Your Pet Might Have Rights If You Have Diagnosed Ptsd

[njray]

Ok here is some points to ponder..... Oh by the way as my disclaimer I am a fan of the HOUNDS!

According to IRS Publication 17, "Guide dogs or other animals aiding the blind, deaf, and disabled" qualify as a medical expense.

In my state there is no test or certification to say what a service dog is or is not per se although you might have to follow some rules such as having the dog wear a device that indicates it is a service dog that is predominately displayed on the dog. Your dog might have to be on a leash and your pet might have to be "controlled" in other words cannot be jumping around the restaurant bothering other patrons................If this is the case where you live and you have a pet that offers you great comfort and releives some of your your symptoms to your documented disability then in my opinion you qualify ok your pet qualifies you not only for the tax benefits and deductions as listed in PUblication 17 but you might qualify or your service animal i should say might not be able to be descriminated against. Lets say if you were looking for an apartment or going to a store shopping, your service pet should be allowed the same rights as any disabled person that has a pet under the AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT.(Ex. Blind person with seeing eye dog)

If i was in college in a dorm and going to class was a challenge but the pet alleviated specific symptoms to your disability and removed barriers as to allow you to equalled access to a quality education well in my book guess what that chinchilla is staying in my dorm room and going to class with me.....

Now I would probably make sure not only did i have a diagnosed disability from that of a Lic professional I might have some kind of documentation indicating that say a therapist acknowledges that having the pet does in fact aid in the alleviation of your symptoms and the pet aids in your normal day to day functions...

There are many gray areas with pets when it comes to the ADA But i can tell you from my personal interactions with the USA IRS they are very understanding of the needs for pets as service/guide animals...... And all the legitimate deductiions that go along with them in filing your taxes.There may be other deductions/benefits relating to your pet and its needs as well as yours under the ADA check the IRS construction deductions and the deductions your state tax office may allow via the internet .....

Now please I beg of you not to abuse a system that is really set up to aid those that need it in the name of humanity....But if I had a home and my dog needed a fenced area and dog house to conform to local pet ordinances guess what there are liberal deductions for construction of devices that allow for ADA type accommodations and I am using them!

Even the cost of purchase of the pet as a medical device might be covered?

Just throwing this stuff out there as I know that pets that I am around do in fact alleviate my symptoms and afford me the mobility I would other wise lack if not for them...

Lastly I am not a CPA by any stretch but most of us on disability need all the help we can get and if this affords help or assistance to those disabled by all means guess what you should with out any guilt what so ever use them as they are intended..If you have any doubt call the IRS or again your states disability office and explain your plight again if you have a disability that is recognized as such and you have a professionals "note" saying the animal is needed to afford you the same rights as other disabled under the ADA then go for it......

 

[MurphyJB]

I think that it's awesome when people find something that works for them.
I have a few questions/ statements about therapy animals in general.

1. I get that they help, but I am TERRIFIED of dogs. If someone walked into a classroom with one I would probably leave class. There is one dog I can tolerate, and even she scares me sometimes. So how is that fair to me?

2. I'm not allergic, but the rest of my family has severe allergies to pretty much anything with fur...how does that work in say. A restaurant?

 

[Dee Morris]

Excellent point MurphyJB.

I love my dog. In many ways she does provide a level of comfort. However, IMO the difference between a service animal aiding someone with a physical disability & providing emotional comfort are two very different jobs. A person with the physical disability needs the dog with them 24/7. Otherwise, it just becomes someone that wants to take there dog with them every where they go. There are other coping skills available to us. The dog is just one of many. My experience has been that I have to force myself to find the coping skills that work best for each individual trigger. If I rely too heavily on one thing (my dog, for example) I find my ability to learn necessary coping skills hindered.

BTW, I am allergic to dogs. I choose a regiment of allergy meds, bathing my dog frequently, brushing her etc to minimize the symptoms. I don't think it's my right to impose my dog on others who have pet allergies & choose to remain pet free. She would be nice to have with me but she is not a functional necessity.

