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Have you ever lost the right to have a service dog?

The Service and Therapy Dog forum is for all service and therapy dogs regardless of whether or not their status is legally defined by federal or state law, how they are trained, or whether or not they are "certified." Posts questioning or disputing a person's need for a service or therapy dog, the validity of a person's service or therapy dog, or the dog's ability to do the work of a service or therapy dog are not permitted in this forum. Please keep discussions fun, friendly, and helpful at all times.

  


Member Since
02/17/2013		 
 
Barked: Mon Feb 18, '13 12:50am PST 
Hey everyone, I don't really know where to start. I got my Service Dog Hunter about 8 months ago, from a rescue. My counselor and doctor thought that it would do me a lot of good to focus on training the new dog and then having it become my constant companion to help me battle a variety of issues. I have severe Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features, Anxiety, and seizures. Whenever I had an anxiety attack, or was overly manic (And psychotic) I couldn't go out into public. I was failing school, I couldn't leave the house because I was too anxious - I was even starving because I couldn't go to the store, I was so paranoid and upset. I've been taking Hunter everywhere with me for the past few months now, but since I was hospitalized after a grand mal seizure, I"ve been steadily improving. Now, I try to get an updated Doctor's statement of support for a service dog every time I move (which is a lot), and I just moved. But I"ve apparently improved so much that my doctor doesn't feel I need a service dog at this time. He said I may need one again in the future though. My question is: Since my condition comes and goes in phases where it's very severe or relatively mild, can he really tell me that I can no longer take my service dog with me to places? I mean, I just had a Grand Mal Seizure again on Sunday, and the anxiety attack after it left me with torn muscles and burst cappilaries in my eyes from crying so hard and not getting enough air. I didn't have my service dog with me. I am confident that if he HAD been with me, I would not have been nearly as confused or frightened coming out of the seizure. But instead I was by myself, with multiple strangers around me, and no dog standing over me or lying next to me to provide a protective barrier. EVeryone (though I know they menat well) was up in my face, freaking me out even more than I usually am coming out of a seizure. Can this doctor really tell me that just because my symptoms seem to be well controlled for the past month or so that I can no longer have a service dog? I'm really upset and freaked out by this, Because he really helps me when things are bad. Just to give an idea, he will get me to sit down during a complex partial seizure, will form a barrier between me and others when psychotic (which is unfortunate but necessary), helps me get back up when I fall over, and gies hugs to help bring me into the Here And Now during an anxiety attack. He also will hold me in my seat if I"m having a seizure and start moving forward (I walk about during a complex seizure sometimes, usually while twisting my shirt). So He really does a lot of things for me, even if they're not the 'normal' tasks that a service dog does. Anyways, thanks.
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Member Since
02/17/2013		 
 
Barked: Mon Feb 18, '13 1:12am PST 
I'd also like to apologize for being so candid about everything. I tend to give out too much information when asking for help, I give a lot of presentations on my issues and am very open about it as a result - people often see me in public after a presentation and try to talk to me about it. I know it's not very common to do, and to some can be offensive. So for those who are offended by my openness, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to. confused
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Isaac

1278829		 
 
Barked: Mon Feb 18, '13 12:39pm PST 
Are you in the U.S.? In the U.S., you don't have to have anything from a doctor in order to have a service dog. If you live in housing that does not allow pets, you may need a letter from your doctor in order for the landlord to make a reasonable accommodation for you and allow your service dog to live there, but even that depends on the landlord. But if you are disabled according to the ADA definition, and if the dog is trained to do things that mitigate your disability, you can legally have a service dog. That's all that is required.
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Member Since
02/17/2013		 
 
