Experience w/ service dogs?

[bug]

Hi everyone. I've been having a pretty hard time lately symptom-wise: lots of flashbacks, panic attacks, dissociation, suicidal ideation etc. I'm working now with my team to stay in school and stop drinking/SH-ing and other destructive behaviors, but I'm leaving for college in the fall--and I'm terrified.

Right now I'm working on a string of sexual traumas, and the college I'm attending is third in the nation for highest number of sexual assaults. I know it probably doesn't say anything about whether or not I'll be assaulted, but I'm still so scared of going. I stayed on campus recently for admitted students day and spent almost the entire time sitting in a corner with my knife trying to ward off a panic attack. I still have trouble in crowds and walking down the street because I worry about the people behind me I can't see.

A friend suggested I apply for a service dog to bring with me to college, so I feel more protected (and to help with flashbacks/panic attacks). I have contacted an agency near me to confirm my eligibility despite never having served in the military, and they said I would be, as long as I have a PTSD diagnosis (which I do).

So this is what I'm wondering: have any of you had a service dog for PTSD? What was your experience like? Would you recommend one for someone in my situation? The college I'm going to is really accommodating about people with service animals.

I really hope I'm not coming across victim-y--let me know if I am!

 

[Sideways]

I can't offer much advice because I don't have one, but I'm currently going through the same process as you for some of the same sorts of issues. I don't see it as "victimy" at all - quite the contrary. I'm doing it as a way to reclaim my independence and improve my quality of life. So far everyone I've spoken to about the idea has been crazy supportive.

One way to look at it: if you were blind and dependant on a cane and decided to apply for a guide dog so you could live a fuller life and do more of the things you wanted to do independently, would that be victimy or liberating? Same goes.

Love the idea, and I hope it works out for you:)

 

[Friday]

I would recommend a service dog to most people with PTSD. :) Dogs of any kind (companion, ESA, SD) are amazing IMO, and can have a huge impact on symptoms. It's actually mind boggling to me how much of an impact. My only caveats would be whether or not you actually like dogs, and if you felt you were in a place where you could care for them.

I don't have a dog at present, service or otherwise, but many members here do... So I'll leave the rest to them:)

Very much agree with @Ragdoll Circus regarding victimy v liberating.

Spoiler: In order to not derail

the college I'm attending is third in the nation for highest number of sexual assaults

Don't want to derail your thread about dogs... But one thing to know about Academia? ((It's pretty much the worst kept secret in academia, so you may already know it.)) Is that this is actually good news!!!. Because it means that the school actually a) encourages reporting by victims and witnesses b) doesn't try to sweep sexual assault under the rug c) works with local police & d) reports honestly. There is a huge cultural thing in American universities of attemptin to hide '& lower their sexual assault stats by "handling in house", so that no official reports are ever made (with police), and the vast majority of those "cases" are dismissed / found to "not" be sexual assault (even with overwhelming physical evidence; we're talking both filmed rapes and positive blood tests for date-rape drugs... As well as straight up confessions of rape. It's an infuriating shame how most universities handle sexual assault) . :banghead: :mad: it sounds like yours isn't one if those, though! Which is very, very encouraging.

I've read more than a few studies which have found sexual assault numbers on campuses across America to be roughly similar. The variance? Is predominantly created by the universities not standing up for the victims, in fact going out of their way to revictimize, in trying to hide their actual numbers to attract students.

So if your school is in one of the top tiers? <grin> Know that's because they actually have a history of standing up for victims... Rather than being more dangerous.

 

[Justmehere]

I have trained service dogs for others and I have trained one for myself.

My own service dog has change my life radically for the better.

It is a lifestyle shift, but it was very worth it for me. Since having her, I'm able to do much more with her and without her too. It's been empowering.

If you can get a dog that is already trained, I would seriously recommend considering applying. (If you are thinking of training your own dog, I would actually not recommend doing this while also starting college. The first phase of training is highly labor intensive.)

My service dog is especially helpful for crowds, public transit, and traveling. She does help me feel more protected. Plus, I have also be able to build up a lot more positive experiences about being in public by having her, and it's actually helped me better evaluate what situations are safer and what situations are not.

