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PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOG PARTNERS: DOGS SAVING LIVES

PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOG PARTNERS: DOGS SAVING LIVES

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Home » Resources » Service Dog FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) » Ask an expert
We don’t provide service dogs or scams. We inform all comers through sensible guidance and free resources from our all-volunteer community of peers. Learn about our mission, history, and how we use our expertise to help.
News

March 22–April 6, 2020—This is the most important US advocacy opportunity for service dog users in a decade. Please read more on our advocacy page about the flying law update and get your comment in!

Horizontally oriented cover page with green PSDP logo, photo of three service dog handlers in airport lobby with Wright Brothers airplane overhead, and text: "The rights are in the details, PSDP's ACAA NPRM comment, March 2020".

March 29, 2020—Our 2020 convention is now scheduled for September 11–14 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. We hope you can join us!

March 17, 2020—Do you want a stronger exit from public interactions than our basic FAQ flyer provides? Our new “Handler Needs Space” printable (PDF) flyer is a FAQ flyer, but features a prominent “HANDLER NEEDS SPACE” title with a stop sign. Please use your discretion.

Part of a flyer, with a stop sign and text visible that says "HANDLER NEEDS SPACE".

March 13, 2020—Our 2019 Community Photos are now available as a pleasant diversion to brighten your day.

A woman with shorts and a tshirt walks across a city street with a tan Labradoodle. Next to her is a woman in a dress and leggings and her small Japanese Chin.

March 12, 2020—We are postponing or canceling our 2020 convention. We will post details when we are able to gather the information necessary to make good decisions about what to do.

March 3–May 14, 2020—Service dog teams sometimes need platform relief areas to ride the rails. Comment by May 14th to help make train travel more of a reality for our community!

A short-haired woman in purple and a black and gray Standard Poodle service dog sit at a bench on a train platform and look to the right at a train that says "Amtrak California" on the side.

Click to reveal more news items on this page…

February 28, 2020—Sponsorship opportunities (including sponsoring the cute Apollo for only $25) close March 3rd for our 2020 convention. So does convention registration! You can see the activities we have planned by checking out our preliminary info packet, posted on our 2020 convention page.

The top half of a document with sponsor logos at the top, PSDP letterhead under, and titling and paragraphs under that.

February 19, 2020—TaTiana Cash, of local CBS TV news station 7 News out of Spartanburg, South Carolina, interviewed PSDP’s Veronica and Brad Morris in their home for a story about a woman with POTS getting a service dog.

February 6, 2020—The new flying law proposal from DOT was published in the Federal Register, which means the deadline for your comments is April 6, 2020. Visit the new entry in the ACAA NPRM docket folder to have your say.

February 2, 2020—Have you been harassed by the “service dog police” when you’re doing nothing wrong? It’s important that we have community standards, but it’s also important that we don’t cause harm through a culture of suspicion. Read more in our latest advocacy entry!

Yellow graphic with woman and small service dog in background, PSDP logo and "Behavior, not belongings psych.dog". Text: Don't play service dog police and harass disabled people • You can’t see an invisible disability
 • Service dogs come in all sizes and breeds
 • No special labels, vests, or IDs are required for service dogs • Encouraging suspicion makes outings harder for all service dog teams
 • Needing help with training or etiquette doesn’t deserve bullying • Service dogs have to behave—but not like robots
 • A service dog team can have a bad day or need help
 • Harmful or very disruptive behavior deserves removal, whether it’s a service dog or not

January 28, 2020—The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued new guidance on housing accommodations for disabled individuals with assistance animals. This guidance clarifies the simple process most housing providers should use to accommodate service animal users, as we explain in our Laws FAQ.

January 22, 2020—The US Department of Transportation has proposed new flying laws for service dog users. One victory in the proposal is that airlines would no longer be able to treat psychiatric service dog users worse than others. Our volunteers are reviewing the proposal and will be drafting a comment and giving more information to our community.

January 15, 2020—PSDP leaders participated in a roundtable discussion of AKC’s Service Dog Pass. You can now watch the video, listen to the audio recording, or read the transcript.

December 22, 2019—This might surprise you: Service dog IDs are the wrong answer! Learn more about this and how you might push back against AKC’s latest wrong answer.

