{"id":2283,"date":"2020-06-29T00:48:34","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T05:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/?p=2283"},"modified":"2023-09-13T12:30:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T17:30:58","slug":"how-to-get-a-service-dog-for-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/how-to-get-a-service-dog-for-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get a Service Dog for Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us can relate to the feeling of seeing a golden good boy in a \u201cService Dog\u201d vest and wanting to pet them but knowing we shouldn\u2019t. A service dogs serves an important role in assisting its owner with a disability. So, how can you get a service dog for anxiety?<\/p>\n

To get a service dog for anxiety, an individual’s anxiety must be severe or debilitating in nature. While the ADA does not mandate a recommendation letter from a licensed mental health professional or doctor to use a service dog in public places, such documentation can be useful in contexts like housing or air travel where different regulations apply. <\/strong><\/p>\n

You will also need to be able to provide a stable home environment, as well as the ability to consistently care for and train your service dog. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re struggling with a physical disability or a psychiatric condition, you may qualify for a service animal. But, how might a service dog help with your anxiety? How would you go about getting a service dog? And how do these differ from emotional support animals for anxiety?<\/p>\n

Keep reading and answer all these questions and more!<\/p>\n

What is a Service Dog?<\/h2>\n

Before we dive right in, let\u2019s clarify exactly what a service dog is.<\/p>\n

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cService animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person\u2019s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.<\/p>\n\n

This definition does not affect or limit the broader definition of \u201cassistance animal\u201d under the Fair Housing Act or the broader definition of \u201cservice animal\u201d under the Air Carrier Access Act.<\/p>\n\n

Some State and local laws also define \u2018service animal\u2019 more broadly than the ADA does.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, a service dog is a dog that is specifically trained to perform disability-related tasks for an owner with a disability<\/strong>. Service dogs are protected by the ADA, so a disabled owner can legally bring their service dog just about anywhere with them, bypassing typical pet policies. <\/strong>A service dog differs from an emotional support animal because of its training; its job is to assist its owner in a capacity that goes beyond emotional comfort alone. We\u2019ll get into the differences between service animals and emotional support animals in greater detail later.<\/p>\n

How Does a Service Dog Help with Anxiety?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Generally speaking, service dogs can provide a vast range of services for their owners. Guide dogs, hearing dogs, seizure response dogs, diabetic alert dogs, mobility assistance dogs, allergy detection dogs, autism support dogs, and psychiatric support dogs are the 8 most common categories of service dogs. In this article, we\u2019ll be focusing mainly on psychiatric service dogs, as they are typically the most relevant type of service dog for people with anxiety.<\/p>\n

Anxiety and anxiety disorders can vary greatly from person to person, and can be as individual as a fingerprint. The service you actually require from an anxiety service dog can also vary greatly. Theoretically, a service dog can be trained to assist with anxiety in just about any way you could imagine or require.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of the most common ways how service dogs can help with anxiety include:<\/p>\n