A doctor, then. That will be your first step to treatment and healing.

If anything, learning that flying is scary as a puppy without all the training and counter conditioning to help offset that is only likely to escalate the situation.

I am glad you're open to hearing the reasoning and considering alternatives, thank you. I know it is extremely hard to hear, and I hope you are able to take these comments at face-value, as they are intended.

I'm not sure what you're hoping to achieve here. Are you hoping this community will sign off on this or give you permission so you can do it without feeling bad? That's not what's going to happen on this thread.

Either don't go on the work trip (so sorry boss, my passport was stolen and a replacement won't get here in time!) or road trip instead or figure it out some other way. But breaking the law, passing your pet off as an SD, being unkind to him (flying is extremely hard for even dogs with years of public access training), and seeking forgiveness from the people you are harming by doing so isn't the way.

I want to be extremely clear here: I am not being mean or hating on you. We all have impulsive thoughts. Sometimes we pursue them, and sometimes as in this case, we discard them as non-feasible.

Also, if you genuinely are afraid of ending your life over one week separated from your dog, I mean this with all the sympathy and empathy in the world, you should absolutely speak to your doctor about this.

That's so interesting about the rock climbing gym bc it is my favorite place to bring my SD. I go to a bouldering-only gym at off peak hours that uses solid mats and not chopped substrate. My previous dog loved to be comfy and thought moving around to lie down on new places on the mat as I worked my way around the wall was the best thing ever. My current girl is neutral on the comfort, but loves being on the lookout - keeping an eye on me and everyone, determining if she should break her stay to come check on me if I hit the mat hard, etc. It's the perfect balance of stimulating and routine, we love it.

It's legal and honestly easy. You'll just upload your ESA docs when prompted, they'll verify. It's actually preferable to me as an SD handler - this third party used only for this purpose knows the laws better than some random landlord or front office worker so they won't give me the illegal runaround.

Sorry, I didn't word it precisely. A lot of types of payments, rather than a lot of quantity of payments.

I did the sofi 600$ bonus for a 5k personal loan to get into the system and check out their all-in-one model, intending to do the same as you.

Their customer service was so bad I quickly threw out that idea. Despite a clear bonus promo, I (and everyone else who did it) had to go to regulatory bodies just to get them to follow the terms. Once it cleared I closed all my accounts.

Sofi also gets really finicky with a lot of payments, doesn't do cashier's checks, and a bunch of other random small things no other bank has a problem with that it raises some red flags.

It's part of my working dog's uniform and a clear indicator to her that she's in working mode. I desensitized young so she does not view it as abnormal or find it aversive - it's just the leash we use when she needs to be performing work behaviors.

I also use it to keep from poisoning our pressure cue behaviors. When she is in working guide gear, she places pressure into the harness, and gives into pressure on the head collar. This distinction is really clear for her, whereas she sometimes has issue feeling if I am giving a slight collar pressure cue vs the harness on her chest. Often this is just a small finger movement, I hold the leash in the same hand as the handle and then shift the leash slightly with my finger when I want her attention or to ask her something. Knowing that she can feel when I'm going to ask her for something unusual allows her to be more autonomous when I'm not giving unusual directions and make decisions on her own, without second guessing if I'm trying to get her to do something else. It's just a smoother overall experience and has us working like a well oiled machine.

Their return policy is really great, so I suggest ordering the L and if you need to return and change size you're all good. I think initially my dog measured into an L but it was clear they were a little too large. I actually gave them to my friend whose dog's paws are a tiny bit wider but much thicker and they fit perfect. The M were a snug fit initially, but they quickly broke in as good leather does and are perfect now.

It sounds like she is shaping up to provide you some great help at home.

The main obstacle to service dog training and work is not actually tasking (performing behaviors to mitigate your disability) but public access, or the complicated and rigorous demands of being the type of dog who can not only be in, but thrive in and perform a job in public. Almost any dog can be taught to task, but only a select few have what it takes to be a service dog with full public access capabilities.

The first steps for you here are to continue working on obedience training, and reach out to a trainer who has experience with service dogs who can evaluate your dog's temperament and make an assessment on whether they think your dog is the kind who can handle public work.

Also keep on mind that service dog training (including the public work portion) usually takes around 2 years, though that is starting from puppy hood with a known history and a predictable temperament. Rescues can take longer or wash completely (aka no longer be suited to service work).

However, in-home tasks like she is currently doing are a great help regardless, and a trainer can help you hone those behaviors as you desire (ie like fetching medication) that even if she isn't up to public work can have a tremendous benefit to you.

Best of luck!

Start with the links and lists of resources on this sub's sidebar, then search anything you're struggling to understand in this sub and read through what other people have asked and received answers for similarly. Determine if the financial burden and day to day stressors are something you can take on, and then discuss with your medical team

No I do not think they have a good chance for the same reason herding breeds in general do not have a good chance. As you identified, nerviness and environmental sensitivity are the big traits, with obsessiveness a close third. These things make them great herding dogs, and bad SDs.

Additionally, if you speak with the owner of any off-breed, and particularly an off-breed that the public will fawn over like a curly haired Merle dog, you'll quickly find that the already-difficult task of trying to be left alone with an SD becomes impossible. You cannot simply run out for a quick task anymore - every five feet will be someone stopping you. A true hellscape imho.

Lol. Tell me you're an inexperienced handler without telling me you're an inexperienced handler.

