Service Dog and getting a job

[Buffheart]

Hello all! Currently I do not have an SD but I am working with a trainer friend who is going to help me get one next year. If all goes according to plan he is going to pay for the puppy, take it to his house, and work with it on basic training as I will be moving around the time the pup is ready. The breeder knows this and is okay with it. In early summer he is going to drive it out to me.

My biggest dilemma is that I don't have a job. Officially I have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and ADD and have been tentatively diagnosed with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and Dyscalculia. I am also going to see a doctor on Monday about some additional problems I have been having.

All those conditions make it very hard for me to find a job I can handle. I have only had two jobs in my life, one a summer job, one a bit longer. I had to quit my second job because it was too stressful and have since been unable to find employment. I applied for a job a few weeks ago and was turned down though I never knew why.

I'm on disability pay but it's not enough. My parents don't support my decision to get an SD either and I know that they won't help me. My trainer friend said not to worry about paying him back, though I plan to some day, but what I'm most worried about is some kind of unforeseen emergency. Or what if I can't find a trainer I can afford?

So my question is, do you think I should be trying harder to find a job before the dog arrives, or should I wait until after it arrives? I'm just worried that I won't be able to handle a job without it, but having to wait all those months for it to arrive and then months and months after for it to be trained enough to go to work would be a very long time. How do people who are unemployed care for their dogs and other animals? Were you guys employed when you got your dog/s? Is there some kind of SDiT scholarship that will at least help me pay for training?

[state_of_nowhere]

In my opinion, it is important for a person to be able to navigate the world and handle life without a service dog. I am going to be frank with you - there is absolutely zero guarantee that the puppy you have selected will become a service dog. It takes 18-24 months to fully raise and train a service dog and there is a myriad of things that can go wrong during that time frame.

Planning for emergencies when you have a service dog is very important - absolutely imperative. Owning and caring for a service dog is very, very expensive.

I would not make having a service dog criteria for searching for and obtaining a job, but rather work on utilizing alternate coping mechanisms and skills and search for something that you enjoy and that can help you to meet your expenses.

[Buffheart]

Thank you. Next year I will be going to a University for people with AS and LD's and they will help me find a job as right now I have no employable skills.

[Magesteff]

There are also a lot of stresses that are unique to having a dog - such as people trying to pet or do other things that may distract your dog, or get overwhelming for you in public. Average yearly cost for a healthy dog is about $1200 USD this is for average grade food, normal vet visits and things like flea and heartworm preventative (i.e. recurring costs). This does not cover things like emergency vet visits, high end food, or more than a few basic toys. 

First consider your other options for managing your medical issues and coping skills. A dog does not replace those, a dog can only assist with some functions to help you have a smoother life, but does not replce other medical treatments.

[Buffheart]

Thank you both. I just want to state that even after I get the dog I am not going to discontinue other skills or treatments because I don't want to become fully reliant upon the dog in case it doesn't work out. I will learn coping skills and such like that because I know that having an SD will be stressful. Though I have never had one I have talked to other owners and they have all said the same things. But that doesn't mean that I'm just going to give up on my SD. That just means that I have to work harder, which I am going to do.

[k1maplewd]

Job discrimination when you have a service dog is fairly common.  Most people with disabilities will tell you it can be incredibly difficult to find work when you have a service animal, it's difficult to find work when you have a disability to start with, adding a SD into the mix complicates the picture even more.  AFAIK, no there aren't any scholarships or grants or anything to help you pay for training your own service dog, if you are owner training the expenses are yours alone to cover.

[Buffheart]

Thank you.

[Roxie]

I will learn coping skills

Learn and master coping skills well before getting a dog to train.

I don't have a job

If you can't take care of yourself financially, how will you take care of any dog?

Officially I have been diagnosed

A diagnosis does not constitute a disability.

