Narcolepsy Support Group
A sleep disorder (somnipathy) is a disorder in the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders can interfere with mental and emotional function. If you are having trouble falling asleep or having some other kind of sleep disturbance, this group is for you.
So, I went ahead and decided to get a service dog to see if that would improve my excursions outside the home and it has!
My boy can scent alert to when a sleep attack is coming, provides mobility support when I get wobbly from cataplexy, provides pressure therapy to help calm me down when I'm feeling stressed, gives me a valid reason to leave a stressful situation (he indicates he has to go pee lol), stands over me when I fall and helps me get back up.
Because of him, I have been able to re-enter the work force after being out of it for nine+ years.
I'm just wondering if any of you have ever thought or considered getting a service dog as well?
My boy can scent alert to when a sleep attack is coming, provides mobility support when I get wobbly from cataplexy, provides pressure therapy to help calm me down when I'm feeling stressed, gives me a valid reason to leave a stressful situation (he indicates he has to go pee lol), stands over me when I fall and helps me get back up.
Because of him, I have been able to re-enter the work force after being out of it for nine+ years.
I'm just wondering if any of you have ever thought or considered getting a service dog as well?
There are a few ways to get a service dog.
1. Put your name on a long waiting list for a free one.
2. Pay several thousands of dollars for a pre-trained one, or
3. Go through a reputable breeder who will temperament test their puppies to help match you to one that has the right personality for service dog work and then go through a specialized training (which you can do by yourself if you knnow what to do), starting with basic obediens and canine good citizen testing and then train specific tasks that help mitigate your disability.
I went with option 3 because I didn't have 15,000+ for an already trained dog that wasn't bonded to me. Also, Most service dogs are trained for more commonly recognized disabilities like diabetes or mobility support.
I didn't want to have to wait for a long time either.
I personally chose a Great Dane as my service dog since I myself am not small in stature and needed a dog who could help me get up. Plus, they're a truly gentle breed if socialized properly.
The total cost to purchase him was $1700 which is so much more affordable than 15,000+ and I got to choose the breed I thought would work best for me.
I was also fortunate to have a service dog training studio located close enough to me where the owner trains the handler on how to create a service dog. This was valuable because I will always have this knowledge now and if I ever need a new service dog, I can train him on my own. Overall, the training over the course of 18 months cost about $1500. So, basically, I paid $3200 for the dog and his training. But he's truly priceless!
This was a much more cost effective route for me since I was only on disability and didn't have a lot of money to spare.
The cool thing, service dog expenses are deducted from your taxes if you work. This means food, grooming, vet bills, medicine and supplies like leashes and vests. Basically anything for maintenance and upkeep of your service dog is tax deductible.
If you are on disability and live in low income/affordable housing, service dog expenses are deducted from your income before your rent is calculated.
I find that even though I wear medic alert bracelet and necklace that people never pay heed to them.
Now if I have a cataplexy attack they look because I have a service dog. He is training really well and stays with me. Its also a comfort knowing that I am not alone. Usually I only go out when I am with family but now I feel better with him there.
Small service dogs dont need as much training as the big ones. Just so they are well manored and dont pee everywhere. When I am at the doctors he will lay there and either sleep or chew his bone or play with a toy. Usually he sleeps.
To avoid accidents I put a diaper on him while at the drs or in a store. He doesnt need it but I do it anyways just in case.
I too was having a really hard time leaving my house alone before I got my service dog. It's scary to have a sleep attack or cataplexy in public when you have no one to watch over you.
It's amazing that any size or breed of dog can be a service dog as long as it has the right temperament and can perform the necessary tasks :)
He was a stray. I looked for 6 weeks to find the owner. meanwhile we grew very attached to him and he did to us. He is especially attached to me. In my whole life I have never had a dog I loved this much.
I think for us who have chronic cataplexy a larger dog would be better, its a lot more training but if you fall and block your airway a little dog would have a problem with moving you.
