Assistance dogs for adults with autism

Think very carefully if you are taking the dog on yourself. Our family got a lock down puppy and it has been incredibly difficult for me to deal with: the noise, the mess and mud, the smell, the sleep deprivation. It has turned out to be a very bad decision at a very unpredictable time.

I deeply resent my partner for forcing this on us and the guilt trips for the harm it would do the children if we got rid of it now. 

If you're being offered an adult animal that does not need a lot or if you're sure its needs you can cope with that you might do a trial period?

I could not agree more with what you said there, Jonagain. Thank you for it.

I have had dogs for the past 20 years and although they have not been trained or designated as support animals, they have provided what appear to be similar benefits for me.

I find the companionship my dogs have given me at home and their need to be taken care of help me and lend structure to my non-work time. Also the fact they need a long daily walk or two has, in my opinion, caused me to keep a good 7-8 kilograms off and look and feel better than I would have, otherwise. 

On a sidenote, we in Canada, like the Americans, have not actually switched over to the metric system, despite it being our official measurement system. So I had originally typed ‘15 pounds’ in the paragraph above, but then switched it to kilograms after asking Siri on my iPhone to help me convert it. Just a little insider tip about Canada.

My dogs have always been among my closest friends. My current, small dog is becoming elderly now, and he probably only has about four or five more years to live. I look forward to savouring these slower times with him and ensuring he is always happy and comfortable. Already I find myself doing multiple extra things for him daily just to add that extra little touch of comfort to his days.

I’m happy you and your dog have each other!

Elizabeth

 There is no denying, there are people who absolutely take the piss, they are the ones who make it impossible for everyone else, Animals have certainly been abused and even killed because of situations like a hamster who was flushed down a toilet by it's owner because she was apparently told to do it. There is a difference between Service animals and ESA's and I appreciate the conversation as it has made me look more into it.

I had previously seen videos of cats who spend time with their owners who are dealing with PTSD and comforting Autistic children who are having a meltdown. There are many ways to look at the situation and it should always be dealt with on an individual basis and carefully monitored to ensure the benefit is had by all participants.

There is a drive to have emotional support animals recognised in the same way that service animals are. I don't know enough about it to offer more than personal opinion. At the moment, I think there is too much ambiguity and as mentioned, there are people who take advantage of situations to gain something they aren't entitled to, using animals who aren't trained for the purpose and could not only pose a danger to others and themselves as you say, but can cause business establishments to refuse entry to genuine animals.

Here are some of the examples of both support and service animals that I've found:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxOZu-XRWBY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y_a_V1QD3U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TITJQr27RrQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1UcTZwP0v0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIlPFRsseQ8

It's clear there is a major difference between properly trained animals and someone slapping a vest on a pet. Is it fool proof? No. But there is a good amount of evidence to suggest the benefits of animals in reducing stress and anxiety. In some of the videos, it's mentioned and even shown that these animals can see the symptoms of stress and anxiety and help to stop it before it gets worse. 

I would love to have a cat because the times that I have had cats in my life, I've always been calmer. But even with my PTSD, I can get by without the need to travel with an animal and therefore, I have no reason to put an animal in that situation. There are others who do need it, they should have the support of an animal if it helps them. It certainly shouldn't be their only support. What we need, is to put a stop to those who abuse the system. They are the ones that are causing the problems. How can establishments be properly educated if they are seeing an 'Emotional Support Animal' Defecating in the restaurant or biting someone on a plane because what they were seeing wasn't legitimate?

If the dog is trained and managed by someone else then I would reccomend it to anyone.

If you, like me, got 'your own' dog to help you then I would would advise caution and a realistic assesment of whether you can cope.l As mentioned below in part. 

Rewards: total companionship 24/7. A project to focus on. Sidekick during incomprehnsible events / people. Somewhere to angle a random narrative stream. He needs routine so you need to focus on giving that for both of you. The '2 minute chats' with other dog walkers seem to be a standard part of daily walks for everyone. This has been massively beneficial in helping my social skills in micro-situations where it really, really dosn't matter if you mess it up!

