My Psychiatrist just agreed to fill out any forms necessary to have my little Nico deemed as a Psychiatric service dog,so if I ever travel anywhere he will be allowed on aircrafts, trains, cruiseships, but I wouldn't subject him to a crowded bus! He just told me when I'm ready to travel somewhere,let him know, and hell get the proper forms off the internet for when and where,and what form of travel I'm traveling and fill them out. He said each airline has it's own forms,and each cruiseship also has it's own forms,and you have to get them filled out at the time you are traveling,and where,all the specifics. He said there isn't just a basic form you fill out and carry around in your wallet or pocket,for travel anytime,anywhere! He pulled it up on the internet while I was in his office.
So Nico is my not only my best little buddy,but he's now going to be my Psych service dog to!

WHOA wait a minute!... getting a letter from your psychiatrist does not make your untrained dog a service animal. Is your psychiatrist a dog trainer that can state your dog is trained to mitigate your disability and safe to be in public? A letter doesn't make a service dog, training makes the service dog. If you are bringing a dog into public that doesn't do tasks to mitigate your disability then you are impersonation a service dog and your dr wrote a fruadulent letter. You doctor can say that you need or use one but cannot say that the dog is a service dog without a certain amount of liability.

If you intend to train your dog to reach full service dog status then you should be refering to the dog as a service dog in training (SDIT). In public never refer to a service dog in training as an emotional support dog (ESA). This misleads the public to believe they can bring their pets everywhere just cause they love their pets and feel guilty leaving them home. Emotional support dogs stay home, service dogs go into public places. Also if you refer to your dog as an ESA, public accomodations can deny you access and it is legal to do so (call the DOJ ADA hotline). You can gets an ESA letter for a SDIT if you live in no pet housing as they don't fall under the ADA until fully trained. Many states have laws covering SDIT access, some do not, in those states you must leave if asked to. You can tell them it is a service dog in training but not agrue with them or refuse to leave. If your dog isn't trained and you are refering to them as a service dog and you go to court (yes it sometime happens) then you will likely lose on those grounds in that you can't show them proof that your dog mitigates your disability.

<quote>How did I know if my dog is ready to graduate from SDIT to full service dog status?</quote>
Every service dog should have passed a public access test. The psychiatric service dog society has a great public access test form that you can use. Any dog trainer can administer the test for you.

NEVER NEVER NEVER show any drs letter or ID when in public places with a SD. You are not required and not everyone carries them. Plus they are useless peices of paper as anyone can get their dr to sign a letter for a SD or buy and ID online. They are not proof. The law only allows business to ask 3 questions... are you disabled? is this your service dog? what tasks does your service dog do to mitigate your disability? They CANNOT require ID or documentation. Generally if the police need to be called because of a public access issue then I'd be more inclined to present it to the officer but never to the store employee or manager. Carry law cards instead that state the laws and present those. I generally do not carry an ID and if you make people think they have a right to require it I might have a hard time gaining access especially since I refuse to show it.

Back in Oct I flew with my SDIT but under SD status as she's pretty close to finishing training on SW. They have been nothing but great to me. I've flown with them 3 times and never had issues. They have always required I present IDs but that is the only unreasonable request I've ever had with them as her harness and behavior should have been good enough. They even saved me a bulkhead when they had already preboarded before I got to the gate. My dog was great and just layed there and slept the whole time just like she's supposed to. Never reacted to anything.

Be aware of new ACAA regulations that come into effect in March. From now on psychiatric service dogs require the same documentation as ESA. The reason is some people who couldn't get drs notes for ESA would buy IDs and pass off their pets as service dogs, show dog people were especially notorious for doing this. So now in order to fly with a PSD or ESA you must, give 48 hours notice before you fly and have a doctors note written by a psychiatrist. This regulation caused by fakers has hurt the whole PSD community as we are being singled out. They have also put more restrictions on what kinds of ESA can fly in the cabin. I do not refer to my dog as a PSD and therefore will not be effected by this regulation as I have an non-psychiatric hidden disability (not visible) which my dog helps with.

If your dog cannot handle a crowded bus then maybe you should rethink training them as a service dog. Not every dog has what it takes. I have washed out 3 dogs and retired one early in the past 1.5 yr. All went to really nice homes except the retired one. After 4 yrs of loyal service I'm not going to part with her. She is just a pet now.

