Service dog question?

[nissim42]

Hi,

I'm 16 and have a decent amount of medical problems. I have a very rare, bad case of Vasovagal Syncope. POTS. I have Simple Partial Seizures. Anxiety. Panic attacks, And my doctors have not formally diagnosed me with PTSD, however 3 of them think I have it, and are sending me to a psychiatrist for an evaluation. (I also have Asthma, although it's seasonal so it isn't a huge issue.)

My question is, do I qualify for a service dog? I have a bichon, and she is a little older, she's 8. But in very good condition medically, and she calms me down a lot, which is good because all of my problems are stress related. She also seems to act weird before I begin to feel bad or have any episodes, which I have read online is something that can't be trained in a dog, it's just something that a service dog would or would not do naturally.

So my questions are..
If I am qualified, how would I go about that? I live in Virginia, if certain laws are different.

Thank you so much for your replies, in advance.
Anything you know will help me because I know nothing about this, at all..

[larenzo]

Many people ask if they can get a service dog for their particular disability, and how to do so. They also express concerns about the possible costs. Here are answers.
It takes some planning to get a service animal. There are certain requirements you and your dog must meet in order to qualify as a service animal team. Doing your homework will help you to achieve success much faster.

Requirements to Qualify as a Service Dog Team
Owner must have a disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act
The animal must provide individually trained assistance to a person with a disability. According to the ADA, the animal helps the person with the disability with a task or function that the owner is not able to do because of the disability
Ask Yourself the Following Questions
Do I have a disability? (see above)
In what ways does my disability limit my functioning in everyday life? List them.
What things would help to support or increase my functioning in specific areas (e.g. self-care, employment)? These could be anything--services, equipment, help with certain tasks, etc. List them.
Will I be able to feed and care for the animal without help? If I do need help, where will it come from?
Talk Things Over With Your Health Care Team
Your physicians, therapists, and counselors may have additional thoughts about how a service animal could help you , and if you can manage the care and upkeep of a canine assistant. Having the support of one or more members of your medical team can also help in providing you with documentation regarding the recommendation. You are not required to have documentation under the ADA, however the fact is that much of the public remains uneducated about service animals, and having some documentation can make it easier for you to avoid unpleasant confrontations or denial of access at the present time. Hopefully this will be less so in the future. How you respond to questions regarding your service animal and issues of documentation is an individual choice.

Make a Decision
There are different ways of obtaining a service animal once you've made the decision that you definitely want one. (Never forget how big a commitment to the animal this is.) You can:


Get one from a non-profit service dog organization. The dogs are trained to perform tasks at the organization's expense. You will likely have to spend some time at the location before taking the dog home, in order to have your compatibility and capability as a handler evaluated. Most often your trained service dog will be provided to you at no cost, however you will be responsible for travel and accommodation expenses.
Purchase a dog or adopt a suitable rescue animal and pay an experienced trainer to work with you and your dog to accomplish the tasks you require for assistance.
If you are familiar with dog training and have some experience with dogs, purchase or adopt a suitable dog and train it to do the tasks you require yourself. There are some good books and even do-it-yourself service dog training programs available for purchase. If you get stuck on a particular task, you can call in a trainer to help you achieve the desired result

[hampton83]

I'm not sure if the laws are different in Virginia sense most Disability laws are Federal I'm going too assume so are the laws for assistant dogs. The definition of an Assistant animal legally is one that helps a person to preform Essential (Or normal) life activities that they could not do on their own. In other words it's an animal that helps you live your life in a normal carefree manner like other people do. for example if your seizures are so bad that you can't go out in public or hold a job or something like that because your a danger to yourself than a dog that warned you of a coming seizure so you would know when it was coming and would feel safer leaving home than yes it would be an assistant animal. However I would warn that in past cases Court's have frowned on pets that haven't received formal training as assistant animals, or ones that have been long standing 'pets' before becoming an assistant animal. Those could be draw backs if you got into a legal debate such as trying to rent a "No Animals" Apartment with your assistant animal.

Oh also in order to have an assistant animal you have to be legally disabled. I hope some of this was helpful.

[jerrick]

To make it easy without quoting a bunch of legal jargon...

If you disability qualifies you for a disability check from the government...you are disabled and can have a service animal

The service animal must be trained to do 3 things to help with counteract issues your condition limits you. In other words...the dog must be trained to provide 3 tasks you cannot do for yourself.

Now if emotional support animal is what you are thinking of more than a service dog...those fall under and entirely different category and are not given the same rights as a service dog.

[byron92]

You have an Emotional Support Dog not a service dog. You can't take the dog into stores, on public transportation or rent places that have a no pets rule.

A real service dog must be trained by a service organization and it must do at least three things to help counter you issues. What you have is an ESD.

To be qualified you have to jump through a lot of hoops, get certified by a doctor, get certified by a shrink and then you can get a service dog from a service dog organization but they are NOT cheap.

[regenweald]

In the U.S. to have and use a service dog, the person must meet the legal definition of "disabled" as set forth by the U.S. Department Of Justice contained in the Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act. No legal determination of disability = no service dog. Simply having a "disorder" does not mean one is disabled. Having a "decent amount of medical problems" does not mean you are disabled. Because you have had anxiety and panic attacks does not mean you are disabled. Being "impaired" is not the same as being disabled. Having a doctor give one a "diagnosis" is not the same as being disabled.The person MUST meet the legal definition of disabled.

Having a doctor write a "note" does not make a pet a service dog. Paying some scam website for a phoney-baloney "certificate" does not magically turn a pet into a service dog. The "certificates" offered online aren't legal or worth the paper they are printed on, since there is no legal requirement for any type of "certification" and no legally recognized agency which can do any type of "certification".

Then the dog must be individually trained in work or tasks which directly mitigate the effects of the qualifying disability (the dog must do something that the person is unable to do for themselves because of their disability).The simple presence of the animal is not a legal task or work under the law. "Feeling better" because the dog is there does not qualify as a task or work under the law. "Because he gets me out of the house" is not a legal task or work under the law. "I don't panic as much when the dog is with me" is not a legal task or work under the law. "She also seems to act weird before I begin to feel bad or have any episodes" is not a trained work or task under the law. The dog must actually be trained to do something you cannot do for yourself, which is related to your qualifying disability.. The dog must also be trained to behave properly when in the public venue, and be under the handlers control at all times. The work or task MUST be related to the qualifying disability.

The first thing you must do is to be certain you meet the legal definition of disabled. Begin there.