Welcome!

[skepticalpeach]

Hi! Welcome to the group: old medhelp friends and new! I decided to start this group because my daughter is getting a service dog on 04/28/2012. We sought a service dog for her because she has autism. She is non-verbal, has trouble regulating her senses (ie self soothing) and with some fine motor skills. This concoction that life gave her sets her up for a whole host of emotional trouble. We want her to be self confident and always feel like she is special. We want her to have a special friend. Since she has trouble making friends her own age, a service dog is the logical next step. I've read many stories where a service dog helped a child with emotional health and speech. He's not a cure-all, but it's worth trying!

The dog we are getting is named Buzz. He is a 2 year old labradoodle. He has curly, black hair and does not shed. My daughter is so excited to meet him! I hope that someday anyone who has some sort of health issue who wants a service dog will be able to get one. Meanwhile we are seeing service dogs trained to do more and more things these days.

Right now there are service dogs provided for people suffering from autism, seizures, diabetes, blindness, deafness, allergies, asthma, depression, and the newest ones of all: endometriosis. I'm sure we'll see even more types of dogs as time goes and people are more aware of what service dogs can do. Maybe we'll even start to see even more service cats? I've heard of them, although they are more rare that dogs.

I've been doing a lot of research on service dogs recently and talked to trainers/breeders. I'm not an expert, but I'll try and answer any questions you have! What do you know about service dogs?