Back in Oct I went to DC and my dog did great. There were lots or crowds nearly everywhere you went but she handled it like a champ. Crowds are a normal event when in public and your dog should be unaffected by them or if anything pay even closer attention to you. As a group of other teams we all went to a dog park and gave our dogs some off time. It was pretty obvious which dogs were SD as they would periodically go check in with their handler.

So the letter doesn't make the service dog, the training does. If you do not meet the definition of disabled, "having one or more life activity substantially limitted" or the dog doesn't, "individually trained to mitigate the disability" then the dog doesn't belong in public unless they don't meet the definition and are in training. It doesn't matter if your dog's presence makes you able to leave your house, if they are not task trained, they are not a service dog. It is so easy to fix that if that is the case. Simply think of what your dog could physically do to help you managed better when out of the house that you can't do and train them to do those things. It generally doesn't count as an official task if you can do it yourself.

Now access challenges... Many time access challenges are affected by the breed you have and how you carry yourself. If you walk in hessitant and act nervous about having your dog with you then you will likely be challenged. If you walk in confident like every other person as if the dog is not with you, you are likely to have less challenges. German shepherds, golden retrievers, labs, and sometimes std poodles generally don't get as many challenges as they are common breeds used as service dogs, other breeds especially small ones. Small dogs generally get more challenges that larger dogs. If your dog has an accident (should only happen if they are sick), you must clean it up yourself and not expect to leave it for the store to clean. If they damage any merchandise, you must pay for it. They should never beg or grab food off the floor or tables and be glued to your side for the most part when in public.

Pretty soon the ADA definition of a service animal will be changed to exclude dogs used for personal protection and dogs who's sole purpose is to provide emotional support. So better start training those dogs tasks so they qualify when it passes. There was also meantion that it may exclude all other types of animals except dogs and guide horses from being allowed to be service animals.

Please note my response quoting justice was not only directed to justice but to everyone.

Everyone, thanks for all of your help!

The flight was alright. I had a layover, so technically there were two.

I flew United. Ironically, they didn't make me show them my letter from my therapist (which I thought was weird because Delta gate agents are dog Nazis, even when you're a paying customer!).

On the first flight, the crew was a dream. They asked, "who is this??" I thought I was about to be interrogated so I began to pull my letter out. The two of them said, "OH! We believe you, don't worry about it!" So I put the letter back, totally puzzled. My dog was allowed to fly on my lap through the entire flight.

The second flight was a little different... while they still didn't ask for the letter while I was boarding, the flight attendant didn't allow me to hold her on my lap. I had to keep her in the crate under the seat (I know I didn't HAVE to have this, but I brought it just in case). I was sitting in the aisle and everyone was staring. I was feeling embarrassed so instead of explaining (which I had a feeling wouldn't work anyway), I just put her in her bag. The problem was that my dog wasn't incredibly thrilled, since she was on my lap the flight before.

The dog, herself, was a dream. She was very quiet and sat calmly the entire time (while on my lap).

The nerve racking thing is that for some reason, I feel like I "got lucky" and won't enjoy this type of service again. I used to just pay to take her ($175 one-way, to control my emotions!) with me because I couldn't stand to be in that kind of situation without her... Delta gave me such a horrible problem one time. The gate agent stopped me, made a HUGE scene, and embarrassed me to death. It caused me to miss my flight and ended up taking me 24 hours being in airports and on planes to reach my destination. This is especially stressful because I had to keep my dog in her bag for the full 24 hours, with the exception of taking her to the bathroom during layovers. Ever since then, my anxiety about being accepted in public has been worse!! Furthermore, I'm a 26-year-old female with a small dog. People probably look at me and say, "Yeah, right!"

Why must people judge?

You guys, I totally support the law and I greatly respect the rights and needs of all people.

Because the flying thing is so fresh on my mind, I'm going to use it as an example for my question.

In the letter from my therapist, it was required for her to indicate that I "use the dog for emotional support" and I "have a disability."

If, in fact, I must be deemed as one who has a disability, why is my disability not afforded the same rights as people with other disabilities? I realize mine is not visible and not always constant (I am not always having an anxiety attack, while a blind person must constantly have their dog with them), but what is the thought here?

Don't get me wrong, I know there is a difference in training, (a service dog must be individually trained to assist its owner with his/her disability), however, the rules have changed for 2009. The dog no longer needs formal training.

