Autism Service dogs

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I wanted to talk a bit about autism service dogs today. This is a topic I am particularly passionate about as I have one. Her name is Nimrodel and she is a seven year old White German Shepherd Dog 9Working bloodlines, which means she has a straight back as opposed to slopped or roached,) Nimrodel has changed my life tremendously since I got her and she means the world to me even if I don't always show it. Originally Nim was gotten for me as a pet and companion. My mom had hoped getting me a puppy would help me be more social as well as that one day when that puppy became a dog I could have her with me when I went out as I have a tendency to go out and wonder for hours. As a kid I almost had an amber alert on me twice so mom wanted a dog to help keep me safe. I still remember the day I got her I could barley sleep the night before and only naped briefly on the ride up and I waited impatiently to see and hold her but when they place her in my arms I was over joyed and shocked. she was larger then I expected and her coat not as soft as I imagined then I sniffed her and fell in love with the smell of her head. I took her outside while mom talked to her breeder who she worked with. From that moment I felt a connection that I had never felt before . She was perfect, As a puppy she was shy but we brought her out of it. I no longer hide during social periods under tables and the like.

Nm's full story is a long one so I won't tell you it all. I always felt more relaxed round Nimrodel too and I became more social over the years I started to make friends and interact more with people. Nim always new how to clam me during a meltdown too and this made a lot of people happy. One day mom was doing research on service dogs (Not sure Why) and she realized we could have her trained to be my service dog and so we sat down and talked about it.

We went over the ADA law that state "Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets"

So before we could even conider making her into a service dog we had to approach two many things
question 1 do I have a disability? the answer was yes I have autism and that was simple enough.
question 2 Are there any task that Nimrodel could be trained to help me with my autism? this too came pretty quickly as a yes. Then me compiled a list of things that me could train Nimrodel to do in order to help me. Our first goal was three tasks and these were the most important

alert to fire alarms and make sure I get out- this is because often times when a fire alarm goes off I experience a lot of pain from the sound it makes and I become frighten and confused which triggers me to hide this is not good. The other issue is that I may block it out completely if I am focused on my special interest as I process thing slower when I am absorbed in my special interest.

Blocking at street- This is because I often don't realize I am crossing a street till I am in the middle of it. This isn't a mater of maybe if you stop and think or walk slower as much as it is that I am taking in a lot sensory wise or locked in my thoughts. The other issue is if I see a German Shepherd Dog or something related across the street I usually wont process the street and go right over.

tracking Nimrodel is also trained to find me if I ever get lost but she is also good about leading me baack home too.

so we got right to work with vigorous training and withing a year she was fully certified as an owner trained service dog and no longer a pet but spoiled all the same.

She also helps calm me during meltdown and helps me socialize more as people come to talk to me about her and I am happy to talk about her. because of her I have a few friends. and though I met him before she was my service dog I have had a boyfriend for 3 years. Nim help make my life more normal. here is a list of service dog tasks I compiled the ones we have trained her are stared..




Symptom/ challenge Task trained

Impulsive running: Dog retrieves individual

PICA: Interrupts behavior

Self harming behavior: Will interrupt behavior

Night Awakenings: Alert parents by barking

Non-verbal: offer behavior when person tries to command

Social Isolation: Focus shifts to dog.

****Fire alarms: Dog alerts the individual out****

Mood swings: Dog climbs in lap to calm individual

***Streets: Dog will stop individual from walking right out****

Sneaking out: Alerts parents by barking

****Nightmares: Dog will crawl into bed to calm individual****

****Medication : Reminds individual by pawing and barking****

****Wandering/getting lost: Track and find individual/ offer protection****

does anyone else have an autism service dog? do they perform any tasks I haven't yet listed?


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I have an autism service bearded dragon. I have a letter from the therapist stating she is a service animal and prevents panic attacks. Just becuase she is not a traditional service animal, she still is one. I've even brought her into the local Subway a few times. Bearded dragons DO NOT carry samonelia, people can wash their hands and they do not have to touch her. If you are scared of getting a disease then go lock yourself up in a bubble.

Pippin has been handled and socialised religiously. Bearded dragons are sweet and friendly by nature and will only bite if they were abused...Pippin isn't going to hurt you. If she does anything she will lick you and you barely feel it. If you are scared of lizards and are unwilling to educate yourself, then get out of the state of Texas and move to Antartica. I suffer enough becuase of people's ignorance, I shouldn't have to suffer because I am not allowed to bring the only thing that helps my panic attacks because of people's ignorance.

Aww. I want one. I don't know if I really need one though.

I don't need a service dog, since I can get out of a freeze by myself; but I have to say that is such a pretty dog, and so smart, too!

I have two cats that are certified as emotional support animals. They are simply there for companionship and, as the name implies, emotional support; and I am legally allowed to have them even if my apartment does not normally allow pets. My cats help with my stress levels, and Tiny has actually learned to get me up on time in the morning, because I feed him when I get up, and he knows when I'm supposed to feed him. (Cats work for food rewards, a lot of the time. You train a dog; you negotiate with a cat!).

They've both got the knack of climbing into my lap when I'm stuck on something. Sometimes I perseverate and can't stop doing what I'm doing, which is annoying and wastes time; and I guess there's something about my body language that makes them want to climb into my lap when that happens. No clue exactly what. Maybe I'm quieter and they like my lap more when I move less? Anyway, they're smart cats.

I have a 12-year-old service cat. I'd like a dog, because I need more help when I go out in public (I might be able to go without my mom or aide if I had a dog to tug on the leash and reorient me), but my mom says I can't take care of a dog. Cats are much easier to take care of. My cat touches on command, comes to hand signals so I don't need to use words, and sits on the back of the couch, against the back of my neck and purrs to help with melt downs/panic attacks. She knows when I need her and comes and sits with me, almost without fail.

I have a distant relative with autism and agenesis of the corpus collesum (he was born without the part of the brain that connects the two hemispheres together), who is getting a service dog. I'm not sure what it'll do, really. His grandmother did say that he doesn't particularly like dogs, but nobody is quite sure what that means.

I think that service dogs, are a good idea. Every year, Milkbone donates money for service dogs, so those are the cookies, that I buy for my dog. :O)

Cool, but I'm not in need of a service animal.

Mom already does so much. Plus, I'm moving out this month (with lots of supports in place), so I won't be living with her. Plus, we don't have the money for a service dog. So lots of reasons it wouldn't work. Maybe when I'm older and can do more by myself.

Both, I suppose...how could a cat be trained to walk on a leash, and to be helpful to someone as an autism service cat, in public? I've seen cats on a leash before, so I was wondering if they could be trained to help out in public or no, and what it might take to do that.

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Official diagnosis: ADHD, synesthesia. Aspie quiz result (unofficial test): Like Frodo--I'm a halfling? 110/200 NT, 109/200 Aspie.