#im actually in the process of getting a professional dog training job

[radiantretriever]

I keep thinking to myself, "man what if I don't Actually need a service dog and I Am one if those people who just want to bring their dog in public)

And then I experience my Symptoms™, and remember how all this could be alleviated or even in some cases Completed avoided had I had a service dog trained to alert to these things ahshjdjs

[actuallyservicedogs]

my psychiatrist recently recommended i get a service dog. are there any forms he has to fill out/official documents i would need in order to get one? and where is the best place to actually get a service dog? do you just get a dog and have it trained? or do you go somewhere to get an already trained one?

i just sent a question a couple minutes ago but i thought of something else oops. i'm not currently on disability. my mom and i discussed it. i have a job rn (it's hard to keep it, but i have it, go me) which is the only reason im not on disability. do i need to be on disability in order to qualify for a service dog? bcuz even tho i have a job i still can't really function on my own.. i would get one for anxiety mainly.

Hi!

We have a guide here that explains the different routes of actually getting a service dog. You can get a dog from an organization or you can train your own, with or without the help of a professional trainer depending on your dog training skill/knowledge. There are pros and cons to both choices.

No matter what, there are no official/legal documents you need to fill out and submit to a government agency that makes a dog a service dog, or approves you to be qualified to have a service dog, or anything like that.

However, most organizations that train a service dog for you will send you forms to be filled out by your doctor and/or psychiatrist during their application process to determine what your exact needs are and how/if a dog from their organization will be able to assist you.

If you live in housing that has pet restrictions, you will need your psychiatrist to write a note that states that you have a disability and that you have (or will be getting) a service animal that lessens the impact of your disability in such-and-such ways, and send it to your landlord along with a letter requesting for reasonable accommodations to be made to their pet policy. This same procedure is also necessary if your landlord charges pet fees or a deposit and you want those fees waived; service dogs are not pets.

To fly with a psychiatric service dog in the cabin of an airplane you will also need documentation from a mental health professional, the details of which are listed here. 

If you don’t plan on flying with your service dog and you don’t live in housing that restricts pets, and you decide to train a service dog yourself/with a private trainer, you don’t need any documentation at all from a doctor or psychiatrist to use a service dog, and there is nothing you legally need to show to businesses in public that proves your dog is trained or that you actually are disabled (in fact, they’re legally barred from asking you for anything like that, though many people don’t know or follow the law).

Finally, the way that the law that allows service dogs to be used in public (the Americans with Disabilities Act) defines the term “disability” is on our FAQ page under the question “Do I qualify for a Service Dog?”. You don’t have to be on disability income to qualify. :)

-Emmett