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Support Animals

Is it a trained cat? Can you train a cat? The local animal shelter is chock full of cats. Sorry if this is off base, I don't know about therapy cats. Major allergy.
Best wishes.
 
My neighbor who works where I work had kittens a couple years ago, I decided to ask if I could see them, and then if I could have 2 of them, now I have 2 very affectionate cats. That was my first step towards not being cripplingly lonely all the time, kitty hug therapy for the win.
 
Good luck! I love cats but I don't know how to get a registered therapy cat. I think all cats are therapy! Maybe just go to the shelter and wait for one to come to you that's very affectionate or a lap cat. That's what I will do when I get my next cat. :catface:
 
I have a emotional support dog, but you need to research laws in your specific state. For me the process was really easy, I literally just asked my doctor and he wrote a 'perscription' for my dog to be an ESA. I live in Florida, and here a ESA will only get grant you a few things: your animal can fly on a plane with you and not in cargo, you are allowed to live in 'no pets' housing, and you dont have to pay pet deposits in apartments, etc. You cannot bring them into public places where animals are prohibited. There are no special vests or patches like a service animal, and any website claiming to sell the products or certification is a ripoff. ESAs don't require licensure. Service animals on the other hand can be obtained from a specialty breeder, or if you are able to train your animal to do just one "specific task" that improves your life (like bringing you a medication bag, opening doors, or even like ptsd dogs are trained to turn on light switches to wake a person from a nightmare) then they are able to be certified, and can be brought into public. They do not need to wear the special vests, and if anyone asks and you tell them it is a service animal they cannot question your further or ask for 'proof'. If the animal is disruptive or misbehaving though, it can be apparent they are not a service animal and you can be fined. So if you do train your own, it is advised to make sure it is a well tempered and behaved animal as service animals are hand picked to be. Hope this helps, I did a lot of research a while back when I rescued my dog. He's an ESA which is great for not paying the pet deposit but I wish I could take him places, he's just not well behaved and reliable enough to do what I trained him to do all of the time. (He's almost like a seizure alert dog, but he can usually alert me to an impending stress meltdown) Look up state specific disability and service animal laws, and even ask your doctor. :)
 
I know it works for empty nest syndrome. All of our kids have left home and have families of their own. I used to joke to the kids that I was going to kick them out as soon as they turned 18. However, it wasn't so funny when they left. Now we have Chihuahuas and they are our babies. They mean a lot to my wife and I. We spoil them a lot more than we ever did our kids.
 
Melissa Kay said:
Good luck! I love cats but I don't know how to get a registered therapy cat. I think all cats are therapy! Maybe just go to the shelter and wait for one to come to you that's very affectionate or a lap cat. That's what I will do when I get my next cat. :catface:
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I think my cat is great therapy. She knows what moods I am in and is always there, maybe all cats are therapy cats.
 
I agree. I never owned a cat because my parents hated them, so when I moved out I went to the pound to look. I didnt know if I'd like them, but after only looking at 3, a sleepy black kitten woke up and just stared at me. It was an instant bond, and I swear more than a year later, he knows me better than I do. He's like a less annoying, affectionate lap dog- but with a 24/7 diesel engine purr. Cats are the most underappreciated therapy animals.
 
Has anyone here ever think of getting an emotional support animal (ESA) to help with anxiety and social stuff? I really can't be around people for more than thirty minutes which makes college super hard. I'm taking one class at a community college right now and in the past I've had to drop a bunch of classes due to being too overwhelmed.

But it makes it easier than on certain days there are therapy dogs at the school. I do a lot better with animals. Just have my cat sitting next to me (like he is right now) calms me down a lot more than any pills.

So, I was considering when going away to college (first I got to prove to my mom I'm able to leave the house and go a few hours away. She's terrified I'll be stranded in a different state while having a bunch of mental issues due to two of her friends kids having that issue and them having to be brought home/etc.) getting an ESA. If I can convince my psychiatrist, of course.

But I think it would help me, especially because the field I want to go in (biomedical engineering) will probably not consist of me being in a small liberal arts college or what have you.

My friend's young daughter also has Autism (I'm not sure the official diagnosis, but I know she's "more severe" than Aspergers) and she has an emotional support dog and apparently it's really helped.
 
