@jimhd How did the appointment with your pain specialist go?
I'd like to hear more about your service dog and what s/he means to you and what service s/he brings to your health and healing. Can you tell us more?

I very much like the pain specialist. He's worked hard to find a way to get relief for me. My service dog is still in training. I had to find a new one after my previous dog died suddenly and unexpectedly in February of last year. He had been my partner his last 5 years. A mental health worker recommended a service dog, and I trained the dog I rescued as a puppy. I found resources online to learn what services he could provide to be a legitimate service dog. He helped me through panic attacks and with depression, and PTSD. Sadie, my two year old McNabb, is taking his place and is learning to know me, to know when I need her. She's a psychiatric service dog. We're very much attached. I felt the connection when I first knelt and held her at the shelter. It was a time when I needed her, just 3 weeks after Barnabas died. Barnabas had a stroke or some other brain event, and I had to put him down. I mourned for a long time, and still feel the loss a year later. If anyone wants to know more about service dogs, it just takes a Google search. No certification is required, though there are lots of people online offering certificates. It's a scam. And too many people believe that they can call their pet a service dog, but it's only a companion dog. The animal has to be trained to provide a recognized service, and a list of possible services can be found at http://www.servicedog.com. There are several requirements as to behavior, basic commands and dog etiquette. Whenever I go to a restaurant or doctor's office, I hear from people who work there that they can tell when it's a true service dog. I've heard horror stories.

Thank you for telling us more about Sadie and Barnabas. You may enjoy reading about Craig (@v1crew) and Saoirse, who are in training with one another since late last year. http://mayocl.in/2jNt67n

jimhd when I lived with my parents as a child growing up I always had a dog. Though we never heard of or refured to the dogs as service dogs they were a companion to me. When I moved out of my parents home I got a cat which is called a companion. Where I live companion animals are allowed when pets are not allowed. My cat is very entertaining because to him he is the master of his domain. When is the whole house. I would like to had a dog but it would of been to much for me with the up keep. But I know how you feel about your dog as I do about my cat. They are very much your family