Why do you Want a Service Dog?

While I have had a wonderful life-changing experience since training and getting Dougal up and running as a service dog. It has not been a walk in the park, to say the least. Time sacrifices, the planning on how to include him without ruffling too many feathers going on trips, and things like that. There are some true "drawbacks" when having a service dog. I wrote an article a while back talking about some of these things, you can read it in "The Negative Side of Having a Service Dog".

I have always loved dogs; I think they are truly gifts from God. They have a loyalty that is unmatched. Their entire life is spent trying to please their human companion(s). Where can any of us find that? So, for me, after I found that dogs could be trained to help me mitigate some of my problems I was interested, to say the least.

Currently, I have been advocating for service dogs for about 20 years, mainly for psychological service dogs, as that is where my need originated from. I have watched the development of PSDs' from a forbidden subject to a pretty common occurrence within the service dog world. This is why I wanted to sit down and write this.

I am worried about seeing so many people assuming that a service dog would be perfect for them and their medical problems without seeking other ways to work on their disabilities. It seems like many see service dogs as a first line for treatment and honestly, I do not think this is the proper outlook. We, those of us with disabilities, normally look for ways to help us fit in, to be just a simple average person that can carry on life as normally as possible. Having a dog at your side tends to make us stick out like sore thumbs in most cases. Not ideal in my opinion.

Now, I am not trying to gatekeep meaning that only a select few should ever have a service dog. I think the converse is closer to the truth. As I stated above, since having my service dog I have found the world a better place, I can go out with about half the fear I used to experience, and I can interact with the public at large. My wife and I can do more as I know I have a furry sidekick that is watching the world around me for threats. I want everybody to be able to find that freedom.

Every medical treatment has its drawbacks or side effects. Service dogs are no different and it is very important to weigh those "drawbacks" as well as to really know what you are getting into as a perspective new handler. I wrote a series of articles a few years ago "Do I Need a Service Dog" which I feel goes into some detail about how I feel someone should start looking at if they really need a service dog. So important to remember that an agreement to have a service dog is a real commitment.