Service Dogs?

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My 13 yr. old son has a "service dog". He is a border collie and has helped my son immensely.
Pongo has learned to sense when T2 is in a situation that is causing meltdown. He will get closer to T2, and steer him away. He places himself under T2's hand as a reminder that he is not alone.
Pongo has also learned tracking skills for T2's belongings and knows the names of certain items. He finds them when T2 loses them. T2 does not take him to school because that is an area where he needs to be independent and practice social skills but otherwise Pongo is his constant companion. Pongo can also tell me when T2 is getting stressed and waits for me to respond.

When we got Pongo, T2 was terrified of dogs but I thought T2 needed to have a living being that he could bond with. People weren't a good option, hence a dog. THe dog is the only one that is allowed to touch T2 in the morning so he wakes him up by jumping on him and licking his face. Also, I've seen that Pongo calmly accepts T2's mood swings better than any person ever could.

Pongo was trained by me with the help of a local trainer who had learned about autistic training for dogs. The commands that are normal for any other dog and human are not pertinent for autisitic children (T2 is very high functioning AS). The commands make sense to T2 but not the other kids.
We have him certified as an aid and he has his funky orange vest to prove it. I think it was the best thing I did for T2 aside from the school stuff.

It is definitely something I would recommend. You can use various breeds of dog just as long as they are intelligent, obedient and patient. Not all dogs shed, or need brushed.

I think the people on this thread are talking about two different things...service dogs and "emotional support dogs" (as they're called)...granted I'm sure there are cases out there where a service dog would help greatly but for a lot of us I think just having the dog as a buffer between us and the real world is a great help...I don't mean take it to the mall etc but it's nice to have the dog in housing where it's not typically allowed, etc. Nothing to the extent of a fully functioning service dog (taking the dog in the movies, the dog wearing the vest, etc).

I'm definitely considering it. I think I'll bring it up with my shrink this week. Of course, my cats would have to learn to deal with it... But I'm sure they would eventually.

I would actually not mind just slapping a leash on one of my cats and having a service cat, but he wouldn't go for it. Talks too much in public and can't keep his claws out of the furniture.

There is no way I'd be able to train a dog myself. There are some organizations that are actually not far from me at all that train service dogs for autism. One has even placed several dogs with people with AS. Plus, they are okay with you having other pets in the house (which many service dog places aren't, I guess). The good news is that they don't have a long waiting list, and you can have your dog in less than a year. The bad news is that you have to get donations and fundraise to cover the cost of the dog and training (anywhere from $6000 up). That's the part that really scares me. Isn't my disability talking to people? And in order to get a service dog to help with my disability, I have to talk to people? Hmm...

Anyway, once they approve your application and you commit to it, you start fundraising and they pick out your dog and start training it. You get a picture of the dog and you get to name it. They train it specifically for your needs.

But I think I'm going to talk to my shrink about it this week and see what she thinks. My specialist at the disability center on campus might also know where I could get money from.

Well autistic service dogs ARE emotional support dogs. That's how they service autistics and they are considered legit service dogs. I've seen several shows on them and like I said before there is a lady nearby that trains autistic service dogs. Service dogs are now also being used for those with epilepsy, MS and even Lupus.

The Pongo dog sounds neat about tracking down toys. But I guess a lot of it depends on how the human deals with dogs. For a dog to jump on me and lick me to wake me up would set me off into a rage. Maybe its the OCD in me. I used to live with a friend who had a dog and to be honest I hated that dog and yes he jumped on the bed. My cat sometimes acts too dog-like and irrates me with wanting constant petting. But at least cats don't slobber as much when they lick you.

Yeah, I don't think I'd want it to slobber all over me to get me up. But I could use some help getting out of bed in the morning. I'm usually pretty disoriented when the alarm is going off, and half the time I'll hit the snooze for 45 mintues without even realizing it. Not good when you have to get up and be somewhere. Sometimes my cat responds to the alarm and gets me up, but sometimes he doesn't. It definitely helps when he does, because I've got somebody poking me and hollering in my ear, instead of just the alarm clock.