I have done that many times and its very scarey.
For now I will make due with my small dog. I am still very happy he is there with me, comforting me.
I have to say though......last night I had a bad attack and my foot started cramping up.........in my head I was yelling in pain. When I was coming out of the attack super slowly I made a noise and tucker knew I was in trouble. My husband was on the couch and tucker got his attention so he could help me.
He is a gift from God that dog!
We recently obtained a service dog for free as well. (Previous owner was mistreating and mentally unstable, dog removed because of abuse)
She is a Mn Schnauzer,... but we have not been trained on how they are trained. Can anyone give me some indications instructions??
Sleepyhubby
I dont know but try training the dog and see if he picks up things really fast.....if he does then that might help you. If he was trained by an agency then there might be a standard way to do it. I teach my dogs with words and hand signals.
Because he was abused you might want to take some things slowly. One of my dogs that I adopted was abused so I have to be extra slow when I brush him, especially his feet.
Its gonna take lots of love but in the end it will be worth it. The key is going to be to build trust between you.
Best of luck!
I've had my kitty for 11 years and he really helps with my depression, but I can't take him in public with me. He's afraid of the big empty sky outside lol!
Thank you for sharing your experiences with your fur babies with me :) It gladdens my heart.
I would definitely recommend only using positive reinforcement traqining on your Schnauzer since she was abused.
If he has been trained in service dog work already, he should be very quick to pick up on the tasks you need to train in her. If they do not receive coinsistent reminder training to keep their chops up, all dogs will eventualoly forget what to do in a certain situation. This is why I scent train with my boy at least once a week incase I go a long time without a sleep attack.
Basically, frame in your mind the type of tasks you want her to do and slowly to step by step training until she gets it.
For instance, for scent alert training, I had to teach my boy two different steps separately and then combine tham. I had to teach him to target train on a piece of blue tape attached to my body, to bump me. Then I trained him to recognize the scent that occurs in my saliva when I'm having a sleep attack (for this, you collect saliva samples and store them airtight in your freezer and pull one out when you are ready to train). Then I combined the two when he was really good at both of them by having him sniff the scent sample and then bump me. Only then did he get the click and reward.
Go slow and if your girl seems confused, go back to an easier step that she can accomplish.
I just want to stress that an emotional support animal is not considered a service dog and thus does not have the same public access rights as service dogs.
It might be better to have him acknowledged as a service dog instead of an ESA. As long as your dog is trained in three tasks that are specifically designed to help mitigate your disability, then it can be considered a service dog.
You also need a letter from a qualified health professional stating that the dog is necessary for your disablilty.
I just wanted to give you this information in case you are planning on taking your dog to public places with you. I'm not trying to bring you down or anything. I just want to make sure you are aware of the differences and laws regarding service dogs vs. ESAs.
You can train your own service dog, and if you're not a licensed trainer, how can you certify it? This is why the ADA does not require it.
Remeber, Federal Law trumps State Law and any law that affords you the most protection wins overall.
The only legal questions a business can ask about your dog is: "Is it a service dog?" and "What tasks is it trained to perform?" They cannot require you to show the tasks since some tasks are only triggered in a given situation (like when someone is about to have a panic attack). They cannot ask you what your disability is either. That is illegal.
The only way a service dog can be asked to leave an establishment is if it is out of control, i.e. urinating or deficating inside the establishment or breaking loose and running around, *and* you are unable to get the dog under control, or, if the dog poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others or the establishment. I.e. lunging, growling or snapping at customers or other dogs, knocking things over and damaging merchandise. Human harm has more weight than physical property. Perceived or assumed threat is not a legal grounds for removal. For instance, my mom's Great Dane barked to alert her that she was about to have an episode and a store manager told us we had to leave because of the barking and later they defended that it was a direct threat. This is bogus.
Also, if your service dog falls under the out of control or direct threat category, they can only ask you to remove the dog. They are supposed to still provide you with services.