Has anyone ever had a service dog?

[Happy Head]

I've been looking into seeing if I qualified for a service dog and I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with them? I'm specificially speaking about trained psychological service dogs - I have pets but was curious to see if there is much difference between a regular trained dog vs. one specifically trained for psychological disorders.

 

[shadowchaser]

Well a physical needs service animal is for mostly mobility. A psychological service animal is a whole different animal. There are many resources on the net. I work with an organization that trains service animals and does alot with ptsd sufferers. I have service dogs myself for my challenges and have seen wonderful changes with different clients. Mine deal mostly with recognizing my black outs. The little one can actually warn me ahead of time when I'm going to have one and the big girl keeps me from hurting myself when I'm stuck in one. They have gave me back so much independence. They also make it so I'm less stressed out in public by giving me something to focus on other than my symptoms.

 

[Kintsugi]

Yes, as I understand it, PTSD service dogs are actually trained to sense a rise in serious symptoms and help warn you of their onset/help you through the process.