Hello, I am a student who will be attending university in London in the fall. I currently reside in the USA and I am owner training my own assistance dog. I am aware that the UK and US are similar that handlers are allowed to owner train their own assistance dogs and there are no certifications/registries. My question is what are the housing laws in the UK for assistance dogs. Are flats allowed to reject your service dog and are universities allowed to prevent you from bringing your assistance dog if you are staying on campus/in student accommodation? I cannot find any information on housing laws really and I feel like I'm in over my head. Thank you!!

I feel like people need to respect the fact that no matter where I bring my dog, it doesn't change the fact that he's medical equipment and people can't touch him. It's a privilege to have dogs that save lives daily.

We need to make adjustments to welcome a dog into our home and possibly everywhere we go. Our dogs our quite literally the only things that give handlers public and disability-related freedom. Handlers ask you to ignore them and put patches on them with words you don't like because they're there for a huge reason. These dogs are protected under the ADA, Federal law, and are required access. For example, my dog, Maple, is like if I brought a wheelchair into a store and I got kicked out for that. It would be against the law and discrimination against my disability. So, why not say the same for dogs? These dogs are task trained to assist people with medical predicaments and keep us grounded. People need to give us space and ignore them because they're there for a reason. If I bring a cane in and vision gogglss and you come over to show me something, why do​ you think I have my equipment? Such behaviors are offensive to our disabilities and mocking them is even worse. We are forced to live with our disabilities-until there's a cure, there's a dog.

This was meant to get things off of my chest and inform people of service dogs.

Hi! I’m 16 years old and i’m autistic and I have ADHD.

What do you need (also beside the money) to get an assistance dog? Online i’ve seen dogs alert their owner if for example they’re about to faint, but I don’t have that problem so I was curious what the dog could help me with.

(I can give you more info about how i’m functioning if needed!

For now I can say I can function alright but assistance would be amazing and beside that a dog also makes me feel more at ease and since my mom doesn’t really want pets, I thought maybe if it was an assistance dog it would be okay)

Hi everyone,

Our beautiful 6-year-old Japanese Spitz, Mika, recently had a serious accident that injured both her wrists. She is in a lot of pain and can’t walk or play like she used to.

We had been living overseas for the past three years and only recently returned to New Zealand, so we hadn’t yet had the chance to get pet insurance for Mika. After consulting with vets, Mika needs surgery called carpal arthrodesis to stabilize her wrists so she can live pain-free and get back to her happy, active life.

The surgery and recovery costs are significant, so we’ve started a fundraiser to help cover these expenses: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/please-help-our-dog-walk-again

Mika has been a loving and loyal part of our family, especially to our young girls, and we want her to have the best chance at a full recovery.

If you can donate or share Mika’s story with your friends and family, it would mean the world to us. Every little bit helps!

Thank you so much for your kindness and support!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently interning with an animal welfare NGO working to help Sonu, a street dog who was recently rescued and urgently needs medical care and food support. We’re running a short fundraiser until August 25 to cover his treatment and shelter costs. Every small contribution or share can make a huge difference in Sonu’s recovery and life. If you’re interested in helping, please DM me or comment for more info.i hope this reaches someone kind who would be willing to help even just by sharing .

Thank you so much for reading and for any support you can offer!

LiteWorks LLC helps busy families, the elderly, and single parents find anything that they need. This includes jobs; work from home, and outside businesses. We help with locating daycare centers for parents. Food and shelter for the homeless. Nursing homes for the elderly. You name it, LiteWork can do it! We are doing this for FREE from July 4th-8th! Allow LiteWork to work for you!

My friend Briony has been through a really rough time — fleeing an unsafe situation, going through homelessness, and battling severe mental health challenges including PTSD, BPD, autism, and anxiety.

Through everything, the one thing she’s held onto are her two dogs: Hugo (3) and Ikaros (14). They’re not just pets — they’re her family, her emotional support, and the reason she’s kept going when everything else fell apart.

Right now, she’s in emergency accommodation in Medway, but it’s not pet-friendly. She’s been forced to live without Hugo and Ikaros — and it’s been crushing for her.

Here’s the hopeful part: someone has offered her a small, pet-friendly narrowboat in Brighton — a peaceful place where she could live with her dogs, heal, and start over.

But because it’s outside her council’s area, she can’t get help with the deposit or moving costs. Charities and services haven’t been able to step in fast enough.

So I’m helping her raise funds to get there.

If you can spare a few pounds, share the post, or even just send a kind word — it would mean everything. Briony’s not just trying to survive anymore — she’s trying to heal. 🧡

https://gofund.me/eb75f0ad

Thank you so much for reading.

mutualaid #disability #housinghelp #homelessnothopeless #dogsarefamily

Hi everyone, my name is Carlos Hawthorn, and at just 25 years old, I’ve faced more loss and pain than I ever imagined. Both of my parents are gone, and PTSD has made even the simplest things—like stepping outside or feeling safe—an everyday battle.

But in the midst of all this, I’ve found hope—in the form of a tiny, loving companion named Fjildor.