You are on your own in affording training of any dog you might have SD or pet.  I think you are putting the cart way before the horse. Get your life in order, get your education, put your finances in order, stop thinking about help (housing, food, utilities, transportation etc)  from any one but your own self, stabilize any mental health situations and remain stable for 2-3 years before thinking about getting a SD.

One can always appeal for funding. Bear in mind: if you are not a 501c3, a skilled grant searcher and even greater skilled grant writer, or a very articulate and persuasive writer soliciting to philanthropic groups........... you really have not a rat's patooty chance of being awarded funding of any type for any reason.

You will have heck if you take a SD in to an interview, or even mention or discuss the SD or your disability or any accommodations you could possibly need.

[Cath]

Reading this, I have two concerns.

First, owning a dog when you have little money is hard. I've been there. When I bought my dog, I was on minimum benefits while working two part time jobs. I would not have bought Brodie when I did had I not had the approval of my parents. (Sorry, Roxie. I know you'll hate me for that  ). Thankfully, I never needed to ask them for a loan, but it's not a situation I'd be willing to experience again. The financial strain was eventually one of the many triggers that got me my first hospital admission.

Secondly, and this is just my own experience, the use of a dog, be it a SD or just an in-home ESD is most effective when partnered with coping skills that are already effective. I used to suffer from debilitating panic attacks. By the time I'd got Brodie (after two years of weekly CBT sessions), I'd got to the point where they only appeared during episodes of acute mental illness. With Brodie's help, I got better at managing them to a point where I usually recover in minutes. But, had I got Brodie before the CBT, I'd be unable to leave the house without him. I'm maybe describing it as clearly as I'd like, but in my opinion, a SD is not an alternative to medical treatment and therapy to learn coping skills. However, once you acquire these skills unaided, your dog can turn them into something truly wonderful.

Finally, by getting a dog before you learn to manage on your own, you would miss out on the huge sense of achievement from managing yourself. After all, who wants to have to give half credit for their own work to someone else, even if the someone else is four-legged?

But keep in mind, my opinion on this may be unusual: I HAVE to be able to manage alone. I live in a country where legally recognised owner trained service dogs do not exist in any form whatsoever. My own dog may be task trained with as much socialization as a PSD would normally have had, but I will never have public access rights for him.

[Roxie]

I know you'll hate me for that 

   Cath!

I'm really sorry! I never learned how to "hate"! I like and care for every one!

I can totally disagree with someone, and even get a tad ticked off. But when all is said and done: I still like and care about them. Most I even love!!!

I did learn how to disagree and "fight fair", but never ever hate! I always try my hardest to do the right thing, and I just couldn't hate for all the $$$ in the world!

Frankly, I'm jealous you have parents to get approval and support from! <you lucky duck!>

[Cath]

Hey, I was only joking. Didn't you see the winking smiley? Don't worry, I know your comments may seem harsh at times, but that you make them because you care about the person.

I'm sorry, I wouldn't have said that if I thought it would upset you.

[Roxie]

    Cath!

I'm not upset in the least! Takes bundles of to get me upset!!!!

I was worried about your feelings!  I wanted you to know for real I'm just a tell-it-like-is cocky old opinionated goof-ball who cares deeper than the ocean and bigger than the sky!

 

[Buffheart]

Thank you everybody. I'm trying to figure out if you guys are telling me not to get an SD now or not to get one ever. I'm a bit confused. And don't think I am rushing into this either. I've been working towards this for over a year. I've been ostracized by my family and doctors for this decision, been told I would be wasting money, even been told by my parents that if I get the dog I'm not allowed at their house. But I'm not going to give up.

[k1maplewd]

I think everyone is just suggesting that you attempt to get a better handle on your own situation both with independent coping skills and a more secure way to financially support yourself and a SD before making the leap to getting one. 

[Cath]

I think what's being said is that rather than focusing on whether to get a job prior to the dog's arrival, we're suggesting you also focus on learning strategies to cope with independent living and working, then see about getting a service dog (assuming that you still require one then). That way, when you do get your service dog, the pair of you will achieve far more together.