Creating a Responsible Support Dog

My support dog, Samantha, came at a time when I was experiencing debilitating depression and lonely social isolation as fall out symptoms from a divorce. She saved me emotionally, added to my life socially, and gave me the confidence to face a temporary period of time alone as I rebuilt my friend network as well as my romantic/family life.

Samantha had been a client’s dog… a training client’s dog from years prior. As I’m a professional dog trainer, I could tap into not only Samantha’s previous skills, but also cultivate what I knew to be acceptable behaviors for her as an Emotional Support Dog (ESA). Her personality personality fit the bill completely: people sociable, eager, happy, adaptable, well-mannered and most of all, bonded to me in friendship. She came at a time when not only did I need her, but she also needed me. Her male owner had died, and while she loved her female owner, the two of them were grieving the loss of that man. She and I had always connected and I knew we could heal each other’s wounds together. 

And while I knew it was a simple computer click away to purchase a “badge” and a support dog vest to certify her, I wanted to be certain I had a dog that was qualified for the job. So I began a few weeks of polishing her training and working together in social situations.

My dog has saved my sanity many times over. She has been eager to join me at wineries, restaurants, outside concerts, Christmas shopping, window shopping and anything else I needed a “date” for. She picked up my confidence, was a friend when I needed one and gave me the motivation and bravery to go out alone when I felt most vulnerable. 

Since I know and appreciate the value of my Support Dog, and since I know there are many more like me out there, I would like to share a program that I’ve developed from my training curriculum especially designed to create a reliable, well-mannered, well-trained Support Dog for people like myself in need of the magic and stabilizing life force an ESA can offer.

So before you go clicking that button to certify your best friend and hoping he or she can not only support you emotionally, but also behave well in public, allow me to assist you in building a pet that not only you enjoy in public, but that others appreciate seeing and welcoming into their establishments as well. We need to be responsible with our ESA’s so we can maintain the privilege of having these amazing creatures support us on this sometimes difficult journey of life.