Please don't think I'm asking this question to take advantage. The only time I have ever taken my dog with me in a questionable place was on the airplane, with my documentation... I never try to take her to restaurants or grocery stores, etc. I'm just really curious as to why things are the way they are.

Who has told you that?
I don't know what do you exactly mean by a "formal training", but the ADA never had a requirement for a service dog to be trained by specific institution or program. The individual training was and still is a requirement. The dog must be individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.
There are many excellent websites that explain these issues.

Hi kaemka77. Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Would my cats qualify as "emotional support animals" for the purpose of housing?

I have two cats. They are well trained to use their litter box and scratching posts and do not cause damage.

I am autistic, and the cats allow for "safe", non-stressful social interaction, and I can talk to them without worrying that I'll embarrass somebody, mix up my words, or say something stupid. Since I'm socially isolated, interacting with them really helps. Additionally, when I'm extremely stressed out, petting a cat can help, both because of the comforting texture of the fur and because a cat is heavy and warm when it sits on you.

I don't know, though, that this is any more "emotional support" than the average cat would provide for the average owner. And, while two cats are easier to take care of than one because they keep each other busy, two cats may be harder to explain than one.

The housing problem is because I am on SSI and it is difficult to find an apartment that fits within that price limit. Most in that range do not allow pets. I got lucky with a landlord who changed his mind about the pet policy this time, because he sees I take good care of my cats, but I may not be so fortunate in the future.

What do you think?

Someone has (once again) told those on this forum that a SERVICE dog MUST be trained in SPECIFIC TASKS that enable a person with a disability to function more fully in this world, whether at home or in private. They follow this up by explaining that there could therefore be NO psychiatric service dog unless the dog was needed to fetch your medicines along with a bottle of water or (presumably) to knock you down and restrain you (with his vast body weight if not his jaws) if you, as a psychiatric patient, are in the midst of a paranoid wild-eyed state of ranting and raving. Just joking - and NOT making fun of the mentally ill - I IS ONE!!

There CONTINUES to be a lot of prejudice against those physical brain conditions and illnesses that are considered "mental illnesses" and therefore "all in your head" (ie, if not exactly imaginary, then most certainly a put-on to get attention or to excuse less than "normal" behaviors, emotions, interpersonal functioning) and (sometimes) the ability to be gainfully employed (because of inabilities to move (or restrain movements). With the so-called MENTAL illnesses (and they ARE true legitimate PHYSICAL BRAIN illnesses and/or disorders), the disability is most often related to such things as the inability to cope with others at work or with the structure or lack of structure in the workplace, or to such things as the achieve "normal" goals such as finishing an education or maintaining a stable long-term adult relationship. It even includes the inability to function in "normal" day to day tasks and create and/or maintain a stable and orderly environment, including routine wake/sleep cycles.

My psychiatrist classified my dog as a SERVICE ANIMAL because she enables me do "normal" things like exit my apartment more often than every three weeks (only because I run out of bread & milk, even that stored in the freezer) or being unable to exit the apartment during the daylight hours. And unable to utilize a laundry room, unable to dump trash unless it was in the wee hours of the morning around 4 am. Because my landlady would leave a note on my door that I HAD to empty my mailbox because it would not hold one more thing. Because I could not drive alone more than a short distance from my home and NEVER to the small nearby city without having a disabling panic attack and hysterical crying for fear I would crash if I left on the drive.

The above mental illness governed emotional responses to "normal daily activities" and my dog enabled me to overcome years of home confinement and social isolation. When a dog can make such a severely disabled person achieve activities that nearly 100% of the population consider so normal that they don't consider them as "equal" to being confined to a wheelchair or other visible disabilities.

She is my "furry valium" and one cannot drive a motor vehicle while doped up on valium. She makes it possible for me to be independent. She enabled me to not only get on a series of jets and travel 2500 miles, she enabled me to retrace my steps and MOVE back those 2500 miles --- driving, hauling a trailer, sleeping in truck stops between 18-wheelers, with my small dog elevated in a specially built safety platform on the bucket seat beside me so she could spend her days with a view.

