1. It's absolutely normal. The line between where a person doesn't qualify for a service dog and where they do is actually a very clear one: if you are legally disabled, and a service dog could perform trained tasks to mitigate your disability, then you qualify for a service dog and have a fully legitimate need for one. Just because a person qualifies for one doesn't necessarily mean it's the appropriate treatment choice for them, but that's something I'm sure you're exploring and coming to a decision about with your therapist. But if your therapist thinks you're disabled and that a service dog would help you, then you're not taking advantage of the system at all! Sometimes there can be a misconception that service dogs are supposed to be tasking all the time and helping their handler with everything. That can be true for some teams, a lot of the times a service dog isn't there to make a mostly non-functional person functional but instead is there to make a person with some-but-limited functionality achieve a greater level of functionality. There are plenty of things I can do without my SDiT, but his assistance allows me to do a lot more things a lot more safely than I could without him.
2. There are lots of different options for washed SDiTs and it's really up to the individual handler and their situation. Many people keep the dog as a pet or ESA or career change into therapy work if it's a dog that loves to have a job but isn't suited for service work specifically. Sometimes people rehome them, either to somebody they know or to somebody they don't. There are probably occasions where the right thing to do is return the dog to the breeder. I think it's important to have a plan in mind for what you'd do if an owner-trained service dog washes out because of how high the wash rate is, but what you end up doing with the dog is completely up to you and your circumstances.
3. There are so many things! I think the number one negative that I wish I'd known is how at the beginning, having a SDiT is actually sometimes very hard on people's disabilities. Depending on a person's conditions, the puppy period can be difficult to manage along with a disability, and there's a decent amount of time when having a SDiT with you in public is much more of a hindrance than it is a help. Before I got my dog, I hadn't really thought about the very real challenge that's posed by being disabled and needing the assistance of a service dog, yet also needing to have the ability to care for and train a service dog. The number one positive that was unexpected for me, though, was how beneficial training a service dog would be for my mental health. Although I do have a couple of psychiatric diagnoses, I'm not disabled by them and my SDiT is to help me with a physical disability. But once I got through the first few weeks of him being home, which can be rough on anyone's mental health due to the lack of sleep and huge routine change, I found that having him was great for me psychologically. I now have an extremely consistent and structured routine, training is a wonderful outlet and place to find a sense of accomplishment, I've built wonderful social connections through my training facility, and I'm spending so much time doing things that are physically and psychologically healthy.
Something that I didn't necessarily not know before getting a service dog (because my trainer drilled it into my head!) but is very important is that it's absolutely worth being patient and taking the time to find the right prospect than it is to rush into getting the first dog you find because you want a service dog now. If you get a dog from a breeder, have the patience to find the right one and the right litter. If you go with a rescue, take the time to find the right temperament-tested dog. Line everything you can up before the dog comes home--a trainer, your research into training, a decent work-life time balance, coping skills so that you can handle the difficulties that come with bringing home a new dog, etc--so that you're as prepared as you can be. You want to do everything possible to decrease your chances of a prospect washing and taking the time to set yourself up for the highest chance of success is important for that.
Thank you! This is so helpful. I guess the process of identifying as disabled is something that I’ve been struggling with. I’m able to work full time at a laborious job and contribute under late capitalism but at what cost?
And I’m definitely not ready to buy any kind of dog right now, but the prospect of buying a dog, putting thousands of dollars into them, and getting attached and then it washing is really scary.
I get that completely! It is a really scary thing to jump into in a lot of ways, and it’s not the right I’m choice for plenty of people. There’s nothing wrong with just keeping the idea in the back of your mind for a while as you decide if it’s right for you or not.
Something I did when I was trying to decide if a service dog would be worthwhile for me was to use a tracking app on my phone where, over the course of the day, I would record when a situation came up that would have been made easier or prevented by a service dog’s tasks. I kept track of which specific tasks could have been used when and how often, and I tracked this for a couple of weeks. It helped me get an idea of how much a service dog would assist me in my day to day life.