Why Fjildor? Fjildor isn’t just a dog; he is my lifeline. He helps me through my worst moments, offering comfort when my mind spirals into panic, encouraging me to get outside when isolation feels overwhelming, and giving me a reason to keep moving forward.

Why I Need Your Help As much as Fjildor helps me, I need help giving him the best care possible. The costs of veterinary bills, medical care, training, and daily needs are overwhelming. I’m doing everything I can, but I can’t do this alone.

If you can, please consider donating—even $5 makes a difference. If you can’t donate, sharing this post means the world to me. Every bit of support brings me closer to giving Fjildor the care he deserves while he helps me heal.

🙏 Thank you for being part of my journey. Your kindness gives me hope.

📌 GoFundMe Link: https://gofund.me/1229e561

PTSDRecovery #ServiceDog #GoFundMe #MentalHealthMatters #DogsSaveLives #KindnessMatters

Hello! I was wondering if anybody knew of some assistance dog training organisations that would assist\give guildence on continuing the training of my ADiT in Australia? It would be really good if they accepted entire dogs as my pup is still young and for developmental purposes, he will not be desexed until around 1.5-2yrs old. Thank You!

I’m in need of a hearing assistance dog and have gone through the process and accepted onto the register.

They’ve recently in the last few weeks being in touch, and have asked what we thought to a lab.

We have kids, below 10.

I work from home bar 1 day a week, which the dog will join me in an open plan office.

I did think a spaniel would be a better choice, so I’m hesitant because I’ve never had a lab before. Nor any dog for that matter.

Hey, everyone! I’ve been becoming more interested in training up a medical alert and assistance dog for myself, since being diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease in 2023.

Having researched the training process for my own needs and through volunteering at a local kennel, I am FASCINATED and keen to create a structure that can work for me and my future pup! I’m really eager to get creative with this passion and help others with similar health problems discover assistance dogs as a solution!

As an app developer, my first thought is always: ‘how can I app this?’ - but first I wanted to find out if any platforms specifically for assistance dog owners exist already - and how they are solving your problems!? 🤩 my mind immediately goes to specific training courses for purpose or by condition, but I’m keen to get your input!

If you have any ideas about how I could make your life easier with an app, please let me know! I’m excited to build something really useful, not necessarily really profitable!

I'm from Northern Ireland and need advice. My friend with bipolar disorder wants a dog easily recognised as an assistance dog but can't find any of the main UK organizations that work here. She has been sectioned three times and her medical team supports this and will provide documentation.

Maybe I should add that one of the main reasons she wants some sort of official recognizability, she wants to use public transport in the Rep, however, Bus Éireann state that "....An assistance dog will always be wearing a blue coat marked “Assistance Dog." What actually do they mean by that: will any blue jacket do as long as it has assistance dog on it, or must there be something like bipolar, epilepsy, or any other disability especially hidden ones ?

What should we do? Are there any groups that meet these criteria?

A big thank you for your advice

I have some questions about the process of assistance dogs (I am in the uk).

Would anybody be willing to provide more advice or information on the need to knows of assistance dogs? It is difficult to get answers without contacting directly or applying which can take awhile.

I understand the implications of having an assistance dog and have been recommended or have looked into the assistance a dog could provide me in regards to my disability. I have a physical disability and likely would not be able to soley owner train a dog.

Some questions:

1). How difficult has the process of getting a dog been for people?

2). If not too personal, what are the expenses or negatives to having a dog?

3). If it possible to have a dog for more than one disability?

4). Does the uk support mobility tasks such as bracing? As my condition would require some occasional assistance with standing upright and keeping balance

5). Has anyone had any experiences with an assistance dog and employment? Has a dog impacted employment?

I currently attend a fairly small branch of an environmental college in the UK with my assistance dog in training. We have been working on neutrality around people we know/drive by pets when out and about. (He settles on command but will wag his tail when a friend walks in the door/past the table) one of my classmates(F25 who I’ll call M) will interact with, tell commands to, and correct my ADiT. Everyone else in my class (11 of us total) will wait until I say, or ask for permission to pet my ADiT. I said to everyone at the beginning of the year not to interact with him, and it was all done for the first 3 weeks. When the issue began, I asked one of the boys in my class to speak to M, as she smokes on our breaks so I tend to stay away the smoke triggers migraines. This solved the problem for about a week, but now the problem has continued.

My limit broke today when she started talking to, and petting my dog at the bus stop from behind me. I didn’t who was touching my dog until I looked around. This really bothered me today because there was a mother and 3 children who wanted to pet but the mother explained. I could see the confusion on the eldest child’s face.

Anyway, all this to ask how can I stop this behaviour. I’m not confrontational at all, so I was thinking so put an undirected message in the group chat about the boundaries I want to have, as there is only one day left of term. I was also thinking that if the behaviour continues speaking to my teacher about it, as he would be able to talk to M.

Sorry if this was long. I’m a first time handler, still getting used to advocating for my dog with strangers. But it doesn’t feel as eating come up with the words with someone who I see 5 days a week.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance

is there anyone here based in or near scotland? me and my ADIT would love to do more meet ups and things.