What are the challenges of owning a PAD?

Simple things like leaving the house, going to shops, restaurants etc. can be a real struggle for someone with depression but it is essential to do these things to avoid or escape the clutches of depression.

For someone like Mummy who, thanks to my support, had progressed from being unable to carry out these simple tasks to being up for doing them again there is then the next hurdle to face: how do you do them with a PAD by your side?

Answer: with difficulty.

The Facts

Assistance Dogs can be trained by an ADUK organisation, a non-ADUK organisation or owner trained. Yet many companies say they only accept ADUK registered dogs which contravenes the law, as acknowledged by ADUK on their website:

“There is no legal impediment to someone having an assistance dog to support a mental health condition. There are currently no charities that have been internationally accredited and therefore form part of AD(UK) that train assistance dogs for this group of people, but there are many owner-trained mental health assistance dogs working and they have the same rights as dogs trained by the charities, provided the dogs are highly trained.“

The Reality

The reality is that people relying on non-ADUK registered dogs are often prevented from accessing services and there is commonly a lack of understanding of what a PAD is.

When Mummy explains that I am supporting her with a mental health disability some people respond positively but sadly there are other people who do not.

One example of an encounter Mummy had with a security guard in a leading supermarket chain involved her needing to show her anti-depressants to him in front of a busy store in order to prove she suffered from mental health issues. She was then allowed to pay for her ready meal.

On another occasion a security guard of a leading retailer spent over ten minutes deliberating over whether or not to let us in. He explained his dilemma: although he recognised my purpose as legitimate, as people can’t see the disability that the I am assisting, like you can more easily see a physical disability, he didn’t want to cause confusion to other customers. This argument was dumbfounding to Mummy and goes right to the heart of the problem: you can’t see mental health disabilities but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there and it doesn’t mean they aren’t as serious as physical disabilities. Their invisibility is a large part of the reason they are so life-threatening.

Experiences such as these have a very negative impact on someone who is already struggling to go about everyday life. The process of explaining our story is draining and the uncertainty of the other person’s response increases anxiety.

After a while it becomes easier to give up and avoid going out to face these encounters and so the vicious cycle of depression kicks in once again. 

Owning a dog is a significant responsibility and is not to be underestimated. Having a dog that is dependent on you can be incredibly stressful and if you’re not up to training and caring it for it, feelings of guilt and failure can start to kick in. An owner needs to be in a position (emotionally, mentally, physically, practically, financially) to take on the commitment in order to be fair to themselves and the dog. For this reason, a PAD is not suitable for everyone.

A PAD can transform the life of someone suffering with depression but it is not a panacea for the problem so it is important not to place unrealistic expectations on what a PAD can do. It very often takes a combination of treatment options to tackle a problem as complex as depression. Medication, therapy and other forms of Self Care can all contribute to an improved mental state.

It is also important to be realistic about the fact that recovery from depression does not work on an upwards-only trajectory. Even if a PAD improves someone’s life, that is not to say a lapse or relapse is not a possibility.

Despite the significant improvement in Mummy’s life as a result of me being part of it, she suffered lapses and had a relapse a few months after having me which meant she was temporarily readmitted into hospital. In this situation it can be especially difficult to be separated from your PAD but it is also vital to receive appropriate treatment when it’s needed. So it’s a balancing act. Ultimately, knowing that I was there for her when she came out made Mummy more keen to get back on track but that is not to say that I can single handedly keep her on track all the time.