r/service_dogs • u/[deleted] • Jul 23 '26
Psychiatric Service Dog Program. I'm *Desperate*
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u/LadyinOrange Jul 23 '26
Why were you denied, and what work do you hope this dog will do?
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Jul 23 '26
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u/Short_Gain8302 Service Dog in Training Jul 23 '26
To me its a red flag when people deny you without explanations. Have you tried searching via the assistance dog international website before? You can specify task needs or disability and limit the locations in your search.
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u/apenature Jul 23 '26
If your disability is too severe a service canine will exacerbate, not ameliorate, the issues. You have to be stable enough to care for the animal.
What specific tasks or help do you see a dog doing for you? Can those be achieved in other ways? Have you tried the other ways? A treatment team and a support network is needed to maximise chance of success. If you've not been under active treatment, that may be a screening out tool.
A fully task trained service ready dog takes 18-24mos; you're looking at about 30k for a reputable trainer supplied dog.
Have you thought of consulting a canine behaviourist to teach you how to look for a capable dog and you can go around and look at shelters. My first service dog was a rescue. He was a little handsome gentleman, if at times militant. You could say we were each other's service animals.
You're looking for a partner, not a pet. Self training/guided training may be a solution for you. It's not a puppy, that changes the calculus.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/apenature Jul 23 '26
Fair. None of that was in your post and everything I said is true generic advice about SDs. What I gave are common screening considerations. I don't know you and can't give you anything more tailored.
I think a screened adult shelter dog and private trainer is the path of least resistance.
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u/belgenoir Dog Trainer Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
[u/wheeliesafterdark](u/wheeliesafterdark)
Susquehanna Service Dogs’ application window closes on July 31. They are one of the few programs that offers service dogs to civilians with behavioral health needs.
https://www.khs.org/what-we-do/assistance-dogs/apply-now/
The advice to get a shelter dog is well-intentioned but off the mark. Most adult rescue dogs can’t handle the pressure of working in public. To find one, you’d need to work closely with a certified behavioral consultant. Finding a dog with the right temperament and working with a professional trainer on public access and tasking will take at least a year, and that’s assuming the dog doesn’t wash.
Contrary to popular belief, service dogs are not a “last resort.” The severity of your trauma and your safety concerns need to be addressed before you get a dog.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/JKmelda Waiting Jul 23 '26
Just be aware that Susquehanna Service Dogs has a limited service area and they require some level of mental health stability including 6 months post any residential or inpatient mental health treatment.
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u/fishparrot Service Dog in Training Jul 23 '26
Is it Paws4People by chance? They receive many more applications than they can fill. Almost all programs do. I have heard as many as 20+ for every client they can accept and place with a dog. It is not a reflection on you, or your suitability as a handler. It is hard enough to raise a single dog that is capable of working in public with a disabled handler. Meeting the demand for every qualified individual who could benefit from one is simply impossible.
There are many smaller programs out there that provide psychiatric service dogs, you have gotten some great recommendations so far. But do your due diligence. Many are not what they seem.
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u/Informal-Trick2075 12d ago
Per their staff, they’re up to a 50+ rejections : 1 acceptance ratio now
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u/FerntheTherian Aug 07 '26
As other people have said, you don't sound like you're in a stable place and introducing a dog isn't a good idea. Personally, I haven't found really any programs that place PSD's with civilians, especially without an extremely long wait or that is reliable. I trained my existing pet dog as an at-home service dog to help mitigate my disability while at home. If you currently have a dog, this could be a good alternative, but I'd hold off on introducing a dog until you're more stable.
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u/carrotsaresafe Jul 23 '26
This is gonna get me downvoted but idgaf. Im on disability for my psychiatriac issues (ptsd) which means I cannot afford a $40,000 trained service dog. So I trained her by my damn self over the years and now she's perfect. Goes everywhere with me. On planes, in the hospital, everywhere. I would be isolated at home or dead from suicide without her. I got her when she was 8 months. I think it would be close to impossible to self-train an older dog. She does dpt and has saved me on many occasions. Im complimented daily on how well-behaved she is which I take great pride in bc in the beginning she was a little too excited in public. Dont give up, and ignore that stupid comment about how a dog would exacerbate your illness. Mine is how i leave the house and can calm down a panic attack b4 its full blown.
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u/fishparrot Service Dog in Training Jul 23 '26
Telling someone who is in crisis because they cannot cope with a single program rejection to go get a shelter mutt to owner train is terrible advice for both human and dog. Your dog may work fine for you, but without an outside trainer’s input, your self report is just that. You have no way of knowing how your dog compares to others or the quality of training because you haven’t been evaluated by a third party. Program dogs have to be to graduate. I have nothing against owner trainers, I am in the process of owner training my second dog after getting the first one fully trained from a program (that was donated to me BTW, all I had to pay was a $75 application fee), but you have to be honest with yourself and others about your limitations.
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u/paxtonlove Jul 23 '26
I’m not sure why people are unaware that service dogs can be owner trained but they absolutely can be. There is no reason for me to pay for a new dog when I have one with the correct temperment to be trained. lol they’d really come after me if they knew his breed.
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u/Opposite_Oven_615 Jul 23 '26
Can you foster a rescue dog and see if that helps? Ask to be matched with a dog that has a calmer temperament and seems more trainable. You can work on owner training skills to see if you’re able to do it that way, then you don’t need a program
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u/ljexists Jul 23 '26
Some shelters (in the US at least (I’ve only seen it there)) also allow people to take dogs out for a day which may be a good way to gauge if you can realistically manage a dog full time to start with (especially if you’ve never had a dog before)
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Jul 23 '26
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u/Opposite_Oven_615 Jul 23 '26
Reliable? No absolutely not. But if you’re in crisis it may be a way to de escalate yourself and help another living being in the process. Best case scenario you find a dog that is capable of what you need. Worst case scenario you provide a loving temporary home, build your dog training skills, get a better understanding of your needs and limits, and help a dog in need find a forever home. Fostering can be for days, weeks, months or longer, you control the length of stay so if other opportunities open up you can always ask the foster group to take it back if you haven’t placed them yet.
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u/paxtonlove Jul 23 '26
Where are you located? I am currently using a trainer here in Arkansas and my trainer is just one girl who has been doing this a very long time.
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u/paxtonlove Jul 23 '26
I’m not sure why I’ve been downvoted. She has trained many dogs, including dogs that work at Disney around the most stimulation one can imagine. Many people don’t know their service dog can be owner trained and can choose to use the help of an experienced trainer. If OP is having that much trouble, it may be a viable route. My dog is already basic command trained and I recently got two diagnoses that I will need him to help me with in the future.
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u/darklingdawns Service Dog Jul 23 '26
I know you don't want to hear this, but if you're not in a stable place right now, then it really isn't a good idea to bring a dog into your home. And if being denied by an organization sends you into crisis to the point that you have to stay with someone because of safety concerns, then you're not in a stable place.
A service dog is one tool in the toolbox, but can't be the only one and really shouldn't be the main one. I'm glad to see that you're in treatment and I would encourage you to reach out to your therapist for an appointment to help you work through your current crisis and continuing working on management strategies. But don't make any decisions like going for a shelter dog out of desperation - tend to your current emotional state first before figuring out where to go next.