopefully eventually for the obedience ring.

I'm also training a 5 month old std poodle puppy but she is a long way off from being considered a service dog.

Bailey sends her regards!
 

Hello:

I'm new to the NeuroTalk Forum and I was really quite happy to see the subforum for service dogs/animals. Bailey is 5 yrs old now and she's been with me from when she was 8 weeks old. Initially we were going to train her to be a support animal for my mother who is now in advanced stages of Alzhiemer's Disease but, after it was suggested that I would benefit from the assistance of a service dog, well the plans changed. Bailey is certified for Special Needs/Hearing and as a Psychiatric Support Dog. Because of the region where we live, there were no local agencies or schools to train the dog for me, and the waiting list for a program dog was 2 to 3 years and the cost was going to be prohibitive ... the instructor that we were seeing for general obedience training and the trainer for Therapy Dogs both suggested that we could train Bailey at home ( my educational background and career experience were definite assests in the process ... with the added benefit that Bailey didn't use profanity or call me names the way some of my student's did!!! :p )

So we trained her here and then took her in for certification once we felt that she met all the criterion for the International Association of Assistance Dogs standards. There are no actual standards for Canadian Service Dogs so most provinces use the international standards or adapt the standards set out for guide dogs for the blind. We felt it was necessary to use the international standards since we live in a boarder town community to the U.S. and frequently cross the boarder.

We're looking forward to getting to know you all better, hearing about your furry life savers and sharing information. Bailey sends her regards to her collegues with wishes for lots of treats and belly rubs.

Take care all, be safe and well: Kefrin & Bailey