Getting A Service Dog.

[siniang]

I second the “get yourself a puppy” suggestion.

Worry about your depression, first, and the sheer companionship of an animal can do wonders.

Worry about training for the very specific tasks, later. There will be options.

And you had dogs before. You can do it :)

 

[Sideways]

Worry about training for the very specific tasks, later.

This bit.

A good vet clinic will run puppy pre-schools, which will show you how to get pup to focus, sit, stay, drop and come. From 6 months, pups are fully immunised and usually welcome at your nearest obedience club. Those clubs are usually very cheap to attend (I think our local has a $20 annual membership and a $2 fee per class, which is about standard), and that will get you an obedient, easy to train pup ready for harder tasks and PAT testing preparation with very little outlay in training costs.

It's at that point you'd engage with your preferred AD organisation. If you've selected a working breed, they'll train pretty easily (labs - there's a reason they use them everywhere, for everything!), and if you choose a breed bred for good temperament (again, labs - prefer a lab to a golden retriever in your situation since Goldies get much bigger than gold and black labs, brown labs can get very big) and keep it socialised, you'll likely have no serious issues come up.

Your preferred AD organisation may be able to suggest a good breeder. Certainly ours has a few breeders we commonly recommend, one of which is producing some really brilliant labradoodles (which can be a disaster if you get one from a breeder that doesn't know what they're doing), which are slightly smaller than a golden lab, but super friendly and wired to love working hard for their handler.

A puppy in the house is a complete game changer. You noticed that even with the short time you had Boz, so maybe don't get too hung up on teaching the special skill sets at this point. The single biggest issue is to help your mood, and put a smile on your face when you wake up every morning. Which doesn't take any obedience training at all! So anything the dog can be trained for on top of that? Is bonus.

 

[blackemerald1]

The special skills help me to live independently and for years to come.
I need those skills badly right now.
I mean right now they make the difference between staying awake all night to look at my phone to get bushfire alerts etc.

I'll wait for the organization that is making decisions to meet in January if indeed they now still will given what has been happening all around me.

I cannot leave my home right now and go anywhere. The roads I need to travel on are roadblocked. It's too risky to go anywhere.

 

[Sideways]

Hoping for an end to the fires soon for you. They can't burn forever:hug:

ETA the hug emoji comes with smiling faces...in this case, not so much the happiness part, just wanting you to know that we're thinking of you and here to listen when you need to connect or vent or whatever.

 

[bellbird]

I really really like the idea of a puppy if going through another agency -soon- isn't possible.

I've been thinking about you often, b. I'm sorry I don't have anything overly useful to add, but I just wanted to remind you that you've got a big crew here supporting you.

Sending you all my support from across the ditch.

 

[blackemerald1]

I spoke to management yesterday. I tried to tell her that I needed to know what is going on. I didn't do a very good job of it unfortunately. I didn't know what to say.

They are meeting on Thursday evening and though she doesn't know if any correspondence has been received by the other arm of the organization responsible for dogs - she will raise it. I'll wait until then and see if they know anything. Maybe she will contact me.

I hate feeling this helpless and worse not knowing what they are doing. I will be devastated if I'm placed at the bottom of the list again. I don't think that would be fair. But I know if I want fair I should find a circus.

 

[Sideways]

I hate feeling this helpless and worse not knowing what they are doing.

This part really upsets me. Definitely wait and see what comes of the meeting on Thursday. But...

One of the ladies who frequents my trauma group said something at the end of last year which was significant enough that I still remember it.

She was talking about climate change stress and her sense of powerlessness that news about the climate causes, and that powerlessness triggers her trauma issues, and feeds the hopelessness that brings on depression.

She went on to say that she's introduced a range of things that she now does to make the small difference that she is capable of. Not in the hope of fixing the climate issue, just simply to restore her sense of agency - essentially fixing the issue of powerlessness, hopelessness and depression, by deciding "Well, maybe this problem is bigger than I can solve, but at least I can take control of these bits...".