Barked: Mon Feb 18, '13 1:24pm PST 
It's mostly for living in housing, but I still have a note from when I lived in Washington. I'm just not sure if they'll require a new one for Idaho. But I guess I"ll give it a go and try it out. smile I didn't know that you didn't need a note from a doctor in order to have a service dog with you in Public, the way my last doctor explained it you needed to have a doctor's approval for a service dog, period. Maybe it was a WAshington thing, or maybe I just misunderstood him. I do have issues with understanding sentence structure sometimes. I know that Idaho doesn't say anything about sproval from doctors in their codes. Thank you very much for that answer. I'm still slogging through figuring the finer details out.
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Happy

The Boy Wonder		 
 
Barked: Mon Feb 18, '13 9:36pm PST 
If your condition is disabling it's disabling. A condition doesn't have to be Constantly disabling. Just because you have good days doesn't mean that you aren't going to have a crisis while you're out.

The point of having a service dog is to improve your independence. I'm confused as why a psychiatrist would think to remove the dog because you've 'improved'. The point of Med's are to improve your condition, but I can't think that any doctor would think to stop the medicine because you have improved. You might try talking to your doctor and bringing that up.

Hope everything works out.

Jeanene and Happy
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Crazy Sadie- Lady

Im a SD and- proud of it so- there!!!! 		 
 
Barked: Tue Feb 19, '13 7:32am PST 
Happy and the other dog is right just cause you have one day or even a few good days dose not mean you have to give up your SD or are not allowed to use him. Sounds like you have a continuous condition that is life time disabling. ADA tells you as long as you are disabled you have the right to have a SD. Even with housing and have already had a letter form the doc. It is good though nice to keep up dated in for in your personal files.
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Isaac

1278829		 
 
Barked: Wed Feb 20, '13 5:00pm PST 
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a federal law that says all you need is to be disabled and for your dog to be trained to do something that mitigates your disability. The law does not say you need a letter from a doctor. It doesn't matter what the state law says, the federal law says you don't need a letter, so you don't need one. If the state law and federal law disagree, the law that takes precedence is the one that gives the most freedom to the person with a disability. So the federal law would trump any state law that says you need a letter. If your doctor previously told you that you needed a letter, he was misinformed. However, I really encourage you to read the law for yourself so you know what your rights are and what they aren't.
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Member Since
12/24/2012		 
 
Barked: Wed Feb 20, '13 8:46pm PST 
It's kind of like being on anti depressants and having your depression well managed and then being told to go off them because you haven't had any depression...
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Emily

1178465		 
 
Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 5:06am PST 
You also have a choice in your treatment options. Just because a doctor says "I want you to use a wheelchair" doesn't mean you are stuck with his recommendations. You can choose what medical device will help you the most with your disabilities, ie service dog.
Really the only time a doctor's note is needed would be for housing. For a HUD apartment there are certain paperwork that must be filled out by a medical professional that knows about your situation. Usually other housing requires a note stating your service dog is medically necessary.
Remember that landlords are not to charge deposits for your service dog but you are responsible fir damages caused.
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Crazy Sadie- Lady

Im a SD and- proud of it so- there!!!! 		 
 
Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 5:45pm PST 
I use sadie for mobilitie but I will probably end up in a chair I still fall a lot but I am very stubborn
about it and my appartment is not big enough for a wheel chair. I have sadie manly for allerting to
lows and high of my sugar. As well as other things. Since my doctors were the ones who want me to get a SD I found that I am sure that I will not loose the right to have her. She is my first SD though and I was as I said train her myself. My town also recognizes her as such and I get her Dog licesen free. A few moths ago I had to debate with a Landlord (not my own ) about paper work. I told him that he did not know what he was talking about cause I told him she was a SD. That I was not going to show him paper work not that she needed it though I did have papers for her. That if I had the mind to I could sue him for even asking for them. Cause he yelled saying she was not a SD then my Landlord came out and told him that he was to leave me a lone and he was in the wrong and on her prop. "yadie da" stuff. But the whole point to what I am saying is that I am sure I am better for to have doctors that helped me get Sadie and I know that I will not loose her cause of a doctor telling me that I don't need her.
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