Psychological Assistance dogs UK

[Rosa 10]

Rosa, what is it you are needing an assistance dog to do for you?

 

So far this thread has highlighted that the majority of dogs are capable of some form of 'assistance' through their natural attributes. Would the right pet dog be adequate to assist you with your problem?

 

I am needing the assistance dog to help boost my confidence with people when out, especially when on my own in places. At the minute I am sort of confined to the house unless my partner is with me. I get very anxious when on transport on my own and I think a dog that is used for assistance would help with this. Plus the assistance dog, wearing the fluorescent jacket would point out to people that I can take the dog in places I would not otherwise be able to take it.

 

The dog would act as a buffer between myself and other people, So it would be the focus of first meeting conversations.

[Rosa 10]

sometimes Rosa you don't have much option ive had to work fern,ramble & gwenda when i haven't been very well like going to the doctors for instance

but they could always tell when i wasn't very well & would walk slower with me & just let me sleep when i got home

 

I totally understand this Fabcakes. My partner had to do the same with many Guide dogs.

[8531felicity 10]

Excellent point rosa! I know exactly where your coming from.

[Rosa 10]

Thanks Felicity. :-)

 

I contacted PAD UK and they emailled to say they have had a personal tragedy and they will be in touch when this has ended. :-( I feel sorry for them, but feel it sounds a little precarious at the same time.

[Strix 11]

Did you come across this discussion on your searches?

 

I'm sure I've heard somewhere that if you NEED your dog for support, then nobody has the right to exclude them, but I've never seen it in print, and I don't know if it's a letter from your doctor you need or what?

 

In reality there's nothing to stop you putting a jacket on your pet dog and winging it (so long as your dog is well trained enough to LOOK like he/she is doing the job you are claiming they're doing) - contact the kennel club about the 'good citizen' scheme

[Rosa 10]

Did you come across this discussion on your searches?

 

I'm sure I've heard somewhere that if you NEED your dog for support, then nobody has the right to exclude them, but I've never seen it in print, and I don't know if it's a letter from your doctor you need or what?

 

In reality there's nothing to stop you putting a jacket on your pet dog and winging it (so long as your dog is well trained enough to LOOK like he/she is doing the job you are claiming they're doing) - contact the kennel club about the 'good citizen' scheme

 

Thanks Strix, I did come across that particular Association (MHAD) but they ask for £350 up front just for you to read a few books and train your own dog. It all didn't sound very like a charity to me. What I want is legitimate help from a charity that has been set up properly.

 

I will read about the good citizen scheme however. I would be very afraid of putting a jacket on a dog that is not from a charity.

[Strix 11]

Why? Brude wears a hi-vis harness in crowded places, on twilight walks, on motorway journeys and on woodland walks. It's not even a jacket, but people tell their kids to leave him alone as he's training

 

He used to wear a hi-vis jacket with reflective paw prints on. Only to stop him getting lost or stood on

[Lotti 10]

All mental health support dogs organisations are relatively new because up until recently it's been a bit taboo and even now a lot of the existing assistance dog organisations won't entertain the idea.

 

mentalhealthdogs.org.uk will help but they train up your own dog as opposed to having a dog that they can provide you with. Whether this will change I don't know. They are not under the ADI umbrella so have more flexibility to work with people and train them to the standard required.

 

It means that even if the dog the person owns isn't quite cut out for full on assistance work, they will help to train it to a point where it can still help the owner on a smaller scale rather than just saying a blunt no. The only time they'll refuse a dog is if the dog has health problems or major behavioural issues.

 

Good luck, it's certainly not come about before time! I hope you manage to get some help.

[Rosa 10]

Why? Brude wears a hi-vis harness in crowded places, on twilight walks, on motorway journeys and on woodland walks. It's not even a jacket, but people tell their kids to leave him alone as he's training

 

He used to wear a hi-vis jacket with reflective paw prints on. Only to stop him getting lost or stood on

 

Sounds fine what you are doing there then. I had not thought about that. I think I just would not want to see other people who had not got well trained dogs ( I don't mean yours) getting harnesses and jackets as that would ultimately take charities like Guide Dogs away as people would stop funding them. My partner had a harness stolen from a Guide dog and that happens a lot.

[Rosa 10]

All mental health support dogs organisations are relatively new because up until recently it's been a bit taboo and even now a lot of the existing assistance dog organisations won't entertain the idea.

 

mentalhealthdogs.org.uk will help but they train up your own dog as opposed to having a dog that they can provide you with. Whether this will change I don't know. They are not under the ADI umbrella so have more flexibility to work with people and train them to the standard required.

 

It means that even if the dog the person owns isn't quite cut out for full on assistance work, they will help to train it to a point where it can still help the owner on a smaller scale rather than just saying a blunt no. The only time they'll refuse a dog is if the dog has health problems or major behavioural issues.

 

Good luck, it's certainly not come about before time! I hope you manage to get some help.

 

Thanks Lotti, Hope you are ok these days? Seems like you can't sleep either! haha

 

I also have Ankylosing Spondylitis, which causes me a lot of pain, but I am not in a wheelchair or anything. The mental health problems came first though. I used to able to get out by myself but I think since the back pain it has left me less able to feel independent. Plus as I say I have social phobia anyway.

 

It's knowing which organisation would help the most. I must point out that I love animals and have had several cats and small animals and I grew up with dogs, but I have not owned a dog of my own.

 

Thanks for the info about MHD. I will look more into them.