A La Aspie

I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which makes really simple stuff not quite so simple. When I was in my last relationship, we naturally ebbed and flowed so well together that my weaknesses were his strengths and although there were things that were annoyances to him, he always did like a girl who he could fancy weaker than himself. And so it worked.

In September, I went through a traumatic event that while did injure me physically, did more injury to me emotionally and mentally than anything else and compounded any difficulties I might have been having before that time. I was, at that point, dealing with severe depression and anxiety ALONG with Asperger’s Syndrome ALONG with PTSD. AND my main practical day to day support for the last six years, my husband, was gone.

I’ve done a lot of things to help myself recover as quickly as possible from the trauma of September and one of the things I did was get a dog. No… not a silver bullet, by any means but it was my first step towards feeling safer. What I discovered is that the dog also provided other more subtle things that I sometimes relied on my ex for. Like keeping me moving through my day and knowing exactly when I need affection (although the dog gives it to me, which is a step up, in my book).

Slowly, over the months, the dog and I have become inseparable around the house and when I leave the house, I feel like I’m leaving a part of me behind. When the man cub is in school and I’m here by myself, it feels normal and natural to take Cody with me to the grocery store or to the bank. I want to have him there to usher me to the door when I have a panic attack or get too over stimulated. I wish he could come with me to insulate me from the crowd. When I come home, I want him there to walk with me between the car and the house so that I feel safe. I feel unable to do a whole lot of stuff without that help. Normal every day stuff that I used to be able to do with a husband around… or that I just never was able to do with confidence. Using an animal for that is called having a service animal.

Service dogs aren’t just seeing eye dogs or hearing dogs. Service dogs can help people who are physically handicapped or emotionally or mentally disabled and service dogs are being used with autism more and more frequently. Although the few tasks I named seem fairly simple, when considering having an assistance dog for Asperger’s Syndrome, the idea actually fit an entire gamut of behaviors that would be a huge help to both myself and my son and would make daily life that much easier and more livable.

However, when I started looking into having Cody trained as a service dog, much to my chagrin, I found that service dogs are far from regulated. There is no system of trainers or programs to train a dog to be a service dog and most services that train service dogs, use puppies from their own breeders, not a dog that is already a companion animal. The trainers that will train a companion animal charge thousands of dollars for their services and while I don’t begrudge them their living, that’s just not something I can afford.

However, contrary to popular belief, there is no requirement that a dog must have training by a particular type of facility and it is perfectly legal for an owner to train their own service dog. And while there are several trustworthy organizations that serve as registries and testing agencies for service dogs, there is also no central licensing or certification requirement for service dogs.

Some states, counties and cities have requirements but their requirements are trumped by the Department of Justice Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which holds out no requirements other than the service dog must be individually trained in a verifiable action that supports the functioning of the disabled person. Here is their FAQ.

So, not only is it possible to train one’s own service dog, it is accessible and legal to do so. True to form, I’m going to do it myself, for little or no money and I’m going to blog about the whole process. This process includes how to choose tasks that the dog can help you with, how to create a vest and identification, how to get accessible testing and licensing, in what order to train tasks and how to responsibly handle a service dog.

I’m no expert yet… but I started this process about a year ago when researching how to use Tobi for therapy work so I’m a little ahead of the posts or I wouldn’t have the confidence to start this series. After all, it’s a tall order, training a service dog.

Step 1 : Deciding if a Service Dog is a Good Fit - And How
Step 2 : Choosing or Using an Appropriate Dog

Also may have been crossposted to my Asperger's Syndrome blog on Trusera.com, a site where people show health related stories. Check it out!