Service Dogs, Certification And The Ada

[OldDoorGunner]

Service Dogs: I am looking for a Golden Retriever as my PTSD companion. So I have put in a lot on hours on the requirements on what makes a service dog. First off states are different, next go to the ADA http://www.ada.gov and search for info on service dogs. Remember the ADA sets the rules and is the Fed, so states can't not go beyond what the ADA says.

Certification of your service dog! To be honest, this is where the SHIT starts getting deep!!! Do a web search ptsd service dog certification. Ok, what you will find is a shit pot full of Ads to sell you a Certification for you dog. Most if not all are just gettting you to part with your money. I have seen this crap selling from $85 to over $500 bucks. What you get is just total BS that you don't need or if you want it, you can make it your own on your ink jet printer.

The REASON: The only REAL Certification for service dog set by the ADA is for a Seeing Eye dog. (ADA may have added some other conditions) However, this does in no way stops you from from having a service dog, with full rights for other reasons, like PTSD, for Balence or other things. A good place to start is http://www.dogster.com/forums/Service_and_Therapy_Dogs look for posts on certification, some very good info can be found here. It will take some time. Also you can do the web search ptsd service dog certification forums.

Lastly, do your home work, it can save you money. You will also know the laws in your state. A lot of business DO NOT know the law, that's why you need to know them! You will also learn just how much info you have to tell a business owner or a LEO about your medical condition. You have a letter from your Doctor (Rx) for your service dog, Do you know who you have to show that letter to??? It's your medical info, you do not have to share it, maybe just a small part. Like I have PTSD.....

If you see the word Veterans in some of the ads, be real careful......You will also see ads for trained PTSD and other dogs that have certification. The question is who gave them the trainers/sellers the certification to certify the dogs??? The same goes with ads for the trainers that will train you and your dog and then give your dog a certification. Who certify the trainers??? In most cases, they certify themselves.

As you do your research, you should find a few places that train only PTSD dogs for Veterans. I checked a few of them, the cost of the dogs started a $10,000 and went over $25,000 bucks. That's maybe why the VA cut back on the program.....

From all my research, I think is safe to say that there is no certification for a PTSD service dog. This is not to say that some states do require your dog to go to obedience training. I think in the state of CA, you go to the state and Register/Certify your service dog for a fee (money) only.......

J R

 

[Grizzly]

Great information J R. I'm considering this once my pup gets a little older. He's 4 months now. I mainly only want it to cover me for taking him to work with me. I spend some very long quiet days in the pickup. I think it could help.

 

[OldDoorGunner]

Here is a good read on having papers on your Service Dog. As I said in my first post, shit gets real deep, lots of missinformation on whats real law and what is not. It's up to you to know the real truth....
http://www.dogster.com/forums/Service_and_Therapy_Dogs/thread/794952
http://www.dogster.com/forums/Service_and_Therapy_Dogs/thread/794952

J R

 

[OldDoorGunner]

Here is the ADA Service Animals 2010 in a pdf file. This is the Revised Requirements of 2010

J R

 

[OldDoorGunner]

Here is another good place for info on whats, what....
Service Dog Central
http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content

 

[dutchiedelta]

Wow, we can only buy service dogs here. There is a shortage.
They cost... are you sitting down? They cost 20.000euro when they come trained and with certificate.
Any other dog trained in any way does not get official recognition.

 

[Deleted member 43454]

That is some insane pricing I'm not gunna lie, wow.

 

[Barberian]

US info (sorry it's the only info I've really looked up. EU is usually much more restrictive).

I've done a lot of research because I am in the process of training my own dog. She is 1 1/2 yrs old and meets the most basic requirements - She can do at least two things for me to alleviate my condition(s), is house broken, and socialised (behaves well around other people and dogs). I'm still working with her almost daily even if it's just a walk down or around the block and back (walking in the right place, not pulling on leash, not sniffing other dogs piss spots or in general, etc).

Remember, Federal Law trumps all those below it - city, county, regional, state. You may will probably come across police officers who don't know the law in regards to service dogs. Patience will win the day, rage will get you jailed - even if you win the service dog issue, you may spend a day or lots more for public disturbance, resisting arrest, trespassing, or whatever they trump up against you.

Both the Mrs. and I have service dogs, hers is still more of "in training", but california's laws are almost a mirror of the Federal Laws. Many, many times we have had to educate an employee, manager, or owner of a business about service dog laws because they tried to make us leave, Hell, even random people try at times to make us leave. I've already had the police involved many times in regards to my access with my service dog. Some of the calls the Mrs. and I initiated. Some were from businesses we refused to leave when told to. It's not easy to "behave" myself when confronted by someone who won't listen or even ready the ADA fliers, as anger management is not something I'm good at, but I was able to behave well enough to keep from getting arrested. Every time we have won though, and were allowed to access all areas the general public could.

Here are some links I've collected over the last year+:

ADA: http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
ADA Business Brief (keep at least one copy with you to show businesses): http://www.ada.gov/svcabrpt.pdf
ADA - Commonly asked questions about service animals in places of business: http://www.ada.gov/archive/qasrvc.htm
Assistance Dogs International - Non-governmental training standards suggested test (No legal authority) Link Removed
IAADP (another non-governmental service dog training site - no legal authority): http://www.iaadp.org/psd_tasks.html
Pet Partners Tri-Fold flyer (I keep a copy of this as well with me): Link Removed
Service Dog Central (A very informative website): http://servicedogcentral.org/content/
Service Dog Central list of state by state laws applying to service dogs: http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/51
Service Dog Central - types of working dogs - ESO, SD, TD: http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/280

I have more links here and there, but those should be a good start. I'll post more if there is an interest, or I find one I think should have been included.

 

[OldDoorGunner]

I have been doing a lot d research on this as last week my puppy interrupted an about to occur explosion. My understanding is that EMAs (emotional support animals) do NOT meet the criteria. Businesses cannot ask questions legally to find out that's what it is, but thy is exploiting a loophole. A SD MUST be specifically trained to do a physical task to qualify. Just bing with you for emotional support doesn't count

Just what I've been told through tons of research and poking around.

Wilderness medic, below is from the ADA and will answer your question about SD. See Red Bold

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

This definition does not affect or limit the broader definition of “assistance animal” under the Fair Housing Act or the broader definition of “service animal” under the Air Carrier Access Act.

Some State and local laws also define service animal more broadly than the ADA does. Information about such laws can be obtained from the State attorney general’s office.