Advice on needing a service dog
Hello!!
I’m a sophomore in college and recently been struggling pretty bad with my panic disorder, anxiety disorder + depression. While I’m taking the necessary steps to overcome this as much as I can, being in an elite university while struggling with my health has been very difficult for me. As much as I want to devote all my time towards focusing on my career and getting good grades + connections, I can’t help but to panic nearly daily and it affects me pretty often during the day.
I tend to get panic attacks out of nowhere and at times I start to faint. I also tend to scratch my arms pretty bad when I am panicking and pace around in circles. I have 3 guinea pigs I absolutely adore to take care of and they help with my anxiety but as much as they are emotional support pets, they cannot come out of their cage or in public with me yk what I mean?
Anyways, I was just wondering if it’s a good idea to get a working dog for psychiatric decompression for when I panic as It can happen anywhere at any time and I don’t really have control over it/ over triggers.
I’m on medication, therapy, talking to doctors, psychiatrists, and still nothing explains why I’m having such bad physical responses to my anxiety.
Edit: yes I am aware of how much training is needed. I’ve fostered over 11+ dogs growing up and am no stranger to training multiple dogs/puppies. I have lots of time on my hands and need a distractions from schooling (at least 1 hr a day) so I do not burn myself out + I have all summer to do research :) (I also know what tasks I would like to teach it) :)