I had one particular experience with my dog recently... I was walking down the street and my normally very calm dog suddenly was vey alert and stood behind me. She would not move to any other side. She insisted on being behind me. She started to break her wal and pull me into the street. I have had my dog long enough that I trusted her instinct and crossed the street. As soon as we made it to the other side, a guy came running down the street, had another guy chasing him, and they were fighting and moments later the police came down the street too to break up the fight. I was in the most safe njeghborood around, I had no reason to be concerned about my safety, but my dog could tell there was a reason to get out of the way.

Without my dog, this experience could have stirred up a lot more PTSD symptoms for me. I don't think I would have been hurt as the men were interested only in each other, but this would have still been triggering to see. With the dog, I was actually empowered. I felt like wow, ok, even when crazy shit happens, I can be more safe in the world now.

There has been the opposite experience too. There are many situations where I feel nervous and I will look down at my dog and see her bored sleepy self, and it helps me know that ok, I'm probably safe.

It also helps in the practical sense that if there is a perp around, they look for people who are easier to harm. Person with a service dog tends to be someone they avoid. Not always the case...

I did once have a drunk guy try to kick my dog. He was so high and drunk it was almost funny. I did however still yell for help, and instead of people ignoring the situation as is typical, people stepped up and got in his way. He was arrested for felony animal abuse just for attempting to kick the dog. He also was changed with attempted misdemeanor assault on me. It was kinda interesting. People have strong feelings about animals... A service dog for some reason motivates other people want to make sure I'm not messed with.

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of people will ask what disability the dog accommodated. I have learned to say to many people "a verified disability that I prefer to keep between my doctor and I" or "a disability that I prefer to keep private, but thanks for asking." (Rather than assuming.) Some people with PTSD service dogs are much more ok with letting people know it's for PTSD and I think that's great, but for me, it brought too much attention to me as a victim of trauma. This is just how it worked for me.

I don't think you are acting "victim-y" at all - though I can relate though to not wanting to seem lke a victim. For me, it got too weird to say it's a PTSD service dog with most people except my closest friends. Stating the above phrase (or versions of it) has been much easier.

Some other things to consider:

Life with a service dog is a little more work than a pet dog and it is a lifestyle shift. It is so worth it for me though, as it drastically decreased the work I put into managing PTSD. My therapy alone is so much more effective. I went from getting nervous walking out my front door to being able to participate in public speaking events and navigate large crowds without panic.

Having good options for the dog's boarding and care in case of medical, personal, or other emergencies is important. This is a good thing to talk to the service dog agency about. They will be able to give you great info about what you should look to have in place for this.

It would also be good to talk to disabled student services (or their equivalent) at the school and see what paperwork may be needed in advance, especially if living on campus.

Also talk to the service dog agency about any initial or on-going training requirements, time that the process takes, etc.

Also look into the costs of pet health insurance. I would not recommend for or again this for a pet dog. I have found it personally easier to feel like I could risk relying on my dog when I knew that whatever happens, I can afford to get my dog any medical care she would need. (For $30 a month my dog seriously has much better health insurance than me!) Plan for normal care and feeding costs in advance, and the transition to life with a service dog will be all the easier and helpful.

If you have any more questions or anything, please feel free to ask me anytime! I'll try to answer as best I can as a former trainer of service dogs for others and now someone with one of my own. :)

 

[Deleted member 28740]

I highly recommend an Assistance Dog for working with PTSD symptoms. A protective, deterrent dog is a completely different choice of dog for a different purpose, and is generally mutually exclusive to SD training. To be in public with you, the dog must be completely obedient, comfortable and easy going in all environments you bring them to. Training and certification is based on that obedience and calmness. A dog with a strong protective drive could cause untold harm if misreading a situation, or uncontrollable when working off your fear energy, or act on their own fear issues.

Mine has however altered me, based mostly on hearing to potential and real violence - approaching high speed car chase, and a drive by shooting. Neither were one on one, or people oriented vigilance. I trust her around people, and some she does not like so much, but never in a potentially aggressive manner. Let's get out of Dodge, dragging me out of harms way for the other horrors.

From Link Removed

Why shouldn't an Assistance Dog Be Protective? An Assistance Dogs job is to make a disabled individual more able, not to protect them. The dog’s presence is a natural deterrent. Because disabled people take their Assistance Dogs into public places and many are not able to physically restrain their dogs, the Assistance Dog must be safe for the public. Many dogs, especially working breeds, will sense their owner’s disability and their vulnerability. These dogs can learn on their own to protect at inappropriate times. This can be compounded by an individual who doesn’t recognize that they are unconsciously encouraging this behavior.

