Comment by mekanicalsyncop | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mekanicalsyncop | Hacker News Reader

mekanicalsyncop

There are probably plenty of liars out there, but I think part of the problem may be the fact that there are a lot of people out there that need a proper service dog but can't afford one.

PTSD seems to be a big market for service dogs. However, every program I can find that helps people pay for PTSD service dogs is for military veterans only (If you know of one that isn't please let me know). Which is pretty sad considering far more people in the US have PTSD for non-combat related reasons.

If you can't get someone to help you pay for one, some of the trainers charge $20k or more. People hear stories about how service dogs can change a person's life completely and so when they can't afford one they buy a dog they can afford and attempt to train them on their own. There are lots of organizations and individuals out there providing information on how to do it. I'm not sure what the typical results are like, but I imagine its harder to accomplish than many assume.

My wife and I would have to save for years to get a $20k dog, so we've been thinking about trying to train one ourselves. It might be foolish, but when you're desperate you'll try anything. If they pass laws implementing fines for fake service dogs, I really hope they are thoughtful enough not to make it illegal to have a service dog that's not officially trained by someone that charges a fortune.

If you have a diagnosed illness, then your service dog should probably be considered "real." I'm not as confident as you that most of these people have diagnosed illnesses, however.

I know a guy with a traumatic brain injury that is confined to a wheelchair and has a "real" service dog. I don't think there is any way you can train a random dog to this level on your own. The dog has amazing skills and took many months to train. Also the trainers select dogs that exhibit the right temperment at a very young age.

>I don't think there is any way you can train a random dog to this level on your own.

I pretty much agreed in my comment. People try anyways because they've tried everything else and don't have the money.

>Also the trainers select dogs that exhibit the right temperment at a very young age.

There are lots of breeders now that offer to help you find a dog with the right temperment. I'm not sure how legitimate they are though.

I think it would be a great idea for cost, but is not comparable to a properly-trained animal in most scenarios. My mother is blind and also has a cochlear implant (basically is just shy of being deaf) and has had a service dog for the last 7 years. The dog was in training for 18 months specifically to aid blind and deaf (combo) people, then my mother had to fly out East from Minnesota for 6 weeks just to train with it without the distractions of home. Her program was solid and both of the owner and dog know their roles very well. It would be extremely tough and cost prohibitive to do this without a track record and support structure behind the whole process.

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