Pooch Therapy
I have four dogs (here are three of them, snoozing). Rosie is a 10+ year old Chocolate English Labrador. Lola is a seven year old Chihuahua & Rat Terrier mix (not pictured). Sydney is a two year old Silky Terrier mix, and Chloe is a two year old Goldendoodle. I didn’t intend to have four dogs. Lola was "planned", but the others were all dogs someone else was too busy to care for or didn’t think was trainable. We coexist pretty peacefully in our crowded little house. My husband Tom is a great dog trainer, I spoil them rotten, and the kids pitch in with feeding and cleaning up after our brood. Tom’s always worried about my soft spot for strays, though. He jokes that I’m one dog away from becoming the Weird Dog Lady, the kind surrounded with pups of all shapes and sizes, in my dotage.
I’ve been thinking we might need to expand to five, though, sometime later this year or next. I’ve been thinking this because, right now, Tim is tentatively scheduled to be discharged from residential treatment in late 2011 or early 2012. And Tim is calmer, happier, and can do amazing things with our dogs. And I’ve been wondering if we should consider a psychiatric service dog for him.
Tim is the Dog Whisperer in our house. He can get the dogs to perform tricks no one else can replicate. He can get Sydney, our littlest dog with the biggest attitude, to sleep, belly up in his arms when she won’t even sit on anyone else’s lap. And they train him, in a way, too. Chloe follows him when he’s down, dropping her head in his lap as comfort. When he’s agitated and pacing, Lola barks and tries to contain him, aware that he’s out of sorts. It makes me think that maybe, a trained service dog with him 24/7 might make a difference in his ability to interact with the world.
There’s precedent. The Psychiatric Service Dog Society helps persons with mental health conditions find the resources to select and train service dogs to perform all kinds of tasks. And I’ve seen one in action. Jessie Close of BringChange2Mind travels with her service dog, Snitz, and had him with her when she came to Chicago for a speaking engagement last spring that I attended. There are blog writers that credit their dogs for helping them get through depression. So why couldn’t a service dog help my teen?
I’ve got more research to do, and I have to have to find out if a service dog can be effective when in a home with pet dogs as well. We should have a trainer evaluate whether one of our younger dogs could possibly be trained to be a psychiatric service dog before I try and convince Tom to get a fifth pup. Finally, we have to determine if Tim can benefit from having a canine companion with him all the time.
In our house, it's the six cats. (It was almost seven; but my aunt took her in.) They are my lifeline, and their calming impact has been mirrored by nothing else. Animals of all kinds have that effect. I don't have to even be playing or interacting with them. The fact that they are there has always been enough. We have also observed their ability to sense what others are feelings - both in unstable times and stable ones. The joke of the house is that Chomper, one of our youngest, glares, circles and pushes against my mother whenever we fight.
Last year, we looked into getting a Service Dog. There was certainly reason for it - both of the psychological and physical kind (hypoglycemia, suspected seizure activity, arrhythmia). We knew people who both had them personally and owners that housed the breeders, the ones in-training and the dropouts. We really wanted to do it, and hope to in the future; but can be a long process. We don't have a local group, either (at least one that deals with psychiatric disabilities), so we would have to travel, as well. Right now, there is no money or time for it. There's also the chance, of course, that one of your younger dogs or another dog you adopt won't be fit for the training (hyperactive, short attention span, doesn't listen, etc are all disqualifies). At the moment, we're just "employing" Chomper as an ‘Emotional Support Animal (ESA)’ - something that is still protected against rules our apartment have against pets.
So, be aware of those risks and difficulties; but I say go for it. My first encounter with a PSD was in a waiting room for the psychiatric floor in a local hospital. Watching the dog and woman interact, it was obvious the dog was helpful. She said she had Panic disorder with agoraphobia, and that dog allowed her to go outside. Every time she got panicky, the dog responded. It seems completely worth it ; we just can't right now.
erika
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Named Erika.
Known as Eri or Er (pronounced air)
Diagnosed as primarily Schizoaffective, with a scroll of others.
On Lithium, Serequel, and Paxil.
Receiving psychotherapy from psychiatrist.
Has a team of caseworkers covering case management, service seekers, family support, and respite.
My daughter is looking to train a dog to be her PSA (Psychiatric Service Animal) Right now she is an ESA like Erica's dog.
The Psychiatric Service Dog Society is wonderful. If you get on their "Listserv" it is a message board that will help you understand more about owning a PSA.
You can do that here:
http://www.psychdog.org/listserv.html
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LisaMac
Depression and anxiety run rampant in our family.
Both mine and husband's and our families.
Presently down to 1 daughter at home with PTSD, Depression, and GAD
on Risperdal, and Zoloft
dogs are such a big part of our home and ds' life at school. when ds is very unstable our lab never leaves his side, like he knows he's on duty or something. they are that close. i am interested in the whole service dog thing too.
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JEN overly stressed, xanax
hubby, same
#1 DS, Age 9, 4th grade -residential, therapuetic school per iep
BPI, AS, ADHD, (some say anxiety, sensory issues)
current RX:
seroquel 100mg 4x a day
phosp 9/24/10-11/11/10
phosp 6/21/10-7/15/10
MEDS TRIED: all varieties of ritalin, clonidine, melatonin, abilify, zoloft, risperdone, depakote, zyprexa, lithium (good but hypothyroid), lamictal (activating), klonopin ,propranolol, intuniv, omegas and homeopathic "calm a kid" type of stuff
#2 DS, 6 NO dx sensory issues, firey temper, much easier to parent
DP ( lab, 12), DB (bunny), DK (cat-she found us)
Your dogs are so cute, I think all of them are just extremely adorable. I don't know I ершьтл I just love dog in general that's why they all seem amazing to me.
Gretchen @ converting mov to avi software