How long does it take to train a Service Dog? There is no exact set time for training an adult service dog once they have completed their early socialization, but service dog programs will have very clear training plans for every dog. In general, adult dogs will undergo specific training (obedience, task work etc) for 1-2 hours a day for a period of around 6 months before they are matched with their future owner.

 

[ShodokanJenn]

I've never had a service dog of my own. But a good friend of mine, who works as a 911 dispatcher, trains service dogs for people with PTSD. Her newest dog has really picked things up fast, and definitely alerts on me when I am starting to slip into a flashback or dissociation. He crawls right up in my lap if I'm sitting down, or jumps up and hugs me if I'm standing up. He's a big dog, too. If I didn't have my cats here at home, I would want a service dog for sure. They can make such a real, tangible difference in the life of someone with PTSD. If it's something that appeals to you, I'd definitely recommend it. The wait to get one can be pretty long, but it's worth it for the right dog.

 

[bug]

I can't offer much advice because I don't have one...

Thank you for sharing a bit of what you're going through! :) I really think I should learn to view it as liberating and allowing me as opposed to attention-seeking or victimy in any way. I hope all goes well for you, and please feel free to message me any time! :hug:

I would recommend a service dog to most people with PTSD. :) Dogs of any kind (companion, ESA, SD) are amazing IMO, and can have a huge impact on symptoms...

This is so encouraging! I do like dogs, though I've never had one, which makes me wonder: would I be too inexperienced with dogs to handle the additional work of a service animal? I plan on receiving a dog trained by an agency, so I wouldn't have to train it myself. Right now, I think I would be able to handle caring for an animal on top of caring for myself--but at the same time, I don't want to get ahead of myself, because I could feel totally different in the fall. I've already lived away from home for a couple years, though, so I doubt moving would make anything PTSD-related more difficult. :happy: And I'm SO relieved about the college sexual assault stats/reports you mentioned! It definitely seems like the type of school that would want to honestly report assaults, rather than try to cover them up. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!

I have trained service dogs for others and I have trained one for myself.

My own service dog has change my life radically for the better...

I am SO glad to hear this! :joyful: I would only plan on getting a service dog if I could receive (buy) one from an agency. The one I emailed deals mainly with veterans, and training rescue dogs to help them navigate life with PTSD after the military. I would love to feel safer on public transport--I take the subway everyday because I can't drive--and in crowds, so your experience seems really encouraging. Hmmm, I think I would take "what is the dog for?" questions on a case-by-case basis. I spent two years in residential, so I'm fairly used to probing questions about mental illness/treatment/therapy etc. But I also am more ashamed about my PTSD diagnosis than anything else, so it might be difficult for me. Hopefully having the service dog allows me the opportunity to practice talking about my trauma without shaming myself in the process (when appropriate, of course).

My dog would definitely have health insurance--but all of its expenses would have to be paid for by my parents. Luckily, the service dog itself is on the "cheaper" side--only 3-5k, as opposed to other agencies who offer dogs for 50k! But having the animal at all would require my parent's help. And because my dad was the first person in my life to assault me (physically, not sexually), I would rather not have to be financially dependent on them. But I may have to be, for the time being. Sigh. :tdown: Thank you, though, for all your advice and kind words. You seem very informed, and I appreciate such a detailed answer! :hug:

I highly recommend an Assistance Dog for working with PTSD symptoms..

Thank you for clarifying! I guess I meant I would feel protected by simply having an animal on alert "for me". I wouldn't want your typical "aggressive" dog anyway, I might be scared of it myself! :laugh: If the animal could cue me when someone is following me, wake me up from nightmares, or lick me/sit on me when dissociating or panicking, I would feel much more protected than I do now. I'm glad your dog is able to do those things for you! It's exactly the kind of assistance I'm looking for to better navigate life as 'normally' as possible. Thank you!

I've never had a service dog of my own. But a good friend of mine, who works as a 911 dispatcher, trains service dogs for people with PTSD...

How long is the wait usually, do you know? It's so good to hear you've had such a positive experience, even if you haven't had a service dog yourself! With my treatment team so far away when I'm in college, and most of my classmates not knowing my history, it would definitely be wonderful to have a dog by my side to look out for me! :inlove: Thank you for being so encouraging! You have all made this seem like a doable thing for me--if I can get my parents on board, of course. :/

 

[Sideways]

Wow, that's so confusing me because it sounds like Aust & US are doing the whole switcheroo thing with the names because here, my Service Dog has to be non-aggresive.