 

[njray]

Great points Dee and Murphy........ While I was in a group trauma therapy a sufferer brought this topic up about dogs because he was an agent for the IRS and talked about how he used to do on site investigations and someone claimed some deduction reguarding a service dog for a blind person....... Well he investigated and the criteria that was needed to substantiate the claim was meant so the appeal was satisfied ...Hence six months later while he was doing an investigation a dog attacked him and ripped half his arm off and leg....... long story short that is how he ended up in our group....... He was a dog lover IMHO and felt that for those that suffered like him and gained comfort in a service dog that was prescribed and suggested by his T he should be afforded all the rights there of as established by law....... I thought it was to say "different" the way he felt especially seeing first hand the physical trauma and being privey to the mental aguishes he suffered. But i was just as much in awe of how he spoke about his service dog and how it helped him in all aspects of his life I could not bare to argue his point in good conscious......

That said I am sure there are those that are not comfortable with that of a person bringing service animals into certain places for whatever reason they are needed....... For those persons I do not have the answer...When i go to restaurants and there are disruptive or very ill behaved children at an adjacent table I will ask the hostess to address the table, have them moved, have myself be moved to another area or I will leave the establishment. To afford those same accommodations and courtesies to someone that is disabled I think is appropriate.

 

[Kintsugi]

I have no idea whether or not I am seriously interested in making my dog a service dog for this reason

IMO the difference between a service animal aiding someone with a physical disability & providing emotional comfort are two very different jobs.

I'm not sure if I'd want Annie to constantly feel On Duty.

However, she really does help me get around and function normally since she provides me with confidence, calm, and company. I am not worried as much about my safety or emotional safety when I have her, because no one else matters quite as much as she does. Yet I'm having a hard time figuring out if this is just me wanting to bring her everywhere with me as a crutch or not. Maybe crutch is just a stigmatized word?

I've read extensively about service dogs for PTSD and what they do. I don't need Annie to alert me about things like changes in my brain or help me recover from a fall, etc. I just want her with me because of my hypervigilance and social anxiety and stuff like that. It's mostly about fear and stress. She helps me with those things, but does that make it right for me to make her a PTSD service dog, or is that just selfishness and insecurity?

I'm not sure. I probably will not certify her, though I would really like to. She already has been coming to classes and work with me because she is just such a good dog. Besides, can a service dogs sleep 18 hours a day? :D

 

[njray]

Great point ....... I would not want anyone to take advantage for the wrong reasons But for some a service animal is like that of a cane for a blind person.............

 

[Kintsugi]

When i go to restaurants and there are disruptive or very ill behaved children at an adjacent table I will ask the hostess to address the table, have them moved, have myself be moved to another area or I will leave the establishment. To afford those same accommodations and courtesies to someone that is disabled I think is appropriate.

A very good friend of mine has PTSD. She is terrified of children. No one will ever be able to stave off every possible anxiety from happening in a place they are trying to function. Dogs, kids, chinchillas, whatever.

 

[njray]

I wonder ...I have to ask Anthony how they handle issues with service kangaroos in glass shops

 

[Kintsugi]

Service koala bears! O.O

 

[MurphyJB]

A very good friend of mine has PTSD. She is terrified of children. No one will ever be able to stave off every possible anxiety from happening in a place they are trying to function. Dogs, kids, chinchillas, whatever.

My main issue with this... Say someone with PTSD walks into my class with a dog. I have to either sit through that class, or risk an unexcused absence for leave. I choose to stay, and am battling anxiety the whole time...so much so that I learn nothing and would have been better off leaving. Do I get to bring my friend with me to class so she can hold my hand and calm me down? Probably not.

 

[MurphyJB]

Ummm....MissAntiSunshine, I somehow quoted your post on accident.
Posting from my phone is a pain. Sorry!

 

[njray]

Muprhy I so really get your jist......... may i ask if you have ever run across a service dog in an environment that made you feel uncomfortable.......