I've always wondered about this...

I saw on TV once that there was a lady who went through a very traumatic experience and she wouldn't leave her house. Well then she got a dog and she started to go out places again, and she was able to take the dog into restraunts and places like that because it was a dog that helped her or something, kind of like a seeing eye dog, but not....more of an emotional stability dog. Do they have to go through a test or something so that the dog could go in places like that? I can see where she is coming from though, because Heidi is my emotional stability dog, and if I ever went through something very traumatic I think it would help me GREATLY to have her with me, and I am sure I would be more calm and things. I've always wondered about that. i mean do they have to take a test, and stuff? Have you guys even heard about this before?

Funny i see this post , i asked my boyfriend that the other day, i wanted to take my Rott with me shopping and obviously i cant take him into the mall, but the reaso n why was because it was late and i was afraid to go to the mall alone with a lot of money for christmas shopping, i would prefer he be with me at all times and wondered, if there was a test or whatever, where u can take ur dog in public places with you, i will try to research and find out.

Yes there is such a thing!
I have a friend who has an Emotional/ Psychiatric Assistance Dog.
Hobbes is a Pit/Lab/? Mix and he is without a doubt the greatest dog... He's a huggy dog.

Support dogs ARE service dogs and have to go through training just like any other service dog, and the person has to qualify as disabled.

http://www.circletail.org/assistance.htm

Thats cool. Now I have another question. If a person went through something very tramatic and they already had a dog, could they use their own dog as their service dog? Because if I went through something tramatic and Heidi was my emotional stabilitator could I use her instead of getting another dog? Not that i have gone through anything, but I was just curious. :)

I'm sure you could if, as was said, she went through the proper training and you were clinically classified as disabled.