Caution: social anxiety made it really difficult to train behaviours when there are other people watching. 'Masking' is problematic, the dog seems to not respond well - and you have to switch a lot in front of other people  it's not optional if you suddenly need to control the dog. Consistency is key for dogs and that may not fit with your default behavior.

It's a difficult choice to reverse out of - for the dog's sake - many times I have felt excruciatingly bad for wishing I could give him up (but most of the time he's a blessing and relief and an angel all in one).

Overall, for me, it was a very challenging road - but one that I was *just* about able to cope with and a massive opportunity for self-growth.

Jon

(Dog owner + 2 years)

someone gave me a dog to 'help' me... it was a poor match. thankfully, after several years, i finally found him a loving home --- a perfect match.

one day, i met a guy who obviously had a lot of issues... he was living in his van, travelling around. he said his dog took care of him. when this guy, doug, needed to rest, the dog would order him to do that. if the dog sensed something was wrong, the dog would take care of that. that dog was like 3 or 4 pounds. i could tell, or so i thought, that the dog really did take care of that guy.

that was a good match. doug died of covid. thanks so much, corrupt moron trump. (no offense to trump phreaks)

I have a slight problem with the concept of emotional support animals - guide dogs are carefully selected and trained for their specific owner - who themselves have been trained how to interact with their guide dog.     The same with the 'helper' dogs that fetch things or open doors for physically disabled people.

Emotional support specifically means the owner is going to be mentally unpredictable at random times - and I don't think that's fair to inflict upon a subordinate animal that is looking to the 'pack leader' for situational guidance.- it's almost guaranteed to mess the animal up - no matter how well it has been 'trained'.          The dog is likely to feel the need to become an unwilling dominant and will be possessive and defensive of the unstable owner - and that will get people bitten.     (Caesar has shown lots of unwillingly dominant dogs with these types of unpredictable behaviours because of their weak owners).

This whole thing came from the US with people abusing the disability act to get free air-transport for their pets - like 'emotional support peacock'!     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AevlbMEqEg 

It's a fashion that is catching on over here - unfortunately - and who knows where it will end........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7HFXgyTya0 .

My understanding of support animals is that it is possible to get fully trained support animals. And just like guide dogs for the blind are specifically chosen for qualities like temperament, they are also highly trained by professionals and matched to the companion human based on the needs (and personality) of that person.

Yes, there are aspects of owning an animal that will always be there, like cleaning up after them and vet bills. But I used to work in a Garden Centre. We had this big bruiser of a cat that really didn't like dogs. In fact a woman who trained guide dogs used to bring in the puppies so they could interact with a 'mean cat' and know what to do in that particular situation.

On one occasion, when our cat was asleep at the till, a guide dog came along with his human. Saw the cat and gave him a sniff. He got a fairly violent slap from the cat and a lot of screaming. His reaction was one of initial surprise, a step back, followed by blocking his owner from the crazy black cat. We explained to the owner what had happened, we checked him over to make sure he wasn't injured and he got some treats. He was so chilled out.

For sure, such good points, Plastic! :-) 

Elizabeth

The problem with having a dog is that for the 1% of time where you need support, you've got a dog.      For the other 99% of the time, it needs feeding, walking, vets bills, training, socialising etc. - and that's if you're good at training them and you don't end up with a dog that is just a nightmare liability - pooping everywhere, fighting other dogs, biting people, barking all day - the negatives can be huge and they live for 15 years!      It's a big commitment.  

I was trampled by a Great Dane when I was a child so I'd say no to dogs (although I do love them). I'm a cat person so definitely would love to have a support Cat!

Hi, Kev:

My answer is absolutely YES. One of the main things that calms me down is petting my cat and my (elderly, tiny) dog, so I'm pretty sure an assistance dog would be a hugely calming and positive influence on me throughout the day.

It's something I plan to look into in earnest in another five years or so, once I'm in my 50s. My emotional resilience and physical stamina are okay right now but they seem to be lowering slightly, every year. That's why I think it might be helpful to have that support in place sooner rather than later. 

Elizabeth

No, I don't think so.

I have an assistance cat. 

No

yes