This was a very healthy move for me, one my psychiatrist & therapist had urged me to do (to get away as far away from my toxic abusive family as possible). True, it took me two months to pack up my one-bedroom apartment.... It took me resetting my disconnect/connect utility dates several times (and my very sweet and understanding landlady accepted my repeated notices of anticipated move-out dates). After knowing me for the years I had lived there, she (like my parents) truly thought I would never actually move. I had tried to do so before and finally realized that my terror was so incredible at the thought of moving to someplace where I knew no one that I just gave up on any idea like that at all. I knew I was terrified to the point of actual incapacity to act.

Because I live in a subsidized apartment (a benefit of being on SSI and requiring heavily rent-subsidized housing - since SSI means varying amounts over $600 a month), having my dog means I HAVE to open the door and go out at least twice a day, and she enables me to go shopping as often as I need to or when the specials are too good to pass up. She enables me to periodically pick up my mail at the post office tho she can't solve the problem of getting me to open my mail - tho I am improving over the years when I simply threw the accumulated scattered piles away every few years.

There are TWO KINDS OF LAW (lots of lawyers in my family). There is law that is proposed and approved by the vote of governmental bodies of duly elected representatives of the people. These constitute and fill the books of statutes and codes that line walls of law libraries - this is codified law. Then there is "Case Law" created by some person or group of persons who challenge "the way things are". Case Law, if strong and supported regardless of various legal challenges in the courts, will become codified law. Look at things such as curb cuts, accessible toilets, slanted entries into various public-accessible buildings. Case Law also created the RIGHT of the disabled to fight for equal rights to be considered for employment on an equal basis with the non-disabled. Case Law eventually becomes codified law. "on the books" as they say.

You see, many (but obviously not all) MENTALLY ILL persons have persistant and all-pervasive disabling conditions that keep them from having equal rights of access and opportunity. THOSE conditions and the results of those conditions are FULLY codified as being part and parcel of the LEGAL CRITERIA for "legally disabled under federal law".

So what does a Psychiatric Service Dog need to be trained to do? Unlike a purely emotional support animal who usually is needed for solely for physical calming and easing of emotional lability, a service dog MUST be perfectly behaviorally trained AND also of the perfect temperment to lay quietly in the bottom of a shopping cart, at my feet or in her over-the-shoulder carrier for up to HOURS at a time without fuss or breaking command.

Tempermentally, my dog is about as cuddly as a ceramic dog or a particularly aloof and independent cat - but I do not need and indeed could not emotionally handle a dog who was so bonded to me that she constantly dogged my every step, or had to have frequent petting and interaction. She is a perfect match for my needs and a perfect example of ANY service dog when she is in public "at work". When we are out on her long lead, just out for a walk to enjoy walking, she knows she is not "at work" and runs and bounces, acting just like any other dog, showing absolutely no outward signs of being well-behaved. This, too, is a perfect example of ANY service dog. Dogs need "off duty" time to be emotionally stable and refreshed for again being "on duty".

The long and short of it is this - My dog is allowed into NO PETS federally-subsidized housing (without any "pet deposit" allowed) because she IS a service animal -- and her right to do so has been established thru years of those who OWN rent-subsidized housing fighting this out in court cases with the federal government always winning.

My current small local grocery has asked me to not take her down the produce or meat aisles and to bring a towel or blanket for her to lie upon in the basket, but they have no grounds for banning her. They would have to hire an attorney and fight it out in court. I don't mind the aisle restrictions as I can park her at the end of the aisle where she can see me the entire time. The fact that most people who pass me shopping me never even realize that there is an animal in my cart shows that it is working very well. If she barked, tried to get attention from people, stood up and leaned over the side, then they would no doubt complain, but she would then not be my service animal --- she would have a different owner and I would own a different animal who COULD be trained and who had the needed calm and patient temperment.

She is always welcomed at WalMart (because it is crowded there, she prefers that I bring her soft crate in so she can be hidden in "her cave" and snooze away in padded comfort), at the post office, the city government office, my doctor appointments and (in her padded soft-side crate) into restaurants and, of course, onto planes. Crated, she can ride beside me or beneath the seat on public city transportation.

At the airport, I am placed in the "load first" line with unaccompanied children and those in wheelchairs or needing an assistant. If it is available, I can have a bulkhead seat and even on the SAME airline (Southwest Airlines), she may be (or may not be) allowed out of her crate to sleep stretched out at my feet or curled up on my lap. It all depends upon the head steward - but usually she is the spoiled darling of the attendants. The bulkhead seat means she can watch me go into and come out of the restroom, so she doesn't freak out at "my losing her and her losing me".