That's where I think the potential alternative of training your own dog comes in a little as something to keep on the back burner. Is it completely new and going to be scary and probably include a few fk ups along the way? Sure is.

But, idk, potentially regaining that sense of agency, which this AD organisation has had over you for so long now - maybe that would be helpful?

 

[blackemerald1]

I've followed up to find out what was discussed at the meeting last night re dog.

I waited all day for a phone call. Stupid me... that's a day I'll never get back. :banghead:

The lady I spoke to told me that they've all decided not to meet till late in January. She was critical of me 'worrying about a dog while half the State is burning'. She told me to 'not worry about it' etc - Do you get the tone? I nearly smashed my phone on the floor because I think this.

When I got injured, when I sustained the trauma that rendered me totally incapable of ever returning to my calling, my job, the thing I worked hardest for and gave my absolute best for, over and over again till I was really friggin broken - nobody stopped the world for me. Nobody much came to my aid except bunging me in a hospital and telling me to 'forget about it'. Nobody. No.. everyone still went off to work, hugged their families, lived and laughed and loved their normal lives. No, for me, everyone backed away and I know they were glad it didn't happen to them, that it did happen to me therefore they didn't have to deal with it, I did. Everyone expected the same level of services blah blah...

But now all of these years later, apparently it's still no and how dare you ask.

Sure there is an emergency going on but I know for a fact that people in the cities and most towns that are definitely not fire effected have no excuse to not go to work or go about their daily stuff. Nobody gets to stay home and crawl up in a ball and say I'm not playing till the bushfire emergency is over.. No!

I don't get to suspend my ptsd and my disability.

The dog training centre is not burnt down or affected by fire.

So am I being too sensitive or inappropriate asking for there me to receive some kind of communication telling me what the plan is... if there is a plan?

Whew!! I'm frustrated with this.

I've spoken to my psydoc about applying to the ndis to get approval for funding for a dog/puppy. He is completely and totally supportive and will write the appropriate reports for me.

Next step is my gp who unfortunately is away till mid Feb. But I may be able to email her and get her to do something before then.,,maybe.

In the meantime I'm going to email another of my medical specialists and obtain a updated medical report regarding my disability.

I'm going to download the forms and start filling them in.

I will need a professional to help select the right kind of puppy and test his/her temperament.
Then I will need support and assistance to make sure I don't create problems down the track. So again, a good trainer, puppy club and onwards,
Then I will need assistance to train the dog to help my with my disability - that will take two people.
Then there are all of the qualifications the dog will need to pass which apparently cost too. And the yearly re-testing.
All of this will cost a lot of money hence my need of the ndis.

Just in case I have to wait another two years or so to hear from the other mob..

 

[siniang]

Look at you! While I feel really sorry about their attitude and the hurt it caused and all the things you struggle with... I really like seeing having this pushed you into activism! Frustration and anger can do wonders ;) and I love that you already have support! Keeping my fingers crossed for NDIS

You previously said you desperately need a dog now to help with your disabilities, but really... whether you have to wait for who knows how long with that organization or get yourself a puppy that’ll at least put a smile on your face while it’s being trained for the very specific tasks you need... I certainly know what I’d try to nudge you towards to :)

(And really, from what you’ve reported with that organization...in your last post as well as previously... I wouldn’t hold my breath and I’ve really grown a disliking, even if you’d end up getting another dog from them, somehow it probably will always have some aftertaste...)

 

[bellbird]

She was critical of me 'worrying about a dog while half the State is burning'. She told me to 'not worry about it' etc

Oh ffs, that makes me so angry for you!!

I've spoken to my psydoc about applying to the ndis to get approval for funding for a dog/puppy. He is completely and totally supportive and will write the appropriate reports for me.

Awesome stuff :)

 

[Freida]

What a beotch!!!!! I'm so sorry :(

But excited your doc is going to help. I really liked getting the chance to raise SD as he was trained because I got to have puppy fun along the way

 

[windsoar]

I train service dogs. You are in for an awesome change in your life. Congratulations for persisting.