Are You Ready Right Now?

Your Life

Ask yourself:

• Is my housing stable?

• Have I experienced major life changes within the past year?

• Am I expecting major life changes within the next year?

• Have I recently changed jobs?

• Have I recently moved, or am I planning to move?

• Have I recently had significant changes in my medical treatment or medications?

• Have I experienced major changes in my personal relationships?

• Have I experienced recent suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, or psychiatric hospitalization that may affect my ability to build this partnership right now?

A service dog is introduced most successfully during a period of relative stability. If your life is changing in many ways at once, it may be worth considering whether waiting could give both you and your future service dog a stronger foundation.

Your Household

A service dog changes the entire household, not just your life.

Ask Yourself:

• Have I had honest conversations with my spouse, partner, children, or other members of my household?

• Does everyone understand how life will change?

• Are they prepared to support a working dog?

• How might those changes affect existing family dynamics?

Children sometimes struggle with the attention a service dog receives in public.

Spouses or partners sometimes need time to adjust as responsibilities and routines change. For example, a spouse who has traditionally helped manage aspects of your disability may find that role changing as your service dog becomes your primary working partner.

These changes are normal, but they should be discussed before you apply.

Your Pets

If you already have pets, they will also experience this transition.

Patriot Service Dogs generally allows one other established household pet (not a new pet).

Ask yourself:

• How will my current pet respond to a working dog?

• Can I maintain healthy boundaries between my pet and my service dog?

• Am I prepared for my pet to experience frustration or stress during the adjustment period?

• Can I prevent my pet from interfering with my service dog's training or work?

• Am I prepared to treat my service dog as a working partner rather than simply another family pet?

A successful service dog and household pet can absolutely live together, but that relationship requires thoughtful management.

Your Workplace

If you plan to work with your service dog, your workplace will become part of your transition as well.

Ask yourself:

• Have I spoken with my employer about bringing a service dog to work?

• Is there a work opportunity I would choose over my service dog?

• Is my work environment appropriate for a service dog?

• Have I considered how my coworkers may respond and how those relationships may change?

• Am I prepared to advocate for my service dog professionally and respectfully?

Bringing a service dog into the workplace often requires planning, communication, and patience. Taking the time to prepare before your dog arrives can make the transition smoother for everyone involved.

Your Commitment

Receiving a service dog is not a one-time event. It is a commitment that lasts for the life of the dog.

Ask yourself:

• Am I prepared to continue learning after graduation?

• Am I willing to maintain my dog's training throughout its career?

• Can I prioritize my dog's physical and emotional well-being, even during difficult periods in my own life?

• Am I able to complete Patriot Service Dogs' required annual Public Access Test in Ocala, Florida, throughout my dog's working career?

• If travel is required, am I prepared to assume those costs?

• Do I live within Patriot Service Dogs' placement area and understand the ongoing expectations of remaining part of the PSD community?

This commitment does not disappear when life becomes difficult. In many ways, difficult seasons reveal whether the commitment was understood in the first place.