Trying to decide whether we need a pet or a service dog

[Wendy and Trusty]

I'm not sure if this discussion belongs here... or in the Service Dog group. Please let me know if I should post this elsewhere. Here's a little background... my husband and I both grew up with wonderful pets in our homes (dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbits, turtles and other awesome animals). I took several of our dogs through dog obedience training and showed them at 4-H events when I was young. We don't currently have any pets. We have a beautiful 3-year-old little boy on the autism spectrum. I've been waiting for him to mature a little before considering bringing a puppy into the family (for the puppy's sake). My son was so nice and gentle when being around a cat the other day - and seemed just quite delighted with her. Since then, I've been researching dogs and dog breeds to get a feel for which dog we should add to our family. I've also been learning about service dogs - and have read some amazing articles about service dogs and kids on the spectrum. I'm not exactly sure what a service dog can be taught, but the things my son could probably benefit most from are: deep pressure, calming presence when he's in sensory overload, keeping my son from running off, going to sleep with him at night, and just being a wonderful companion and playmate for my son. Down the road, perhaps he could benefit from bringing a service dog to school with him. For those of you with experience and insight to share, I would love to hear pros and cons of having a service dog versus a pet. I can certainly understand and see the benefit of seeing eye dogs, or dogs that are trained for mobility when someone needs a dog to help them in that manner. I guess that's why I'm having difficulty in deciding whether we really "need" a service dog, or just a pet. Thanks for taking the time to read this! :)

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I had never thought about the 'sleeping with the child' bit before but now that you write it, it makes perfect sense. All my dogs chose to sleep with me from when I was about ten years old. I guess it was me who was their main caregiver from that early age!  Having a dog is like having another child and all the responsibilites that go with them. You have to really really want one for yourself.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm also going to throw this out there: if you opt for a pet as opposed to a service dog, you might consider a cat rather than  puppy. Cats move slowly, they're quieter, they're more likely to enjoy just sitting in a lap and cuddling than a rambunctious puppy, (most puppies never hold still, lol, and most dogs dislike being hugged), they don't generally jump up on people or nip, they don't need to be housebroken or obedience trained, and your son clearly likes them. Just a thought.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You might find this article helpful in making your decision. It discusses the pros and cons, and also the different options, i.e. service, therapy, or companion dogs. 

http://www.childrensdisabilities.info/therapy-service-animals/thera...

From the article: 

"Now you've read about some of the many benefits that result from such a wonderful child/dog partnership. But unfortunately, there are some things that won't be quite as positive… for the parents! It is very important to understand that bringing another dependent living creature into a household does not reduce the parents' workload and, in fact, increases it. A dog is not a babysitter or a caregiver, and the working relationship between dog and child must be constantly monitored as well as practiced. This falls to the parents, obviously. Whenever there is an outing, both child and dog must be 'handled' and monitored. When the child needs to go to a public restroom, the parent must somehow manage him/herself, child, and dog. Feeding a dog is not normally a difficult or time-consuming task, but since the child is supposed to do as much as possible in terms of dog care in order to maintain the all-important bond between dog and child, the feeding process can take much, much longer, as can dog grooming and bathrooming and cleanup. In other words, as stated, the parents' workload grows exponentially! The easiest way to understand this is to consider that the addition of a dog to a household is similar to adding another child…a source of both great joy and work.

Sometimes parents think that a dog would be great for a child and forget to 'test' to see if the child even likes dogs, much less loves them! Without a pretty strong drive on the part of the child, this type of partnership will never work. There are many ways a parent can test their child's interest in dogs without actually getting one:

• visit an animal shelter,
• watch the reaction/interaction of the child with dogs of friends and family,
• find a service dog organization in the area and ask to visit (most such organizations welcome the addition of children and strangers as they train their dogs and it is a good environment in which to assure that the child is not in harm's way from unknown animals),
• rent a movie about dogs and see if the child is interested,
• read children's books about dogs,
• watch a lot of animal planet shows about dogs,
• and, of course, have conversations with the child (if possible) about how they feel about dogs."

