The first step to getting a PSD is talking to a mental health professional. This means you must make an appointment with a doctor for a consultation. They will discuss your behaviors, your disability and work with you to decide if a service animal is a good choice for you. Doctors offer assistance to clients with mental health issues every day and are there to help. You may fill out a form, be asked what products or medications you use now to help, and be asked about your support system, such as friends and family. From there, a doctor will help you decide if a service dog could work for you.
Once you have a doctor’s recommendation, it’s time to find a dog for you. For the record, any dog can be a service dog. There are no breed restrictions, size or age requirements or anything like that. It’s all about finding what works for you. If you struggle with balance because of your medication or condition, a larger dog may be a good choice so they can support you. Keep things like that in mind when looking for your ideal service animal.
Adopt a Service Dog in Florida
Animal shelters and rescue organizations are a great place to find a canine companion who you can then train to become a psychiatric service dog. Below are some shelters in Florida where you can potentially adopt a new best friend. Visit their website and see if you find your perfect match! Volunteers will be able to offer a lot of great information about a dog’s behavior and personality to see if they would be a fit for you.
- Orange County Animal Services Orlando, Florida
- Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando Orlando, Florida
- Miami Dade Animal Services Pet Adoption and Protection Miami, Florida
- Humane Society of Greater Miami Miami, Florida
- Animal Welfare Society of South Florida Miami, Florida
- SPCA Florida Lakeland, Florida
- North Florida Animal Rescue Wellborn, Florida
What is a Psychiatric Service Dog?
A psychiatric service dog is the main type of service animal we’ll talk about today. These specially trained dogs help support their owners out in the world as they deal with unseen disabilities such as PTSD, clinical anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Their role greatly differs from a service dog for people with a mobility disability or sight disability.
These dogs help people with mental disorders resume their normal life activities and allow them to go places that might normally overwhelm them or be hard to deal with emotionally. Thousands of psychiatric service dogs help people with mental conditions all across the USA and provide vital assistance and support to their handlers.
Service Dog Rights
Since PSDs require extensive training, they are recognized as a service animal by the ADA and have certain rights, such as all of the following:
- Public Access Rights: This means psychiatric service dogs have a right to come with their owners in public locations, such as restaurants, malls, and stores where animals are not normally allowed. This can vary state-to-state law wise, but a service animal must be allowed in an organization if their handler needs them. There are exceptions, however, when it comes to religious facilities.
- Travel Rights: The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) applies to service dogs. The aim of the ACAA is to protect people with disabilities from discrimination while flying. These rights ensure that service dogs can travel with their owners everywhere they go. This means they are allowed on all transportation services, including planes, trains, taxis, boats, buses, etc. In fact, these dogs have a right to sit in the cabin and the owner does not have to pay a fee for their service animal to fly with them. Most airlines and travel companies are aware of these rights, but it’s good to know them yourself
- Fair Housing: Under the Fair Housing Act, service dogs can live in housing that doesn’t normally allow pets at no additional fee. This applies even if the housing location has a no pets policy. This way a service dog owner can have the support and assistance they need from their pup in their own home. This is a federal law and cannot be broken by anyone, even landlords or owners of a housing organization. If an individual is denied housing because of a service animal, they are being discriminated against and can make a case with local law enforcement.
- Educational Facility Access: Under the Individuals with Disabilities Act, service animals can accompany their owner into schools, colleges, universities, etc. Whether a disability or impairment is physical or mental, if someone needs the support of a service animal to learn, it must be allowed.
Types of Psychiatric Service Dog Training
Let’s talk more about service dog training. Mobility service dogs, psychological service dogs, seeing eye dogs, and all other types of service dogs go through extensive service dog training programs. It can be overwhelming to navigate the training world, especially as only one person, so we’re here to help.
There are a few routes you can take when looking to train your service animal
- Self training: Yes, it is possible for someone to train their own dog to become a service dog. This route requires a lot of research and must follow certain guidelines set by the ADA to be met during the training though and is not recommended. It’s best to work with a qualified service dog trainer who can help you throughout the process.
- Adopting an already trained PSD from an organization: This method requires a lot of money upfront, as training a service dog is expensive, but connects clients with an already trained dog that is ready to help. This method is great for people who need help soon and don’t have a lot of time for training. The organization will ask you what behaviors or tasks you would need the dog to learn and deliver you a trained dog. The downfall is trained service dogs can cost around $30,000 from reputable trainers.
- Partnering with a professional dog trainer: This is the most popular option for a reason. This allows you and your dog to work together to maximize the ways they can help you. You can modify behavior, help teach additional tasks, explain more about your condition, and make sure you and your dog are on the same page. Service dog training organizations work with you and your dog as an individual and as clients, and provide a lot of assistance.
What Do Psychiatric Service Dogs Do?
So you know you need training, but what do these dogs actually do for someone with a disability? By definition, a PSD must be trained to perform a specific task that aids its owner. This is why partnering with professional service dog programs is often the best option. It’s important for both the dog and the owner to work together, which a dog training organization can help with.
Common tasks PSDs are trained to handle include:
- Wake up their owner from nightmares
- Provide tactile stimulation
- Facilitating social interactions and reducing fears of being around others
- Help their owner calm down when agitated
- Grounding a person dealing with anxiety
- Help create a safe personal space if overwhelmed
- Get medication and water when the owner can’t
- Get help if necessary
- Provide balance assistance
- Remind a person to take medication at certain times of day
Now you can see why it’s important to work with a certified trainer, that’s a lot of information! We’re currently onboarding our professional dog trainers and will be offering this option very soon. In the meantime, those interested in getting a psychiatric service dog can begin the process by seeing if they qualify for a PSD through our free screening here.
Conclusion
Are you interested in getting a psychiatric service dog?
Here at CertaPet, we can help. CertaPet is an online tele-health platform that improves access to mental health care in the U.S. with a focus on providing services to individuals who are seeking animal assisted interventions as part of their treatment plan.
We are currently coordinating with dog trainers who specialize in the service animal space and who will soon work in tandem with our network of licensed mental health professionals to make the process of getting and training a psychiatric service dog affordable, convenient, and hassle-free. We’ll have more information available soon about our Psychiatric Service Dog Training options. In the meantime, you can take our FREE pre-screening below to see if you qualify for a PSD!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a service dog?
According to the ADA, service dogs are dogs that are trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.
What does a psychological service dog do?
This varies from person to person, but psychological service dogs help keep their handlers calm during mental episodes and provide comfort and assistance to combat negative behaviors.
How do I get a service dog for my anxiety?
You must begin by consulting a mental health professional and receiving their recommendation to begin the process.
