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Service dogs
- Thread starter Degiz
- Start date
On the Inside
Well-Known Member
I don't, I just have a dog. He's cute and very friendly. He does help break the ice or act as a foil with people when we are out and about, so that helps me a lot.
I've had a superb one in the past, and am currently considering training my ESA as a Service Dog (but he has a lot of issues to work through). My first boy helped tremendously, making me walk when I would shut down, cuddling with me when I was sad or anxious, and interrupting repetitive behaviors. He definitely helped with social interactions too. i strongly advocate for Service Dogs, but do your research and learn about the laws before getting one!
On the Inside
Well-Known Member
I had to look up ESA, and it brought me to a wealth of information on service animals of all kinds. Thanks.
https://www.nsarco.com/service-definitions.html
<<--------- Here's The Doofinator!
Having a working service dog is great! Grimm is truly the love of my life!!
In my case, my working partner is mainly only for at home, and not for public access.
Being autistic means my general level of awareness is very significantly challenged. A SD with full public access is constantly exposed to risks such as the public, traffic, etc. I am not aware enough to protect a dog.
The Public: People will sneak-grab, snatch, pet, grope, whistle, clap, snap, toss food at, stare non-stop at, make kissy sounds at, meow at, etc a working dog, regardless of the snazzy sign on Grimm's SD cape reading "Service Dog-- Do Not Pet/Distract." Training level plummets as the dog is constantly rewarded (by strangers petting him or engaging with him with eye contact & voice) for responding to distraction. My German Shepherd has a rock-solid work ethic, but people really are challenging.
I am also anxious around people, and
any dog in public wearing a nifty uniform with a cool sign on it becomes a people magnet.
Executive functioning challenges make Grimm's care, and my own, very difficult. Feeding, grooming, nail clipping, training, all present significant challenges for me.
On the plus side, Grimm is my whole world. He is the only one I truly can connect with. Without him, I would not be here. He is my sunshine, my reason for living. Because of Grimm, I have family. I can love and be loved, safely. Grimm is my heart!
Grimm does seizure response/wandering (elopement) alerting. His task-training is solid. I am safer with him in my life. Even as an adult I wander and have some seizures.
The variable awareness of my autism means Grimm stays safer when we don't go out in public, though. Grimm provides needed support in my home and neighborhood. I am so lucky to have such a great working partner!
And now, a totally HONEST photo revealing Grimm's true character:
Having a working service dog is great! Grimm is truly the love of my life!!
In my case, my working partner is mainly only for at home, and not for public access.
Being autistic means my general level of awareness is very significantly challenged. A SD with full public access is constantly exposed to risks such as the public, traffic, etc. I am not aware enough to protect a dog.
The Public: People will sneak-grab, snatch, pet, grope, whistle, clap, snap, toss food at, stare non-stop at, make kissy sounds at, meow at, etc a working dog, regardless of the snazzy sign on Grimm's SD cape reading "Service Dog-- Do Not Pet/Distract." Training level plummets as the dog is constantly rewarded (by strangers petting him or engaging with him with eye contact & voice) for responding to distraction. My German Shepherd has a rock-solid work ethic, but people really are challenging.
I am also anxious around people, and
any dog in public wearing a nifty uniform with a cool sign on it becomes a people magnet.
Executive functioning challenges make Grimm's care, and my own, very difficult. Feeding, grooming, nail clipping, training, all present significant challenges for me.
On the plus side,
Grimm is my whole world. He is the only one I truly can connect with. Without him, I would not be here. He is my sunshine, my reason for living. Because of Grimm, I have family. I can love and be loved, safely. Grimm is my heart!Grimm does seizure response/wandering (elopement) alerting. His task-training is solid. I am safer with him in my life. Even as an adult I wander and have some seizures.
The variable awareness of my autism means Grimm stays safer when we don't go out in public, though. Grimm provides needed support in my home and neighborhood. I am so lucky to have such a great working partner!
And now, a totally HONEST photo revealing Grimm's true character:
On the Inside
Well-Known Member
My dog is a German Shorthair/Border Collie mix.
He's about 45 pounds, mostly chocolate brown with white paws, muzzle and tip on his long tail. Short hair, but more of a border collie face, except the ears. He is trained to skijor, that is, to cross country ski with me, we won some races when he was younger. He lacks endurance now, he suffered from giardia a few years ago, which sapped him, and he's 10. He was always a little small for my size, German shorthairs are a popular breed for skijor, but most of them are around 65 pounds, so even when he was strong and fast, he wasn't pulling me as much as our competitors dogs were.
Not sure if I want to go through the work of training a new dog to skijor, we don't seem to get enough snow for good skiing around here anymore.
Having a dog has always been good for me. I grew up with dogs. I had a cat for some time, which was good at the time, I was on the move a lot, and a dog would have been hard to deal with. I like to be outdoors, so a sporty dog is a good match for me.
He's about 45 pounds, mostly chocolate brown with white paws, muzzle and tip on his long tail. Short hair, but more of a border collie face, except the ears. He is trained to skijor, that is, to cross country ski with me, we won some races when he was younger. He lacks endurance now, he suffered from giardia a few years ago, which sapped him, and he's 10. He was always a little small for my size, German shorthairs are a popular breed for skijor, but most of them are around 65 pounds, so even when he was strong and fast, he wasn't pulling me as much as our competitors dogs were.
Not sure if I want to go through the work of training a new dog to skijor, we don't seem to get enough snow for good skiing around here anymore.
Having a dog has always been good for me. I grew up with dogs. I had a cat for some time, which was good at the time, I was on the move a lot, and a dog would have been hard to deal with. I like to be outdoors, so a sporty dog is a good match for me.
Last edited:
@iam_cloud
Well-Known Member
Grimm is sooo cute! I also have a service dog named Billie. She helps me with anxiety, sensory overload, and meltdowns. She's the only reason that I can go to places like loud restaurants and the mall.
<<--------- Here's The Doofinator!
Having a working service dog is great! Grimm is truly the love of my life!!
In my case, my working partner is mainly only for at home, and not for public access.
Being autistic means my general level of awareness is very significantly challenged. A SD with full public access is constantly exposed to risks such as the public, traffic, etc. I am not aware enough to protect a dog.
The Public: People will sneak-grab, snatch, pet, grope, whistle, clap, snap, toss food at, stare non-stop at, make kissy sounds at, meow at, etc a working dog, regardless of the snazzy sign on Grimm's SD cape reading "Service Dog-- Do Not Pet/Distract." Training level plummets as the dog is constantly rewarded (by strangers petting him or engaging with him with eye contact & voice) for responding to distraction. My German Shepherd has a rock-solid work ethic, but people really are challenging.
I am also anxious around people, and
any dog in public wearing a nifty uniform with a cool sign on it becomes a people magnet.
Executive functioning challenges make Grimm's care, and my own, very difficult. Feeding, grooming, nail clipping, training, all present significant challenges for me.
On the plus side,
Grimm does seizure response/wandering (elopement) alerting. His task-training is solid. I am safer with him in my life. Even as an adult I wander and have some seizures.
The variable awareness of my autism means Grimm stays safer when we don't go out in public, though. Grimm provides needed support in my home and neighborhood. I am so lucky to have such a great working partner!
And now, a totally HONEST photo revealing Grimm's true character:
Does anybody here have a service dog? I'm thinking of getting one and would like to hear some experiences
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