What's right?

[tragicjuliet]

When I was 16 I was diagnosed with a nureo-muscular disease, as I've gotten older, it's gotten worse, not significantly bad bad, but still deteriorating. Part of me would be at ease to get a SD, one i could train and have by my side. However I have lived 21 years without one, and almost 6 years with this disease without one.

I guess my question is, when do you know it's the right decision to get a service dog?

[kaika_dragon]

There's no standard way to tell.  Make absolutely sure that your impairment qualifies as a disability before you become wedded to the idea of a service animal.  What people here have recommended before to figure out what an SD could do for you is to imagine what a robot could do for you.  I ended up deciding that an SD just wasn't right for me, right now.  Ultimately, it's a decision based on how you feel.

[Kirsten]

A service dog performs tasks that mitigate something which substantially limits your ability to perform major life activities.  So the time to get one is when you can no longer perform those activities without assistance.  One example would be if you want more independence from human caregivers or needed more continuous assistance (someone available nearly 24/7).

Of course it's not all rosy.  There's a down side to it too.  If the expense and extra work of caring for them, or the increased disputes is a bad enough negative for you you might decide you need to be a little more desperate before you take the leap.