Hello all, I'm posting this to raise some awareness about potential pitfalls that you can encounter when trying to source a service dog. Over recent months a number of stories have hit the media. This provides a quick overview of one such situation. http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...gs-360019.html Here is a rather shocking story connected to the previous one. Thankfully it looks like it will have a happy ending thanks to a number of people on one of the Facebook groups that offers support for such things. http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Famil...ail/story.html This Facebook group is one of the ones involved in Daisy's recovery. https://www.facebook.com/Sdehorrorstories Needless to say there are a lot of angry people on that group, they would all like to see some awareness spread about the problems you can face when trying to source a service dog. One thing to be aware of is that of money. In the linked group some people have spent as high as £6000, on a service dog and have now discovered it is unsuitable for the task. Unfortunately this isn't just one or two people either, the number is rising each day. These people have spent their savings or fund raised for the cost of a dog for themselves or their children but feel all they have is a very expensive pet. Any dog is a big commitment but due to the demand for service dogs you might find yourself being asked for a great deal of money by some organisations. Not all but certainly some. A lack of proper accreditation is also another big problem. If you look at the Facebook group they have been left in limbo because they believed they had a trained and accredited service dog. However now they have found out that not only are the dogs not accredited but that they will probably have difficulties getting accreditation as many of the dogs have behaviour issues. So be extra careful in this regard. Another article on standards and training, this time involving a different organisation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-34428032 So what are you left with if you end up with a dog that lacks training and accreditation? Well in some cases you might have a loving pet that unfortunately can't help but also they can't go into public places like a real service dog, it has no license. All in all these types of situations can leave adults and children feeling heart broken and mislead, not to mention the monetary investment. So please, please be on your guard
Very sorry that you have been impacted by these events. It's good to be reminded that even when a charity seems to be supporting excellent work, they might not be a good place to put your money (I'm sure lots are though).
Thank you. Well the one we were involved with aren't a charity. There's little information on this particular dog but from what has been said it's supposed to have been trained as a service dog. It's a worrying example when you think that it might have been intended to help a child. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mGp471gvz28
Hi we were badly affected by Xxx we along with other families set up a page to help /suport families affected and are working on seeking that the families get justice for what's Been done to both them and there dogs
Feel very sad for those families who don't get the dog they are expecting, unfortunately as with all things there are unscrupulous people and companies who will take advantage of others in need. The only way to beat them is to only work through and with the recognised and established charities. It takes many, many months to train any assistance dog and many do not complete training for numerous reasons.
I agree but with one caveat. Trying to source a service dog can be incredibly difficult, it's so easy to fall outside the relevant criteria for being given one. Wrong condition, child is too young, child is too old, waiting list of x amount of years. The org we dealt with appeared to be fine, lots of positive remarks in the public eye and even presence in the media when they provided an assistance dog for a barrister. When you have children who have difficulties living in the world then you will go to any length to assist them. Some of these companies look like they can help with that, yes you could argue that we didn't do our due diligence but to be honest we did and we still got had. Getting a service dog is a minefield at the moment and it really shouldn't be.
I'm really sorry to hear about these issues Spooky, thank you for highlighting them for us. Do you have any advice for people who may be looking for a service dog?
