The Reality of Service Dog Use

From Service Dog Training

A service dog cannot replace good independent living skills.

Many people seek out a service dog in the hopes that it will solve all their problems and give them an independent life. The reality though is that while a dog can be a useful adjunct to independent living skills, the dog cannot replace them. Dogs are animals, they can become sick or injured or otherwise unable to work with little to no notice. Life, however, will continue to go on and you will need to rely on previously established independent living skills. A dog is not a cure-all for life's problems.

A service dog will not give you a social life if you don't have one already.

Using a service dog in public will definitely increase the amount of contact you have with the general public. This should not be mistaken for an improvement in your social life. The increased level of contact you have with the public will likely be superficial, and very few, if any, will result in the development of a friendship. If you do not have established social skills, you should not expect the dog to provide a means to that social life for you. You must still work at developing a social life yourself.

Using a service dog can be stressful.

Many businesses are happy to welcome service dogs, however, there are still some out there that do not. Using a service dog, especially for a disability other than blindness, essentially guarantees that you will experience problems gaining access to a public place at some time during your career as a service dog user. These encounters can range from a brief argument to a drawn out legal battle with a business.

Also, some people in your life may not support your choice to use a service dog, or may seem to support it at the beginning but become uncomfortable with the level of attention that a service dog attracts in public. You may experience strained relationships with family members and friends over your decision to use a service dog. If you choose to use a service dog, you must accept that these stresses will become part of your life.