“Service” dog

“We’re training I would say” as my trainer and I worked with Milo who was handsomely dressed in his black vest with badges of honor, service dog in training and medical alert. “Oh so you can take him on the plane for free?” a bystander would say. The exact reason why I feared training Milo to be my service dog. Judgement, people jumping to conclusions seeing me thinking I was trying to cheat the system. I would say “no, an actual service dog.” What I wanted to say was it’s people like you who make it hard for people like me who NEED a service dog. The physical and emotional support of having the dog be by your side to help perform tasks when you need it.

“I see you training your dog, to be a service dog, who are you training him for?”

I would then tell a white lie, “I want him to be a therapy dog, so we can go into hospitals and visit brain tumor patients.” So it is true, I do want Milo to go into hospitals, but he’s training for me. Milo is my service dog.

Milo is trained for when vertigo hits me to stay tight to my side, when ptsd hits Milo is trained to walk to a chair with me and place his head on my lap and look me in the eyes. I can breathe, he helps calm me and realize it’s my body in flight mod as my heart pounds, dizziness escalates and heat hits my face. He gives me courage to step in to spaces I anticipate PTSD to sneak in.

I don’t like to draw attention to myself in public settings. I fear that people judge me thinking I don’t need a service dog, I fear I have to defend myself.

For the past month Milo and I have been working with a woman who trains dog for veterans who suffer from ptsd. A ptsd service dog is very different than a seeing eye dog. Both necessary in their own ways, for ptsd it helps us return back to life, Milo helps me feel grounded if vertigo strikes. Ptsd service dogs are trained to your specific needs to help you complete tasks. Some will wake their owner in the middle of the night from a night terror, others can retrieve medication when you mind freezes and body is scared. Part of the training is on me, I need to get comfortable with bringing Milo, I need to ignore anyone that may look at me and judge and remind myself they don’t know me.

Milo is my service dog, because medically I am better with him. For those who cheat the system remind yourself how you are breaking the system for those who are in need. Those that need the help and not to get their dog across the country without paying. Respect the system for those are making it harder for people like me. Those who are embarrassed or nervous to utilize their service dog to be bucketed in the same category as those who cheat the system. Emotional support dogs are a thing and I do believe in them but be sure you truly need it and talk to your doctor. Hopefully they will have more regulations in the future but for now, keep in mind how important service dogs are to the quality of life for others in need. So if you see Milo and I around town and he has his vest on, please note he is working. If the vest is off, Milo accept hugs, pats and belly rubs.