[Adina P]

Such excellent points to consider.  Wendy, it sounds like you yourself do want a dog given your background with dogs, but are perhaps thinking this would be a good time to get a dog with a purpose (service to help your child with SPD).  But as I'm thinking about the reason you want a service dog, I wonder if perhaps while your son is still small and still needing 100% supervision if maybe a service dog would be redundant right NOW.  In other words, the deep pressure and help in calming, etc is still something that you can do quite well as a parent who is there with him most of the time.  Perhaps in a couple of years as you test out the idea of a dog (with some of the suggestions above to see how your son feels about them and if he is generally drawn to the idea or not) it will be more appropriate and helpful to have a service animal (or even plain old pet by then).  Since he's just 3, he's still changing a lot anyway, regardless of SPD or not, and you'll learn more about him and his needs as he grows a bit more and gets closer to school age.  Just my random thoughts...I'm no service dog or autism-spectrum expert.

[Wendy and Trusty]

Wow, I want to thank ALL of you for your valuable insight, links to articles, experiences, etc! This has been so helpful for me. I was unsure what age a child should be before matching him with a service dog, and it makes sense that my son is too young right now. I also hadn't thought through the sleeping in bed part... and it makes sense that the dog would prefer sleeping in his master's bed rather than a child's bed. (In fact, when we get a dog down the road, I probably won't have him sleep with my son - even if he's a service dog - thanks to your great insight.)

Prior to joining your forum, I had read a lot about Goldendoodles & Labradoodles being such great service dogs, and have even had a service dog trainer recommend this breed to me. I also know another family whose Goldendoodle is a godsend to them - and he treats their two children differently, based on their needs. (They bought him planning to train him as a service dog, but so far he's been a really awesome pet for them, and seems to have the right instincts about what the kids' individual needs are.) This was all of the positive feedback I had previously received about this breed (as a service dog)... and there was only one "thumbs down" I received from another friend's trainer who didn't recommend them for a service dog. But, with all the other positive reports, articles, and feedback... I thought I had found the right breed for us for a service dog. AND, I fell in love with how many adorable Doodle pictures I found online, and was so excited to buy our Doodle puppy. But, with the additional cautions that I'm hearing from all of you, I have come to the conclusion that this might not be the best breed for us... UNLESS I find a truly reputable breeder that can accurately predict a puppy's temperament at a young age. And as much as I can't wait to bring a puppy home and train him, it seems like we should wait and see where my son is at a couple years from now, and whether his needs are serious enough to warrant a service dog - or if he just needs an awesome pet and companion. I'll also have to do a lot more research on service dog training... as the cost to have a service dog trained by a trainer is SO high. Thanks again for your feedback and advice, everyone! :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think you are making such a wise decision.  A few years can make a huge difference.   Doodles are so cute, and many of them have incredibly loving dispositions....but puppies are puppies.  They steal our hearts and it's a good thing because training them is a lot of work!

[Rhoda and Asta]

Here is a link to commonly asked questions about service animals in places of business.  It provides the ADA definition of service animals.  http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I've been reading this thread with interest because my dog is a therapy dog (not a service dog) and we work with children (ages 7 to 9) who are on the autism spectrum or have Down's Syndrome. It's fascinating to watch how he's progressed with the children over 2 years (and they with him).  He's intuitive with the children and he loves their hugs and attention but then he lives to be hugged (not all dogs do:)  He definitely senses when a child is on overload and moves in to calm them or distract them but the other needs you describe take special training. We started this work when FInn was 3. From what I've observed, I don't think he would have had the maturity to deal with some of the situations that arise as a younger dog and toddlers still confuse him.  Any relationship is a two-way street so the fact that the children are older makes it possible for them to learn how to respect the dog. That's an important part of the work too.  As others have pointed out, any dog will bond the closest with its main caregiver.  I'm no expert but for all these reasons it may be well to wait until your child is a little older and to consider a specially trained dog depending on your expectations.

Whatever you decide, betting you'll find this an amazing journey :)        

[Wendy and Trusty]

Thank you for sharing, Cheryl! How wonderful that you have a therapy dog, and that he's so intuitive. Its also helpful to hear the ages of kids that you and your dog work with. And you're right... I'm sure we'll have an amazing journey ahead! :)