I don't really need one, except for the pets I have at home, but I know someone with an ESA who works at a law clinic. I don't know her very well, so I haven't asked about her diagnosis, but we've talked about the dog's training and what he does for her. I also know somebody in a wheelchair who works at an insurance company and has a service dog. They're wonderful things, and the bond is so beautiful.

One question: I used to be the business manager for a biomedical research lab. Can you bring a dog into a laboratory setting? You might have to fight a little for that accommodation, because of lab protocols. It's my understanding that the ADA doesn't cover therapy animals in some environments, sometimes for the health and safety of the dog, and sometimes for the regulations that apply to the setting.

I know you're only talking about getting the ESA for college, but once you get used to it -- maybe even become emotionally reliant on it -- it may be hard to have to give it up for a job. Some agencies also want the dog back if it's still young enough and you can't bring it to your primary daily location. I'm not discouraging you from looking it, but you may want to keep this stuff in mind.
 
Well, I do a lot better in research/etc. settings versus more social settings. So I think the job would be less of a problem versus, say, going to a restaurant or something where I actively need to socialized and be around huge groups of people.

I mean, I assume more research-y jobs are less social and more individual. That's what I've always been told.

But that is a good question.

((Also I've been wondering. What are those stats in your signature about?)
 
I love dogs, and I love to pet them and cuddle with them. I have heard of emotional support animals, and think that it would be cool to have a dog. I am currently living at home, but when I eventually move out, I don't know if I would be able to function on my own. Could a service dog or an emotional support dog help me to live independently?

I know that service dogs are for people with disabilities, but I don't know if I would even qualify for one. My problems are not very "noticable", but I can't hold down a job (autistic shutdown/sensory overload), and I feel limited because of my autism. In addition, I often feel anxious or sad, and I think that having a furry friend would help alleviate my anxiety.

Does anyone have experience with a service dog or an emotional support animal?
 
My understanding is that the distinction between a service dog and an emotional support animal is made principally over the very prospect of independent living.

That an emotional support animal is just that. A catalyst- companion to provide emotional support, but nothing more than that. Where a service dog may do any number of things from retrieving mail to turning lights on and off, and physically "guiding" you whether you may be wheelchair bound or not. Either way though they are dogs and likely project unconditional love as a companion. I love dogs too.

In the case of a service dog, it's just a matter of what you daily physical/medical needs are relative to what skills a dog has been specifically trained for. And that perhaps such an animal might be trained specifically for you depending on how you personally are assessed/diagnosed in a formal medical sense.
 
Ok. You guys are going to hear a lot about Cubby. :) Yes, I brought him in on a temporary basis, knowing how destructive he can be (I've seen where he has tore up the corner of a house and chewed his way through a 2x4, and nothing has been able to hold him. I was afraid I couldn't handle him. But all that time, he was just lonely. He's mine now and if you watched him here, you would think he was a trained service dog. I'm still working on teaching him to play -he's never been played with.
I was brushing my teeth this morning and stepped back and there he was - standing directly behind me, watching the door. I cough and he runs to me and get in my face (I think if I passed out he would lick me awake). When I put him outside and have to reach down to pick up the tie out, he lets me lean over him and he holds me up where it's easier for me to reach down. He sleeps at the foot of my bed facing the door. I know he's watching out for me. He's a good 100 pounds. He's gained weight since he's been here - ribs no longer showing (before he would eat, but I think the stress kept him from putting on weight). Oh, and lots of people come and go here - outside and he's the friendliest dog you'd ever meet and actually the only dog I've ever know that loves being hugged around his neck.
ANyhow - I know he's not a certified service dog and he's not certified anything lol, but he's been a great emotional support dog for me - I feel better in every sense of the word since he's been here. I didn't realize I needed him as much as he needed me. Funny thing, I had dreamed one night that he was pressing his nose against my cheek and the only thing I really knew about him is that he was always tied outside and destructive. That day I called and said, I had this dream and they said that was how Cubby kisses - pressing his nose against your cheek. So I said bring him. And here we are.
Oh, and my little poodle/bichon mix will not do anything without Cubby along now.
 
Hello,

I was contemplating about a support animal.
Anyone has one?
How does it concretely differ in your everyday from having a regular pet? Was it hard to get one?
 
I have my dog Bailey as my emotional support animal. I just had to ask my therapist to write me a letter to say that my anxiety Is less when I have him with me. I even had a special bag made to keep him close to me.
 
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