Service Dog Basic Info
First and foremost, I want to make sure you and anyone wanting to get a service understand that you don’t need to pay to certify your dog as a service dog. If you are in a program or on a website and they charge you to get a badge or harness so that you can take your dog where they are legally allowed to be, it is a scam. I say this because pretty much anyone you meet who has a service dog has fallen victim to this. If your dog listens to you, leaves people & other animals alone, can perform tasks to help you with your disability, and is seen by a vet that is all the requirement you need.
Now this is true if you are truly bringing a service dog into a building. There are a few qualifications and rules to qualify as a service dog allowing you to bring them with you.
They must behave and listen to you even at times of frenzy. They must be able to focus on you if their favorite animal like a bunny rabbit or squirrel goes by and they must be able to leave other dogs alone. Essentially they must be and be your control and attentive to you at all times.
Your service animal can be asked to leave if they are being dangerous to people and other animals around them.
Your service animal can also be asked to leave if they are being a disruption.
They must be leashed and harnessed unless otherwise listed.
This is out of respect for others and possible fears or concerns around animals.
Also, Service dogs are still animals and make mistakes just like we do. Having a harness and lead at the ready can take a possibly dangerous situation and make it manageable.
They must preform a task or tasks that make living with your disability easier.
For Example: They must be able to retrieve something for you, notify you of an attack coming, provide assistance with carrying things, get help if something goes wrong. These are just a few of the things Belle does for me.
Other wonderful skills that your dog can be trained to do that would qualify range from blocking people from you making sure you have plenty of safe space, they can pick up on a syncope episode, they can help protect you during and after a fall, they can pull a wheelchair and they can do so much more.
Service dogs must be vaccinated and checked by a veterinarian often.
You are bringing an animal into restaurants, hotels, schools, and shops that all need to be respected as well. People are eating, sleeping, and going about their lives they do not need to be worried about the health and hyenine of your animal.
You need to make sure vaccinations are up to date.
They are routinely checked for fleas, ticks, and worms.
Make sure you are giving them a flea and tick medication as well.
Every situation is different when it comes to where you can bring your service dog and what they need to do to comply with safety requirements.
Above are the basics that need to be followed pretty much everywhere. However, if you are planning on flying with your dog there is another few steps.
You need to make a vet appointment.
There is a department of transportation application that will need to be filled out by both you and the vet. Explaining that the dog will be able to handle *insert length of flight here*
The vet will need to sign off that the dog does not have fleas. You will be in tight quarters and you do not want to spread fleas to a flight full of people.
You will need to make sure every vaccine is up to date for both the place you are flying out from and the place you are flying into.
Below is a link to my favorite service dog must haves!
I will write and explain more about my trip with belle and how we navigated her first flight. I will talk about things that helped, things I brought, things I should have brought, things that weren’t worth it and things that I wish I had known sooner. STAY TUNED!
