Hi, we have a dog that my son is very attached to, yet he's not a service dog, my husband's cousin did get a service dog trained for kids on the spectrum and she just raves about how it's made her son more confident and he feels more secure. If I could afford one, I certainly would get one! Good luck to you!

At my mother's work (where she works with children on the spectrum) she brings in our small Puggle Winston.

Winston does not really have the capabilities to jump or be crazy because of his size, however the kids adore him. We often use him as a reinforcer to ensure that the kids will do their work and in return they get the dog!

These kids run the dog like crazy and even if he's hyper the kids like it all the more!

Also sometimes we bring in our big Newfie-Lab who has been trained as a therapy dog, and when he goes into the centre he just lies down and lets the kids play with him.

I believe that having a dog is good for the kids as it gives them responsibility (feeding, watering, walking((with supervision)) and more!

We also have 2 birds and a fish tank at the centre which all the kids love!

We went a different route for my sons service animal. We couldn't afford a twenty thousand dollar trained animal (I mean realistically what happens if the dog gets sick in a year or is an accident, that's a LOT of money to be out).

But I didn't want my 11 year old son to be an adult before he got one, which seemed to be the case if we sat on an agency waiting list.

So I did this instead. I found a pureblood, healthy German Shephard puppy for sale from a local farmer. He charged me $75 and the cost of the vet bills for shots as it was an unplanned litter and he did not have papers on any of the puppies.

Then I spent six months just letting my son and the dog get to know each other with myself dictating basic obedience training (my parents raised showdogs so I had the advantage of knowing the basics of operant conditioning).

Then I went to a non-profit that trained service animals, and paid for a short amount of time to have them train me in the basics of therapy skills. Then went to a local trainer (normally hunting animals) and had another level of obedience done.

He's perfect and cost about a couple of thousand total. It is a lot of work, and it caused a HUD dispute with a property manager (that I won), but totally worth it!

One thing worth noting, my dog is 120 pounds of German Shepherd love, I would NOT get this size of a dog unless you are truly prepared to deal with an animal this size. Food alone costs about $120 month, and when people see him they are often initially frightened, which can cause issues if you have a very social family with a lot of different people around.

Check out Pawsitive Service Dog Solutions : http://pawsitivesolutions.org/. The owner, Carmel Mooney, is amazing and started the organization after training their own service dog for their daughter who is on the spectrum. We will be getting our service dog for my son in a couple months. I had to fundraise $8K of the $25K needed to train these dogs, and I was worried about having to do that, but raised the money within 2 months. They help you and have even placed a dog as far away as Florida (they are located in Northern CA). These dogs are amazing and are even bred & trained to search for your child if he or she wanders off. They are trained to interrupt repetitive behaviors and calm a child before a tantrum even occurs. It is a magical bonds that forms between the child & dog. Everyone I've spoke with has said their service dog changed their lives 180 degrees for the better!

Cindy,

Roscoe is a service animal in the eyes of the law, but I never did public training with him as it is not a necessity for our situation (and to note it would have added several thousand dollars in cost in the initial training and take an additional six months or so to complete). However, laws vary state to state for service animals and how they are classified, I had to become a lawyer for a short while to figure it all out!

Technically in my state their is no official certification (there is actually no federal regulations either) required for service animals (there are restrictions however on animal types and minimum functionality for them to perform), but obviously I wouldn't take an untrained dog out into public and claim he was a service animal...you are sort of asking for trouble there...

And the laws vary significantly state to state, so it is worth doing your research. (I am in the process of preparing to move to Colorado so reached out to the correct organization there to find out what I would need in terms of paperwork and certifications, this is going to typically be your local ADA and/or HUD depending on your housing or covenant situations - remember local laws for breeds still apply).

About the only time I have ever utilized the dog outside of our home has been in hotels when traveling, and they have never questioned me outside of asking for a deposit for damage that was always refunded immediately upon check-out. (Worth noting he is a HIHGLY obedient animal, which may explain why I am rarely questioned when he is in public).

Mostly Roscoe is used for sensory melt-downs (he lays on him a certain way to provide pressure and licks his head to calm him, gross but it works...), barks when JW opens a kitchen drawer (knives, scissors), turns the water on in the bathroom, tries to open a window or go out a door, etc and then is trained to stay with him if he leaves the home and "herd" him back towards the house and keep him from getting out into traffic by tugging his clothing. Luckily JW hasn't "escaped" for several years, but that might be because if he even lingers at an exterior door, 120 pounds of barking ensues until I come into the room.

If you have questions on legalities, check out the most recent doc from the ADA on service animals, this is a good starting place, and then reach out to your state branch to inquire on specifics on certifications, housing, public access, etc

http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

Hope this helps!

Leslie