Funnily enough I do wash my hands/arms a lot because of my dog but I love him so much that I don't care about his annoying qualities. I also used to love being woken up by him. I'd actually get up. He'd run into my room, jump on my bed, then lay at the end of it. I don't care if he slobbers on me, really, though. I like that he is dependable and that he desires my company. He never asks me to change anything about myself. I get annoyed at him, sure, but it's kind of like getting annoyed at my brother.

To an extent, but in legal terms they are two different things. Service dogs are specially trained, are allowed to go anywhere its handler goes, and in terms of working with autistics they are trained to recognize the onslaught of a meltdown, etc.

ESA (emotional support animals) are for those suffering from anxiety, stress, depression, etc and in the scope of federal law are only allowed to be in no-pets housing (as far as I know) whereas service dogs can go anywhere.

Emotional Support Animals are not service dogs, and while you can have them under the ADA, they are not recognized by the government as being the same as Service Dogs. (That's like saying therapy dogs are service dogs, which they are not, although they do provide a "service").

The place that I am looking at trains and certifies emotional support dogs. They have in-home emotional support dogs (or other animals) which is just a way to get around no-pet rules in rental housing and such. They also train "street certified emotional support dogs" which I guess would count more as service animals and have all the training to go out in public with their handler. They also train autism assistance dogs, which are different, although they do offer emotional support as well.

What state do you live in? I haven't heard of ESA until recently and haven't seen much about them apart from the legal aspects and definitions.

One part of me thinks that "emotional support animals" is over the top...an excuse to have a pet if you're having a bad day at work...but then I think about all the times I would have killed myself if it wasn't for my mom AND my dogs, and how seeing my little boy prancing towards me when he's happy makes me happier than ANYTHING else in the world, and it makes sense....so I'm glad that they're federally recognized and available.

This is the most likely place that I'm looking at.
http://www.4pawsforability.org/index.html

These two are closer to me, but not as specialized in autism/asperger's.
http://sterlingservicedogs.org/about.htm
http://www.pawswithacause.org/sdsdefault.asp

This site has a state-by-state listing of organizations that train service dogs.
http://www.wolfpacks.com/serviced.htm

They have autism assistance dogs and emotional support dogs under different categories, so I don't think it would be a problem. I could also make a vague argument for a seizure alert dog (although that probably wouldn't fly, since I've only lost consciousness once, and that was only for about 3 seconds). I will have to ask them about that, but I figured I might as well wait until after I talk to my shrink and all.

Absolutely service dogs are trained to an exceptionally high level. An emotional support dog, however, doesn't require the same standards, but does need to be able to behave well both in the home and in other environments into which it will go (outdoors, the park, etc.) and so needs more than just your basic obedience class (except for those few people who are very talented with their dogs & take them well beyond the basics on their own). As to an Aspie working with their own dog in a class situation, it can be fun & perhaps even therapeutic for us to do so. If an Aspie wants to take a class but is nervous about being around others, look for a small class & take a trusted friend or family member with you.

If you want a fully trained service dog, it will definitely cost you. Service dog trainers are highly skilled & specialized in the training they do. But a certified service dog you can take anywhere, no questions asked. An emotional support dog you may find you'll have a few discussions with people with, in public places, on public transit, etc. Although most dogs wearing a vest really don't get questioned much. But it's something to be aware of.

The following page has some useful info in choosing a puppy/dog. I would strongly recommend carefully choosing and paying for a one-time consult with a good trainer who would go with you to help assess a puppy or dog. The trainer can tell if the pup or dog is showing signs of distress or excessive stress & avoid a potential poor choice or problem during assessment. I just don't want to see anybody getting bitten due to lack of experience with the stress/distress signals that a non-professional might not notice.