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Service dogs alert to ptsd

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I am surprised this thread has popped up again, but very glad it did.

I was in a Wal-Mart Super Store a few weeks ago and saw a woman with small dog,
I think it was a chihuahua. Freaked me out, it was just sitting in the child seat looking around.

I got all pissy and sought out the manager. He politely informed me that he had checked all her paper work and the dog was indeed a service dog. I was so very embarrassed.

Since it was such an unexpected breed for a service dog, I realized it was for one of our type issues. Panic, anxiety, PTSD, whatever, but it was extremely well behaved and was obviously helping her.
 
Service Dogs Being Trained By Vets With PTSD

An interesting aside to this thread is the fact that at the Menlo Park Veterans Hospital's residential PTSD program (part of the Palo Alto VA system),vets with PTSD who are staying there are involved with a program that provides them with pups to be trained as service dogs and then after they are trained,the dogs are given to other wounded warriors who are in need of a service dog due to their injuries.

As the dogs are being trained,they also offer much needed love and companionship to the vets doing the training as they recover from their own invisible wounds of war...a win/win for all involved :thumbs-up

Peace and Hope...jefferylee
 
I looked into this about a year ago but decided for myself that it would be a step backwards rather than a step forward as my cptsd doesn't stop me from going places, just makes it difficult. Personally I felt it wasn't for me and that I would feel silly.


There is a Psychiatric Service Dog Societiy (PSDS) their website is

psychdog.org you can google it

The Psychiatric Service Dog Society (PSDS) is a non profit organization dedicated to responsible Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) education, advocacy, research and training facilitation. We provide essential information for persons disabled by severe mental illness, who wish to train a service dog to assist with the management of symptoms. We consult regularly with mental healthcare providers in their efforts to learn more about PSD. We also host an online community of service dog handlers veteran and new. Please note: we do not provide or train dogs for individuals. We are an educational and capacity-building organization dedicated to responsible Psychiatric Service Dog community stewardship.

Good luck to those who seek out a PSD! It would be interesting to hear your stories and progress!
 
I've actually been planning on getting a service dog sometime within the next few months. I used to have a service cat (yes, cat... she did just about everything a service dog could do though, she was amazing), and my symptoms were so much less severe when I had her, that my doctor has actually been pushing me to get a service animal again.
 
Hello to All! :hello:

I also have a psychiatric companion dog named Milo. He is a chihuahua, only Milo is a long-haired chihuahua. I have CPTSD, and although I am not completely housebound, I have problems isolating myself from other people. I also have a lot of different kinds of triggers and problems with dissociation. I decided to go back to school in this past spring semester as an adult learner (meaning I'm 47 and going to college).

To help aid me in my return to school and with the help of the school's disability office and my assigned psychiatric nurse practitioner at my school (who herself uses a therapy dog in her practice), I got assigned Milo. Milo is an incredible help to me. I don't feel as isolated or alone. If I start to get anxious, Milo notices and gets my attention. If I get triggered, I have Milo to help ground me, and with his help I recover much faster. I have found that nothing can compare to how soothing it is to pet Milo and get his little kisses when I have been triggered. I definitely notice that my symptoms are much less severe and frequent.

I also have access to a "quiet" room in the disability office and have worked out a couple other alternative options throughout the campus like the media rooms in the library that also work as "quiet" rooms. I can use these rooms to get myself centered or grounded, to feel safe, for recovery, or just to spend time alone with Milo. With Milo I feel like I can do more and go more places without feeling so much like I am On the Outside. Having Milo by my side has made all the difference in the world!!!

You can see how cute and wonderful he is!

On the Outside Looking In
 

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On the Outside Looking In,

Thanks for explaining about Milo, your sweet service dog. I'm so glad that you have such a helpful 'friend' when triggered.
 
Outside Looking In,
I am going to be going to a technical college where i live. Do most colleges have programs like the one you talked about? because if so I cannot find it at my school. Today I will be going to the humane society to talk to them about service dogs. they might help me in the first part of my search for a service partner. I would love to train my current dog to help me but I am not sure because he is already 3 years old and has a lot of bad habits. like chasing squirrels. can't have a service dog chasing squirrels in a parking lot.
 
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