Learning About Psychiatric Service Dog Prescriptions in Colorado

You may have noticed a lot of service dogs living here in Colorado and there's a good reason as to why.

According to a report from Veterinarians.org, Colorado is one of the top 10 states in the U.S. when it comes to psychiatric service dog prescriptions.

What is A Psychiatric Service Dog?

A psychiatric service dog is a dog that is trained to, "perform certain tasks that are related to their handler’s emotional or mental disability."

Here are a few work tasks that psychiatric service dogs can assist with according to Psychiatric Service Dog Partners:

stopping aggressive driving by alerting the handler to an episode
grounding a handler during an anxiety attack
reminding handler of daily tasks and activities when disorganization occurs
helping to balance handler during dizzy spells
guiding handler to a safe place or providing deep pressure therapy when having a panic attack

Your average service dog undergoes vigorous training worth $20,000-$50,000 from a service dog organization and they are extremely difficult to come by due to very high demand.

However, individuals in need of a psychiatric service dog can self-train their pup saving them thousands and allowing them the help they need.

How Does Colorado Rank in Psychiatric Service Dog Prescriptions?

Colorado ranked as the number 6 state in the U.S. when it comes to psychiatric service dog prescriptions. A large number of veterans live in Colorado, so it's easy to see why the Centennial state made the list.

A psychiatric service dog prescription must be printed on a licensed professional’s letterhead and include their licensing information in order for a dog to be certified as a psychiatric service dog.

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Source: Colorado Ranked As Top 10 State for Psychiatric Service Dog Prescriptions

Filed Under: Colorado, Colorado Pets

Categories: Colorado News