Service dogs for autistic adults

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I seriously need one. People are eventualy going to realise that my bearded dragon isn't a true service animal and anyway she can't go outside when it is rainy or too cold or whatever because she can't regulate her body temperature. I had to walk to the service station today and had a panic attack when I saw some kids, I thought I was going to faint and pass out. I get this whenever I see kids and it's just getting worse. Adults give me the same reaction although not as extreme as kids. The only time I feel safe is when I have my lizard or at lest some kind of animal with me. I wanted to bring my chihuahua but my parents said they did not allow dogs in the service station (they let me bring my lizard and people are supposed to be more aversive to reptiles than dogs). My mom needs the chihuahua anyway because she can predict her seziures and she is thinking about having her registered. The chihuahua gets really upset when she's not with my mom anyway and SCREAMS. I need a service dog of my own but my parents claim I don't need one and that I have to learn to get over my fear of people on own but I realise that is impossible. I want to go to college and vet school but that's going to be impossible without the help of an astiance animal. How can I convince my parents I need a service dog? How can I get a dog registered as an autism service dog? I really want to pick out a nice pup (at least a year old or so) from the pound or an animal rescuse and train it myself.

If your age is right & you're 23, you can always look into getting a service dog for yourself. You don't need your parents permission to do that. You can search on google for organizations that specialize in trained service dogs. I know you want to train the dog yourself, but it won't really be a service dog if you do it yourself, it will basically just be a pet. I can understand why you would want one though. I know my life would be much easier if I had an animal to help me along when I have to be out in public amongst people.

I think if she's living in her parent's household, she does need her parents' consent. (Not quite the same as permission.)

Hello PunkyKat,
I have used a Service Dog for several years now. In the United States, you may train your own dog. You do not have to obtain a dog from an organization. I trained my own dog and used a private trainer when necessary. If you want some very good information, try the Psychological Service Dog website. They helped me a great deal. My service dog has changed my life. He goes with me everywhere, including work. It is not easy. Having a service dog is a LOT of work and many dogs fail to adapt. I have one dog that is now a pet that was my first service dog. She could not handle the stress of being out in public. My current dog is very good. Some of the tasks he does for me are to block people from getting too close and signaling me to help me get out of difficult situations. When things get overwhelming I give him a signal, he whines and I say he has to go out. This gives me a break and allows me to regroup. While the law talks about service animals (your Bearded Dragon could be an actual service animal) you get fewer access challenges when you have a more traditional animal. This is a personal decision, but I have found that I like it better when I get fewer challenges. There is current research underway that looks promising, and I am considering doing my dissertation on the use of Service Dogs for adults on the spectrum. I hope this encourages you to research this. Don't give up yet. I hope this helps!