Service dog ?
Does anyone have a service dog to help manage symptoms of narcolepsy? What was the profess to get a service dog like? Has it been helpful for you?
I have had two service dogs and I love them I love having one I live alone so you know I sleep a lot and then if I'm at night you know when you hear those like you think you're awake but you're asleep and you might thought you heard somebody not going to the door I know whether someone's not going to the door because my dog will bark and let me know he makes me feel safe and make me feel calmer living alone.
Yes I am, thank you so much! My parents are opposed to the idea, unfortunately, and I could not afford a service dog on my own. They won't even listen and just start going on about the level of commitment a service dog requires, which is real, yes, but they don't understand how a service dog is different from a pet. I try to explain how a service dog serves a medical purpose and could significantly improve my quality of life. I understand their concern about uncertainty of my current situation, though, as school starts in a couple weeks but I'm coming home to meet with my neurologist to decide if i will be doing college this semester or living at home. Quite frustrating.
I am sorry to hear that your parents aren't supportive of your decision. It can definitely be difficult to deal with parents that don't understand our needs due to our disability. I will say that it is difficult to do school and raise a puppy, but not impossible if you crate train them! I somehow survived training my pup, graduating with my Master's degree, and working part time. It took a lot out of me but if I had to do it again I would, knowing how much my dog has helped me along the way and continues to do so. You are not alone in this! Thanks for sharing. Warmly, Tatiana (narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net Team Member)
Great question! I have a service dog that helps me with my Narcolepsy. She alerts to me when I start having sleep attacks or a little bit before they onset. It is useful to have her in public with me when I fall asleep so people don't mess with me or try to wake me up. I trained her from a puppy myself. If you'd like to read the articles about this topic that I wrote provided quite a few. There are organizations that train service dogs as well. When I was looking into getting a service dog I was in contact with many training organizations, and a service dog for Narcolepsy is around $20,000 USD. I didn't have that kind of money laying around, especially with a new disability, so I had to train my own! The hardest parts of training is obedience. Once you have the basics down, it is easier to train for public access. Right now we are training in stores once or twice a week to brush up on her training for a trip in October. It is a lot of work but it is definitely worth it, for me. If you have any further questions please let me know! Warmly, Tatiana (narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net Team Member) , this is a great question! I hope others in the community may be able to chime in with their experiences. I know has written quite a bit about her experiences with her service dog.
You may also find these articles helpful:
https://narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net/service-dog
https://narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net/living/choosing-service-dog
https://narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net/living/sleep-attack-alerts
https://narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net/living/service-dog-deep-pressure-therapy
Are you currently thinking about getting a service dog?
Kindly,
Minel (Team Member)