The lesson is for you and your therapist/psychiatrist to evaluate your own conditions to evaluate whether you qualify for a service dog. Next is to evaluate your present dog or the adult dog you intend to adopt for their fitness for perfect "in public" behavior as well as their temperment for what comes with the territory. Additionally, they must be dogs who will NEVER EVER bite someone. I do not let children near her when she is on duty (as I educate them and their parents) and I dissuade adults from fawning over her, explaining that she is at work and could become "untrained" from the behaviors she needs to exhibit when on duty.

Most small companion lap dogs are WAY too small for the Service Dog vests freely offered for sale online to ANYONE with a credit card with no proof of a qualified animal on the receiving end of the shipment, and special collars and tags can be totally undetectable under long furry coats, but there ARE leashes with various messages printed on them. Whenever you are encountering a new situation, it is best to carry the printed out federal law defining the nature of protected "disability", a bundle of case law, and the letter from your psychiatrist (an M.D. carries more weight than from a therapist). Crossing borders and boarding planes, have the actual paperwork from the rabies vaccination and a fairly current statement of the health of the animal.

As anyone can tell up to this point, golden retrievers and labs (never mind the scores of breeds larger than toys) are NOT good psychiatric SERVICE animals as walking a dog down a grocery aisle with the leash between you and a casually strolling animal is a potential actual hazard - and the chances for a passing person to act inappropriately and get growled or snapped at --- well, it just don't work. Plus, city buses can restrict you to a single 2-wheeled shopping cart or two shopping carry-totes, so any dog MUST be crated and able to be stowed under your seat. This disgruntles many men who want their pet to be able to go anywhere with them on leash.

A psychiatric service dog should only be prescribed when it is a NECESSITY rather than an option, therefore it is the burden on the patient to choose only an appropriately trained animal to fulfill the role. This is the only way to gain the recognition of the range of psychiatric disability and thus the acceptance by the public.

An aside. While it is NOT necessary for your psychiatrist to name your illness or even the reasons the SERVICE animal is needed, but I am a strong proponent of putting and keeping mental illness in the public's face on a continuing and strongly demonstrated basis. I have no problem with telling people that I have severe cumulative post traumatic syndrome and bipolar disorder (ie, manic-depressive disorder), and explaining to the shocked, outraged or the merely curious that she is "my furry valium". I often, for the disbelieving or totally clueless, enumerate, in detail, the nature of my qualifying symptoms and explain how my service dog has changed my life.

I hope this helps give valid support and helpful advice to those who ARE in legitimate need of a service animal regardless of the fact that there are always those who will assert that the mentally ill never need anything more than an emotional support animal and that the nature of their disabilities could never approach the level of their actually NEEDING an animal to allow them rights guaranteed to the disabled under federal law.

Keep your chin up, be strong and persistant, and CHOOSE THE RIGHT DOG, no matter how much you love that cute puppy or wish it could be your current dog or your favorite breed.

Theresa
OneMoreTime

[QUOTE=OneMoreTime;495899]Someone has (once again) told those on this forum that a SERVICE dog MUST be trained in SPECIFIC TASKS that enable a person with a disability to function more fully in this world, whether at home or in private. They follow this up by explaining that there could therefore be NO psychiatric service dog unless the dog was needed to fetch your medicines along with a bottle of water or (presumably) to knock you down and restrain you (with his vast body weight if not his jaws) if you, as a psychiatric patient, are in the midst of a paranoid wild-eyed state of ranting and raving. Just joking - and NOT making fun of the mentally ill - I IS ONE!!

According to Federal Law, the ADA, a Service Dog, no matter what type MUST be individually trained to perform tasks to mitigate the disability of the handler, no matter what type of service dog it is, including PSDs. A dog that is not task trained is a ESA and is not allowed in public places. This is FEDERAL LAW and not open to debate.

Directly from the ADA website:

A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.

Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. Guide dogs are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include:

_ Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds.

_ Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.

_ Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance.




Now, as to what dogs can do as PSDs: I suggest that you visit **.

They have a list of tasks for PSDs.

PLEASE STOP saying that PSDs do not have to be task trained. That is simply NOT true and by guising a ESA as a PSD, you are breaking the law!