Where to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog?

Where to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog: Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSD) are specially trained companions for people with mental illnesses or disabilities.

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These dogs use their reliable paws and big hearts to provide owners with assistance in day-to-day living and the freedom to live an independent lifestyle.

If you’re planning to get a PSD, this special guide is for you!

Learn how and where to get a psychiatric service dog, as well as the total costs involved. Read on!

Where to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog?

You have several options to choose from when getting a PSD. You can adopt a dog from your local shelter and train him yourself, or you can request one from a reputable service dog organization.

1. Adopting and Self-Training Your PSD

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows owners to train their own psychiatric service dogs. One benefit of this option is the special bond that’s created between you and your newly adopted dog.

To be a PSD, your dog needs to have a calm demeanor, show no signs of aggression, and be able to ignore distractions.

2. Hiring a Professional Dog Trainer

If you’re unable to self-train your dog due to time constraints or not having the necessary skills, a dog trainer can help you out. Training for psychiatric service dogs usually involves these parts:

Public access training: Coaches your dog on good manners and appropriate behavior in public settings
Specialized task training: Instructs your dog to perform certain helpful acts or movements whenever you need assistance with your condition

3. Adopting From a Service Dog Organization

Another option is to request a PSD from an organization that specializes in training service dogs and giving them loving homes.

Some organizations assist specific groups, such as veterans and disabled teens, in getting their psychiatric service dogs.

Here are several service dog organizations to consider:

How Much Is a Psychiatric Service Dog?

The cost of getting a PSD largely depends on which service dog organization your dog comes from. Some organizations provide them for free, but others may charge $20,000 or more for a highly-trained companion.

Alternatively, adopting from a local shelter costs significantly less. The average adoption fee for dogs is $300. To have your adopted dog trained for psychiatric service, you’ll need to spend at least $150 to $250 per hour for professional dog training sessions.

How Do You Get a Psychiatric Service Dog?

Where to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog

The process of getting a PSD from a service dog organization can vary depending on the organization’s application guidelines and procedures. Generally, you’ll have to go through the following steps:

1. Consult a Healthcare Professional

It’s best to consult a healthcare professional first before applying to get a PSD. Your medical provider can adequately address the nature of your disability and clarify the specific tasks that a service dog can assist you with.

You can simplify this process with us by simply walking through our questionnaire and getting your result from a therapist.

2. Submit an Application

Most service dog organizations have a list of criteria and requirements that you’ll need to fulfill before sending your application for a service dog. Here are some common eligibility requirements:

Proof of sufficient financial resources for the care of your dog
Capacity to manage and handle a service dog at home and in public
Proof of verifiable medical need for a service dog
Age limit and residency requirements

3. Obtain Your Psychiatric Service Dog

After your application has been approved, your organization will proceed to locate and place a suitable PSD for your condition. If there’s a waiting list, it might take several months before you obtain your dog.

How Can I Get a Free Service Dog in Florida?

Where to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog

Several non-profit organizations in Florida provide service dogs at no cost to the owner or handler. As long as you meet their criteria and fulfill the requirements, you can submit an application online or at a nearby facility.

Here are some organizations that provide trained service dogs and service dog training for free to eligible owners in Florida:

How Do I Get a Service Dog for Anxiety in NC?

The process for getting a service dog for anxiety in North Carolina usually begins by sending an application to your chosen organization. They might request additional documentation from your medical provider regarding your anxiety.

The following organizations provide service dogs for anxiety in the North Carolina area:

Wrapping Up

Psychiatric service dogs are life-changing companions. They provide unconditional love, comfort, and assistance to their fortunate owners and handlers.

Hopefully, this guide has enlightened you on how and where to get a psychiatric service dog of your own.

Whether you choose to adopt a PSD from an organization or train one yourself, you’ll surely benefit from having a loyal friend by your side.

If you liked this blog article: Where to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog, don’t forget to leave us a comment down below to tell us about your experience with PSDs.

Elisa Steffes

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MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQ

ESA

1. What is an emotional support animal (“ESA”)?

An emotional support animal, or ESA, is an animal companion that provides comfort and support to someone suffering from a mental or emotional disability such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or a phobia. Emotional support animals and their owners have certain protections under federal and state laws. Landlords, Co-Ops, HOAs, and other housing providers must allow tenants to live with their ESAs free of charge, even if the building has a policy banning pets.

2. How do I qualify for an emotional support animal?

To have a valid emotional support animal, you must be in possession of a recommendation letter from a licensed health care professional (sometimes also referred to as a “licensed mental health professional” or “LMHP”). The ESA letter will establish that you have a disability and that an emotional support animal alleviates symptoms of that disability. Under federal law, this is the only legitimate way to qualify an animal companion as an emotional support animal.