A bright green graphic with black text, with a picture in the background of a golden retriever in a service dog vest on its hind legs tapping a woman's outstretched hands as she leans down. A logo for Psychiatric Service Dog Partners appears in the upper right corner. The text reads: Service dog IDs are the wrong answer (use non-ID law cards instead!) • Employees give the next disabled service dog user a hard time when the one before used an ID • Has no legal meaning in the US (no recognized registry/certification) • Forcing disability-related paperwork for normal access violates human rights • Employees often treat service dog documentation as a free pass for bad behavior • Service dog or not, dogs should be removed if they are aggressive or persist with bad behavior Behavior, not belongings www.psych.dog

December 10, 2019—Want to help disabled service dog users get to our 2020 convention? Sponsor Apollo for $25!

A tiny plush Doberman wearing a vest sits on a wooden deck looking up expectantly at the camera, ears raised outward as if ready for a hug, with a colorful ball at its feet.

Apollo would love your help!

December 8, 2019—Our Veronica and Brad Morris were interviewed on DV Radio‘s “The Service Dog Show” at 8:00 p.m. ET. The podcast will be available in the future, but the transcript is available here.

December 2, 2019—These are exciting times for service dog advocates. PSDP is staying in touch with DOT and other advocates in Washington, DC; read the latest updates from our November 25th meeting with DOT.

Seven disability advocates pose for a picture in an expansive central indoor area at the US Department of Transportation building in Washington, DC on November 25, 2019.

November 26, 2019—Seems like our community loves to hate online service dog certification. What if we got something wrong? Brad Morris challenges us to inject our reasoning with compassion + knowledge in “Should we hate online service dog certification?“.

The bust of a smiling man with a large beard, sitting in a power wheelchair and looking left with bright greenery in the background. The man wear a purple straw fedora, a purple blazer, pink dress shirt, a pink-background tie with flowers of different colors, and a multi-color giraffe lapel pin. The sun shines brightly down on him.

November 18, 2019—We’re often asked how to train an alert or response. Get the low-down in Dr. Morris’s new article, “How to train a service dog anxiety alert/response“!

In a parking garage, the silhouette of a woman walking away from the viewer with a small dog strongly contrasts against her surroundings.

November 15, 2019—The latest addition to our page on service dog public interaction tools is a French version of our frequently asked questions flyer. Enjoy!

November 12, 2019—2019 Convention attendees had fun creating several skit-lesson videos! Some are dotted across our site, and several are on our 2019 convention videos page. Check ’em out, laugh and learn!

September 16, 2019—On our SDIT Manners Evaluation page, we have a new video that gives you a 60-second peek at the activities on the evaluation.

Video screenshot showing three teams walking around a large room together.

September 12, 2019—In our community we encourage training records and PATs, but should testing be mandatory for service dog teams? In a revealing new article, PSDP’s Brad Morris explains why “Forced service dog testing is not the fix you might think“.

A woman with a cane holds the leash of a Miniature Pinscher wearing a green bandana.

August 5, 2019—Registration for the 2020 PSDP convention in Rock Hill, South Carolina is now open! Join us to make heartwarming and psyche-strengthening memories April 3rd–6th. Register in 2019 for a 25% discount!

Four service dog users joyfully smile at the camera as they sit on rocking chairs outside of a Cracker Barrel restaurant.

July 18, 2019—PSDP celebrates turning seven by releasing this year’s convention pictures. Enjoy the cuteness (and alt-text descriptions)!

Graphic: SARAs 2.5/5, with 2.5 filled in with red

The average for service animal relief areas was not too high in our survey

July 15, 2019—Our USAUSA coalition’s airport survey ended July 11th. How do your responses compare with others? The results are in USAUSA’s “Assistance animal airport accessibility survey report“, ready to be previewed at an FAA conference for airport operators in July.

July 2, 2019—It’s the turn of the fiscal year. Our budget and financial report are now available when you check out Investing in PSDP.

June 26, 2019—Board member Brad Morris talks about solidarity in the service dog community in an interview for the international podcast “Spotlight on Assistance Dogs”.

June 10, 2019—After you (our community) beta-tested it, our Service Dog in Training (SDIT) Manners Evaluation’s page is now ready! We revamped the page—so we hope you find it appealing, but especially useful.

A screenshot of the title page of the PSDP's Service Dog in Training Manners Evaluation.

June 3, 2019—Video+: Our USAUSA coalition took your survey feedback to the US Department of Transportation as part of our new 358-page handbook, “The path to responsible air travel governance: A recent history of service animal recommendations“. Now you can view our speech to DOT officials to see what your support allows us to do in DC!

May 27, 2019—Video: “Service dog info for veterans and first responders“. This is a short message about how PSDP can help. Share this video to reach veterans or first responders in your network who might be a good fit for a service dog.

 

 

Ask an expert

Community members ask a variety of experts for input within their areas of expertise.

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Ask an attorney

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Ask a dog trainer

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