But I like that. I like the idea of a dog teaching me I can feel safe without resorting to aggression. I've had to train aggresive dogs in the past, and I actually found it really stressful because you know how much damage they can do on the flick of a switch. Eek! Don't need that!

 

[Justmehere]

@bug - I am familiar with a number of the service dog organizations that work with veterans in the US. Rescue dogs that pass the rigorous screening and training to become service dogs seem to be better suited for PTSD work than other groups that use a breeders (which are actually probably better for guide dog work.) But for PTSD dogs, the good solid groups that use rescue dogs do an awesome job testing those dogs for everything that could come their way, and they so generally very solid dogs. They also seem to have fewer health problems.

A note about the price:

Some do a great job keeping the prices to the disabled person as low as possible. If they are doing it right, it actually does cost about $25 grand for even the best non-profits to train each service dog. It is a huge price, but it's actually not over-priced at $25 grand - that's how trained and reliable these dogs are. (I've even had people come up and offer to buy my dog from me for tremendous amounts.) Some organizations do great work with fundraising because so many people know what a great tool it is and want to help survivors find freedom. Some groups with a low cost are a bad idea and they skip on important steps. Talk to the group you are considering and compare the amount of hours of training from group to group. The last thing you want is to find out in the middle of the semester that your dog was cheaper because it was a service dog group that didn't teach the dog not to fear something like bicycles or something like that and run into a problem.

If your group is a for profit group, that means they do not accept donations and they should actually charge you well more than 5 grand. Stay away from those groups. If your group is a non-profit, then you are more likely to not have skipped steps but raised funds to make up the difference in cost to you.

Research as much as you can about the organization you want to apply to. Some sketchy groups have popped up in recent years, and their dogs would be ok to risk for mobility work, but not PTSD work. There have been problems with some groups.

Wait lists can vary drastically per organization. I know of some that have wait lists of years, and others that have no wait list but are very specific who they accept. Even if you are wait listed, don't give up hope. Things change with dogs and people and you could come up on the list quicker. It could also take longer than expected. If it doesn't work out for this fall semester, it might work out for the spring.

Talk to the organization you are interested in as much as possible. The ones that use rescue dogs tend to try to match each dog that is the best fit for each person and train the dog to that specific person more than other groups. If you have more questions about what it would be like with a service dog, some groups will let a prospective applicant someone come and work with one of their more trained dogs and they can show you a bit what the dog can do and they can talk with you about the limits of the training as well. That can vary from group to group too.

If the wait list is too long, an emotional support animal might be worth considering. They can't go with you to class, but they could live with you even in no-pet housing. An ESA dog may provide some ways to de-stress or distract from self injury, and this might help reduce some of the load in your stress cup and might still help symptoms overall.

It would stink to be tied to your parents to be able to afford the dog, but it's good to be thinking it through.

Most of all, if possible, develop a dialogue with the organization you want to apply for. They more you know them, and the more they get to know you and what you are looking for, the better the possible outcomes.

One last resource - one of the better PTSD service dog blogs I have come across (and I have no personal link to them) is: http://www.surfdogricochet.com/my-blog-ricochet-speaks/so-you-want-a-ptsd-service-dog. The author answers a lot of common questions there.

 

[mary1979]

My friends son is severely autistic and she suffers anxiety and depression.

A few years ago she got a Labrador, just a pet he isn't trained specifically in anything. Actually he's almost totally untrained as my friend is no good with discipline at all.

But the pup has instinctively picked up their weaknesses and compensates.
He's become the man of the house on his own.

If her son escapes (a frequent occurrence now he is old enough to master pretty much any lock) the dog accompanies him and keeps him safe til help arrives, herding him from roads and growling at strangers who approach (not so helpful at those times said stranger is trying to return James home lol)

If her son melts down the dog knows how to comfort him.
More than once the dog has removed harmful items that James has gotten hold of.

He's their protector and guide, and does a damned good job without any training at all.

I would recommend a service dog to anyone.
If denz was trained properly I cant even imagine what else he'd be capable of doing for them.

 

[Deleted member 28740]

@Justmehere Great site, and information. :tup::tup:

One last resource - one of the better PTSD service dog blogs I have come across (