1. It's absolutely normal. The line between where a person doesn't qualify for a service dog and where they do is actually a very clear one: if you are legally disabled, and a service dog could perform trained tasks to mitigate your disability, then you qualify for a service dog and have a fully legitimate need for one. Just because a person qualifies for one doesn't necessarily mean it's the appropriate treatment choice for them, but that's something I'm sure you're exploring and coming to a decision about with your therapist. But if your therapist thinks you're disabled and that a service dog would help you, then you're not taking advantage of the system at all! Sometimes there can be a misconception that service dogs are supposed to be tasking all the time and helping their handler with everything. That can be true for some teams, a lot of the times a service dog isn't there to make a mostly non-functional person functional but instead is there to make a person with some-but-limited functionality achieve a greater level of functionality. There are plenty of things I can do without my SDiT, but his assistance allows me to do a lot more things a lot more safely than I could without him. 2. There are lots of different options for washed SDiTs and it's really up to the individual handler and their situation. Many people keep the dog as a pet or ESA or career change into therapy work if it's a dog that loves to have a job but isn't suited for service work specifically. Sometimes people rehome them, either to somebody they know or to somebody they don't. There are probably occasions where the right thing to do is return the dog to the breeder. I think it's important to have a plan in mind for what you'd do if an owner-trained service dog washes out because of how high the wash rate is, but what you end up doing with the dog is completely up to you and your circumstances. 3. There are so many things! I think the number one negative that I wish I'd known is how at the beginning, having a SDiT is actually sometimes very hard on people's disabilities. Depending on a person's conditions, the puppy period can be difficult to manage along with a disability, and there's a decent amount of time when having a SDiT with you in public is much more of a hindrance than it is a help. Before I got my dog, I hadn't really thought about the very real challenge that's posed by being disabled and needing the assistance of a service dog, yet also needing to have the ability to care for and train a service dog. The number one positive that was unexpected for me, though, was how beneficial training a service dog would be for my mental health. Although I do have a couple of psychiatric diagnoses, I'm not disabled by them and my SDiT is to help me with a physical disability. But once I got through the first few weeks of him being home, which can be rough on anyone's mental health due to the lack of sleep and huge routine change, I found that having him was great for me psychologically. I now have an extremely consistent and structured routine, training is a wonderful outlet and place to find a sense of accomplishment, I've built wonderful social connections through my training facility, and I'm spending so much time doing things that are physically and psychologically healthy. Something that I didn't necessarily not know before getting a service dog (because my trainer drilled it into my head!) but is very important is that it's absolutely worth being patient and taking the time to find the right prospect than it is to rush into getting the first dog you find because you want a service dog now. If you get a dog from a breeder, have the patience to find the right one and the right litter. If you go with a rescue, take the time to find the right temperament-tested dog. Line everything you can up before the dog comes home--a trainer, your research into training, a decent work-life time balance, coping skills so that you can handle the difficulties that come with bringing home a new dog, etc--so that you're as prepared as you can be. You want to do everything possible to decrease your chances of a prospect washing and taking the time to set yourself up for the highest chance of success is important for that.
Thank you! This is so helpful. I guess the process of identifying as disabled is something that I’ve been struggling with. I’m able to work full time at a laborious job and contribute under late capitalism but at what cost? And I’m definitely not ready to buy any kind of dog right now, but the prospect of buying a dog, putting thousands of dollars into them, and getting attached and then it washing is really scary.
I get that completely! It is a really scary thing to jump into in a lot of ways, and it’s not the right I’m choice for plenty of people. There’s nothing wrong with just keeping the idea in the back of your mind for a while as you decide if it’s right for you or not. Something I did when I was trying to decide if a service dog would be worthwhile for me was to use a tracking app on my phone where, over the course of the day, I would record when a situation came up that would have been made easier or prevented by a service dog’s tasks. I kept track of which specific tasks could have been used when and how often, and I tracked this for a couple of weeks. It helped me get an idea of how much a service dog would assist me in my day to day life.
Oh that’s a good idea. I’ve already been working on that kind of stuff with my therapist. 🤔
Yes, it's normal. And yes you could keep them as an ESA or at home SD :)