3. Do I need a certificate, registration, license, ID card or vest for my emotional support animal?

A valid ESA letter is the only documentation you need in order to qualify an emotional support animal. Landlords cannot ask for a certificate, registration, license or ID, or insist that your ESA wear a vest. These items do not confer any legal status on emotional support animals. Some ESA owners use such items as tools to signal that their animal companion is an ESA, but they are not mandatory and do not function in lieu of an ESA letter as valid forms of proof for an ESA. There is also no need to register your ESA in a database or registry.

4. Can an emotional support animal enter a grocery store, restaurant, hotel or other public space?

No, ESAs do not have an automatic legal right to be in grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels that prohibit animals. ESA owners have the legal right to be accompanied by their animal companion in their home pursuant to the Fair Housing Act. Only ADA service animals trained to perform tasks (such as seeing-eye dogs for the blind) have public access rights in places like grocery stores and restaurants. Some establishments such as hotels are not obligated by law to accommodate ESAs but will do so anyway as a courtesy. It is best to check with the hotel or other businesses to see if they have a policy regarding emotional support animals.

5. Are emotional support animals a scam? Are online ESA companies such as ESA Doctors scamming their customers?

No, ESAs are not a scam. Regrettably, there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding on the internet when it comes to emotional support animals that puts an undeserved cloud over legitimate ESA owners and service companies. Contrary to some myths, there is a developed regulatory framework surrounding emotional support animals in the United States. ESAs are protected by federal laws and government agencies which enforce those laws. There are specific legal requirements that ESA owners must adhere to in order to obtain accommodation under law for their animal companion. Legitimate owners of emotional support animals must have documentation in the form of a recommendation letter from a licensed healthcare provider. Housing providers have the right to demand an ESA letter from the tenant before accommodating an ESA request.

There are also many legitimate emotional support animal services online such as ESADoctors.com. You should proceed with caution with any website that promises that their certification, registration, license or ID will immediately qualify your pet as an emotional support animal. Websites that are not scams will instead connect you to a healthcare professional who is licensed for your state. That professional will conduct an independent assessment of whether an ESA is right for you and issue an ESA letter only if they determine that you qualify. Legitimate ESA companies online cannot guarantee to instantly qualify an emotional support animal, since that determination must come from an independent licensed professional after evaluating the client.

PSD

6. What is a psychiatric service dog?

A psychiatric service dog (or PSD) is a type of service dog that has been individually trained to perform tasks relating to a handler’s mental, emotional or learning disability. Psychiatric service dogs have the same rights as other types of service dogs which assist handlers with physical disabilities. Service dogs have special access rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act. They are allowed to accompany their owners in the home, on-flights and in places where members of the public are generally allowed to go.

7. What is the difference between a psychiatric service dog and an emotional support animal?

A psychiatric service dog is not the same thing as an ESA. The primary difference between a psychiatric service dog and an emotional support animal is that a PSD must be fully trained to perform tasks relating to a disability. A PSD in training does not yet qualify as a service dog. In contrast, ESAs are not required to have any specialized training. ESAs primarily provide comfort to their owners just through their presence and companionship. An ESA also requires a letter of recommendation from a licensed healthcare professional.

PSDs and ESAs also differ in terms of their access rights. ESAs have the right to live with their owners free of charge (even in buildings that prohibit pets) under federal Fair Housing laws and various state laws. PSDs have greater access rights under the ADA and ACAA – they can board flights as well as places generally open to the public like stores.

The other major difference between ESAs and PSDs is that an ESA can be a wide range of animals but a psychiatric service animal can only be a dog.

8. What kind of conditions qualify for a psychiatric service dog?

In order to qualify for a PSD, the handler must have a mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. That can include things like depression, anxiety, PTSD, phobias, learning disorders and autism. A licensed healthcare professional is best suited to determine whether you have a qualifying condition.

9. How do I fly with my psychiatric service dog?

Under new rules that went into effect in January of 2021, PSDs can board the cabin free of charge as long as the handler submits the Department of Transportation’s Service Animal Transportation Form prior to boarding the flight. The form requires the handler to self-certify that their animal is a trained psychiatric service dog. It also requires information regarding the dog’s trainer (which can be the handler) and veterinarian. Only the handler is required to sign the form.

10. Does a psychiatric service dog have to be professionally trained?

The ADA allows for service animals to be trained by the handler or through a professional. If the handler is confident and capable of training their psychiatric service dog, they are allowed to do so. It is not necessary to use any organization or professional trainer, although those alternatives may be useful for owners who are not experienced in training dogs.