Correct, Italy only recognizes organization-trained (IGDF/ADI) guide dogs for visual impairment. The legal doctrine is Legge 14 Febbraio 1974, N.37.

For visiting Italy, you would have to import your dog as a pet and follow those rules, found in the embassy site. You would have no public access rights if you do not have an IGDF guide dog.

For ease of reference, the legal doctrine is Legge 14 Febbraio 1974, N.37. I am glad your friend hasn't had a bad experience yet, but I still just wanted to make sure you're aware of the legal risks. Best of luck.

I can't speak to France, but I just want to point out that Italy also does not legally recognize owner trained SDs, or any SDs that are not IGDF/ADI organization trained Guide Dogs for visual impairments. It's hard to find info re: the embassy site so just wanted to make sure you're going in informed! Legally you have to go through the pet import process, which is not as extreme as some other countries. More info on what that entails here on the embassy site: https://it.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/rome/sections-offices/foreign-agricultural-service/pet-travel-faqs-italy-u-s/

False Carpenter, as always, nailed it, but I will add:

If possible try to speak with or meet a team they trained. There are a lot of young or inexperienced trainers working a lot in theory and it makes a world of difference to have an experienced trainer with actual working teams on the ground.

I adore my trainer and always offer myself as a reference to his SD clients looking to vet him. If they're in the area I offer to meet for coffee where they can see us working and what kind of standards they can expect from his training. We talk over what I like and what I find limiting in working with him, and if their vibes are good I offer to keep in touch.

Obviously if your pickings are slim this might not be an option, but unless told people sometimes don't know they can ask for this! When inquiring with a trainer who claims to have SD experience, ask if you can speak to a working team of theirs as a reference. Offer your number/email so they don't have to give you client info and can just pass it on to their teams.

I noticed the same performance/battery hits on mine around new UI releases, but most importantly the Feb 2024 update nerfed my phone's ability to connect to Verizon. No more signal, or emergency only. After scrolling through every forum post of the same thing happening to S22U users in relation to updates where eventually everyone just got a new phone, I also caved. I got a P8P and couldn't be happier - for my use case it's better in every way.

I tend to join the consensus here - I don't think it's intentional, but rather just negligence. Back porting the updates leave them getting worse and worse and they don't care to do it well enough bc once it gets bad enough people will just upgrade.

With the Walmart as grocery and gas rewards, this is a rural no-brainer if you're already using Verizon.

One of the big things for us is that it's 4% without caps. P2 is not into chasing rewards or switching cards or any of the game and drives an insane amount for his job. Juggling and keeping track of multiple CCCs would be a deal breaker, so this card is incredibly convenient.

Not "correcting someone's error" but rather "correcting someone's error in a way that is egregiously off-topic, unhelpful, and condescending" is like saying that.

Hey I actually remembered this comment because it struck me as rude out of nowhere.

For everyone's info before responding, it was this post https://www.reddit.com/r/service_dogs/s/m0XzH60rji , and OP commenting something like: "affect not effect, since you want to go into English"

To say that it was gentle is incorrect. I understand why you'd feel that way, but what it actually was was off topic, unhelpful to the OP's original ask, and when you comment something so brusk and in such a tone, on Reddit that specifically comes across as calling the OP an idiot. Like saying "not only is your problem that you're posting to try to get help for stupid, but you're not even doing it in a way that I like which is even more heinous."

I'm general, if you can't tell the nuance, it's safest to just never correct spelling on the internet if someone isn't asking about spelling.

I take a 1/8 ccf foam pad that I wrap around my inflatable - protects the bottom from sticks and cacti and the top from dog nails.

OP I think this is the crux of your problem. Are you spending most of the time trying to line up and just get the boots over the toes? Since you're using them so much, I highly recommend spending a bit extra if you can for ruffwear boots with the mentioned gussets that open the tops up wide and seeing if that helps.

Fwiw, I use a whole getup for my dog for rocky backcountry hiking (vet wrap over dewclaws, socks, and boots) and it's like, maybe 3 minutes tops.

What kind of training are you going to be doing? Having a well trained demo dog hold a place in a group class is highly desirable, whereas if you're doing in home behavior cases having your dog with you and working is not reasonable.

Same situation here - two dogs, one service dog, experienced backpacker.

I have never had an access problem with a ranger. I don't know what ADA training they have but it needs to be disseminated nationally. Other people on the trails give me more shit than rangers.

Every time I've run into a ranger, they've asked the questions, observed that she's well trained, and given me any parting tips I might need to know (ie difficult crossings).

As far as the day to day, I trade out our usual leather gear setup for a ruffwear switchback with patches sown on. In the national parks, service dog accessibility also comes with a 6 foot leash rule, so as long as the dog is well behaved on the 6 foot leash, I don't ask for a heel unless passing others.

Make sure on your ICE itinerary you include that you have a dog with you. Best of luck!

You might have better luck over on r/churning. I work in payroll and do a moderate amount of churn, and sometimes it's the payroll processor the company uses, sometimes it's the banks themselves and how strict they are, etc but rarely is it going to be something controllable from payroll's side. The churning sub and the doctor of credit links you'll find have more info on what banks count what types of deposits.

Fwiw, sometimes with a bank I have luck with showing my paystubs and getting them to match the deposit and recode as DD, or overwrite and grant me the bonus.